I wipe my palms against my leggings and cross the room to open the door.
My father stands there, his face grim, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his suit jacket.
Without waiting for an invitation, he steps inside.
"Enzo called me. He’s making the call."
I stare at him, dread coiling in my gut.
"What call?"
"Alessio's going back to Tuscany."
The words land like a punch to the ribs.
"What?" My voice cracks. "Why now?"
My father sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s aged ten years overnight.
"The threats. His recklessness. The investors cannot know about this, Sophie. They’d pull out of the merger faster than you can blink. And Enzo’s under pressure too. This isn’t just about business anymore. It’s about damage control. About safety."
I grip the back of the couch to steady myself, the room tilting.
"He said he could protect me," I whisper.
My father’s eyes harden, his mouth pressing into a thin line.
"This isn’t up for debate. This is for your safety. Period."
I blink at him, caught off guard by the force behind the words.
A low growl threads his tone. "This isn’t just about the deal anymore. I don’t give a damn about the merger if it means putting you at risk."
For a second, I don’t know what to say.
My father, the man who has always valued strategy, leverage, winning, just made it brutally clear none of it matters more than me.
And somehow, that wrecks me even more.
Because if even he thinks Alessio leaving is the right move, then maybe it really is over.
When he leaves, the apartment feels like a ticking tomb.
Alessio steps into the living room, hair still damp from the shower, tension radiating off him like a second skin.
I stand, slow and stiff, every muscle locked tight.
He meets my eyes, and what I see there nearly breaks me. Fear, guilt, devastation.
My father looks at both of us. Reading the tension in the room, he makes his way out, walking toward the door. "We'll talk more later. It seems like you two need to sort things out."
After my father leaves, I direct my attention to Alessio.
"I don’t have a choice. I can’t put you in danger anymore. And now that you’re pregnant..." He swallows hard. "I can’t risk our baby either."
Our baby.
The words slice through me.
