The room felt smaller after she sent the message.
Not physically.
But emotionally, as something invisible had shifted, the walls closed in, tightening around her chest.
“Then I’m coming to get you.”
Giulia stared at the words, her grip on the phone loosening slightly.
“He’s coming, isn’t he?” Sofia asked quietly.
Giulia didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Chiara exhaled slowly. “Of course he is.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Giulia said quickly, though her voice lacked conviction.
Sofia tilted her head. “It means everything.”
Giulia shook her head, pacing now, her heels echoing softly against the polished floor. “No, it means he doesn’t listen. It means he doesn’t understand boundaries.”
“It means he refuses to let you disappear,” Chiara corrected.
“I wasn’t disappearing.”
“Y
