Sophia’s POV

I was stuck in a hospital bed, still weak and lightheaded. My arms ached from the blood loss, and even sitting up made the room tilt. But none of that came close to what I was really carrying.

Grief.

I had lost my child.

And while I lay there trying to breathe through it, the outside world kept moving without me.

Someone sent me a video. Damon at a gala, laughing like he didn’t have a care in the world. Natalie at his side, his hand resting on her waist like she belonged there.

Another clip came in later—him feeding her cake at a private dinner, leaning in close, making her laugh like she was the only person in the room.

He looked… happy.

Free.

Like I had never existed at all.

When I was discharged, I left alone. No driver. No escort. No message from him. Just a hospital bag in my hand and a quiet, humiliating truth settling in my chest.

I didn’t matter to them anymore.

I shouldn’t have gone back to the estate, but all my things were still there. So I had no choice.

That’s when I saw them.

Right outside the maternity wing.

Natalie looked glowing, like she owned the world. Damon stood beside her, hand resting on her back, casual and familiar.

A nurse walked past and smiled brightly. “Mr. Damon, your wife looks radiant today!”

My stomach twisted.

I didn’t correct her.

I didn’t have the energy to explain anything anymore.

I just turned away.

And then—

“Sophia.”

His voice stopped me cold.

Of course he saw me. Of course he always saw me when I was trying not to be seen.

I turned slowly, meeting his eyes across the polished hallway.

“I didn’t come looking for you,” I said flatly. “I was just discharged. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

Before he could respond, Natalie clung to his arm.

“Babe,” she said softly, tilting her head at him, “let her come with us. I feel bad for her… she gave me blood, remember?”

The way she said it—like I was doing her a favor—made something sharp twist in my chest.

Damon exhaled, then gave a small nod. “Fine.”

Just like that.

Like I was a decision on a schedule.

So I got in the car.

Not because I wanted to.

Because I had nowhere else to go for the moment.

The ride was silent at first.

Until Natalie shifted in her seat, glancing back at me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh my God,” she said suddenly, almost amused. “I just realized… my underwear is still here.”

My head snapped slightly before I could stop myself.

She giggled.

“Can you believe that, babe?” she added, turning to Damon. “After everything we did in the backseat last week?”

Damon let out a low chuckle, eyes still on the road. “You were reckless.”

“Mmm,” she hummed. “You didn’t complain when you had me on your lap outside the estate. Or when I unzipped you during that drive to the border and kept you distracted the whole way.”

He smirked. “That’s because you make every trip better.”

“And the time you had to pull over because I wouldn’t stop—”

“Alright,” I cut in quietly.

My voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

Silence fell for half a second.

Then Natalie only smiled wider, like she’d won something.

I looked out the window instead, forcing my breathing to stay steady.

With shaking fingers, I pulled out my phone and opened the email from Noah.

A flight confirmation.

Tonight. 9 PM.

My chest tightened—not with pain this time, but something almost like relief.

I typed quickly.

Thank you, Noah. I’m sorry I missed the last one.

His reply came almost instantly.

What happened? You can tell me.

My fingers paused.

I could tell him everything. He’d burn the world down for me if I asked.

But I didn’t want more blood in my name.

So I typed:

I’ll explain soon. I just need to get out first.

I stared at those words for a moment before sending them.

Because that was the only truth left that mattered.

I needed out.

Damon noticed the phone in my hands almost immediately.

“You’ve been on that thing the entire ride,” he said sharply. “Who are you talking to?”

“No one important,” I replied without looking at him. “Just reading.”

A beat.

Then the phone was suddenly pulled from my hands.

My body went still.

Not from fear.

From disbelief.

I turned to him slowly.

“Really?” I said, voice low. “We’re doing this now?”

“What’s the passcode?”

I let out a short laugh. “The date we met, Damon. You should remember it. You were charming for about five minutes back then.”

His jaw tightened as he tried it.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Locked.

Natalie leaned in with a soft laugh. “Just give it up, babe. She probably doesn’t even have anyone left to message.”

She looked at me and smiled sweetly.

Like I was already nothing.

Sophia’s POV

When we got back to the estate, Damon didn’t even look at me.

He walked Natalie straight upstairs like she belonged there, one hand steady on her back while she complained softly about feeling sick. He called for the chef on the way and told him to prepare her favorite dishes.

Like she was fragile.

Like she mattered.

I stood near the entrance with my suitcase still in hand, watching it all unfold like I was just passing through someone else’s life.

As he came back down, he slowed for half a second when he saw me heading toward the guest wing.

Then, without looking at me properly, he said to the staff, “Add two more dishes. Sophia’s favorites. Set a third place.”

I stopped walking.

For a second, I almost laughed.

Was that supposed to mean something?

An apology? A peace offering?

He couldn’t remember our anniversary properly, couldn’t even remember the last conversation we had without Natalie in it—but suddenly he knew my favorite dishes?

It felt insulting in a quiet way.

Like scraps thrown at a dog that had already learned the door was closed.

