The Message In The Dark
677 Words
Night fell over the mansion like a heavy curtain.
Sofia waited.
Not for sleep.
For silence.
The guards outside her door had changed shift an hour ago. The new ones spoke less. Watched more.
Good.
But not perfect.
Because Sofia had learned something in the past days:
Even cages had blind spots.
She sat on the bed, pretending to be still.
Breathing steady.
Waiting for the exact moment the hallway footsteps faded.
Then she moved.
Quietly, she slid off the bed and walked to the desk where Alessandro had left her phone.
Still there.
Unlocked.
Either he underestimated her…
or he wanted her to try something.
She hesitated only once.
Then she turned it on.
The screen lit up instantly, too bright in the dark room.
Her heart raced as she opened contacts—blank.
Messages—restricted.
Of course.
But then—
A single notification appeared.
No number.
No name.
Just a message:
“He cannot protect you forever.”
Sofia froze.
Her fingers went cold.
Before she could react, another message appeared.
“You were never meant to be his.”
Her breath caught sharply.
“Who is this…” she whispered.
The lights in the room flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stabilized.
But the air felt different now.
Heavier.
Sofia turned slowly toward the window.
A shadow passed outside.
Too fast to be a guard.
Her heart pounded.
Then—
A soft click came from the door lock.
Sofia stepped back immediately.
The door opened.
Alessandro walked in.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
Just… aware.
His eyes scanned the room instantly, landing on the phone in her hand.
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
“You touched it,” he said.
Sofia tightened her grip. “Someone is messaging me.”
His expression shifted slightly.
Not surprise.
Confirmation.
“Show me,” he ordered.
She hesitated—but something in his voice made her obey.
She handed him the phone.
He read both messages.
Then his jaw clenched.
For the first time, she saw something break through his control.
Not anger.
Recognition.
“You know who it is,” Sofia said immediately.
Alessandro didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
She stepped forward. “Tell me the truth this time. Who is Vincenzo Moretti really?”
A long pause.
Then he spoke quietly.
“He’s not just a rival.”
Sofia frowned. “Then what is he?”
Alessandro’s eyes darkened.
“The man I took everything from.”
The room went silent.
Even the air seemed to stop moving.
Sofia’s voice dropped. “Everything… like what?”
He looked at her then—really looked at her.
And for the first time, his control slipped just enough for her to see something buried underneath.
Not the Don.
Not the killer.
Something older.
Wounded.
“Power,” he said. “Territory. Men.”
Then a pause.
“And someone he never forgave me for taking.”
Sofia’s throat tightened. “Who?”
Alessandro’s silence stretched too long.
Then finally:
“You.”
Her heart stopped.
“What?” she whispered.
Alessandro stepped closer, voice lower now.
“You were never random,” he said. “You were already part of this war before you even knew my name.”
Sofia shook her head slowly. “No… I don’t even know you.”A faint, almost bitter exhale left him.
“That’s the problem,” he said. “You don’t know anything.”
A loud crash suddenly echoed from downstairs.
Both of them turned instantly.
Alessandro moved first, grabbing his gun from inside his jacket.
But before he reached the door—
The lights went out.
Total darkness.
Then—
A voice from the hallway.
Calm.
Too calm.
“You always were slow, Alessandro.”
Sofia’s blood ran cold.
Alessandro didn’t move.
But his voice, when it came, was sharp as steel.
“Vincenzo.”
A soft laugh echoed in the dark.
“I told you,” the voice replied. “She was never yours to protect.”
A pause.
Then the final words:
“She belongs to me now.”
- Writer