I didn’t respond. I just kept walking.

---

The guest room was cold when I stepped in.

Not temperature-wise. Just… empty.

I closed the door behind me and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

This wasn’t my home anymore. It hadn’t been for a while.

I dropped my suitcase on the bed and knelt to unzip it, already planning how fast I could leave once everything was ready.

But the moment I opened it, my hands went still.

My clothes.

Torn. Shredded. Ruined beyond repair.

Someone had taken their time with it—clean cuts, deliberate, almost careful.

My stomach dropped.

Then I saw it—my passport and documents tucked deep in the lining, untouched.

A warning, not a mistake.

My throat tightened.

Natalie.

Of course.

I didn’t even have the energy to feel shocked. Just tired.

I shoved whatever I could salvage into the bag, movements quick now. I couldn’t stay here longer than necessary.

That was when the door creaked open.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Natalie,” I said flatly.

She stepped inside like she owned the place, one hand holding a small black bottle, her expression relaxed—almost bored. Her eyes scanned the room, then landed on me with a slow smile.

“Wow,” she said. “Still here.”

I stood up slowly.

She tilted her head. “After everything, you’re still clinging to him like this? It’s kind of embarrassing, Sophia.”

I didn’t answer.

She walked further in, inspecting the room like she was judging its worth.

“Oh,” she added casually, like she was talking about the weather. “Your grandmother died last month, right?”

My fingers went cold.

She smiled wider when she saw my reaction.

“You begged him to let you see her,” she continued. “You were practically on your knees, weren’t you?”

My jaw tightened.

Natalie lifted her phone, tapping the screen. “Do you know where he was that day?”

She didn’t wait for me to answer.

“We went to the coast. Helicopter ride. Sunset dinner. He was with me.”

She turned the screen toward me.

A photo.

Damon kissing her.

The world tilted, just slightly.

My chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe.

I remembered that day too clearly. The begging. The panic. The way I’d asked him just to let me say goodbye.

And he said no.

Because he was busy.

With her.

Something inside me cracked, slow and deep, like glass finally giving way under pressure.

Natalie watched me carefully, like she was waiting for me to break completely.

“You really didn’t matter as much as you thought,” she said softly.

Silence stretched.

Then something in me snapped.

“You think this is funny?” I said quietly at first.

She smiled. “A little.”

My hands curled into fists.

“You tore through my life like it was nothing,” I said, voice rising. “You took everything and you still stand there smiling like you won something?”

Her expression barely changed.

“I already won,” she said simply.

That did it.

I stepped forward.

“You have nothing,” I said sharply. “You’re just noise. A mistake he keeps entertaining because he’s bored.”

Her smile twitched.

“And one day,” I added, voice shaking but steady, “he’s going to look at you and realize that too.”

Sophia's POV

She shrugged, smug. “Still more than you.”

That was it.

I slapped the phone out of her hand. It hit the floor with a sharp crack.

Natalie barely had time to react before I grabbed her.

My hand went straight for her throat.

We both stumbled back, knocking into the bedside table. Something rolled across the floor—then the sharp, unmistakable smell hit me.

Gasoline.

My stomach dropped.

“Natalie—what did you—”

The bottle tipped fully, spilling out across the carpet.

She smiled.

Then a spark.

I didn’t even see what caused it—just a flash, then fire.

It erupted fast, crawling up the curtains, licking the walls like it had been waiting for this moment.

“Stop—!” I coughed, backing away as smoke filled the room.

Natalie grabbed my arm, pushing, shoving, both of us scrambling as the fire grew between us like a living thing.

The heat was unbearable. My lungs burned on the first breath.

Somewhere in the chaos, she screamed.

And I fell.

---

“Sophia!”

The voice cut through the roar of flames.

I forced my eyes open through the smoke.

Damon.

He was at the doorway, shouting, fighting with security as they tried to hold him back.

“Sir! You can’t go in—!”

“Get out of my way!”

My heart twisted painfully.

For one stupid second, I thought—

He came for me.

“Damon!” I tried to lift myself. My voice broke. “I’m here!”

Natalie’s voice rang out immediately behind me, weak and perfect.

“Damon… please… help me…”

Everything changed in his expression.

That was all it took.

He ran past me.

Straight to her.

He didn’t even look back.

---

I don’t know how long I stayed there after that.

The smoke got thicker. Heavier. My vision blurred until everything turned into heat and noise.

And then something in me snapped into survival.

I don’t even remember deciding.

One moment I was choking on the floor.

The next—

Pain.

Bones shifting. Skin tearing. Breath turning into something deeper, instinctive.

I changed.

The world sharpened instantly. Sound. Smell. Movement.

Fire wasn’t just fire anymore—it was a wall I could read, a path I could escape.

I grabbed my bag with my teeth and ran.

Glass shattered as I threw myself through a window. It sliced into my side, but I didn’t stop.

I landed hard outside, rolling into the grass, coughing violently.

Alive.

Barely.

I didn’t look back at the burning house.

I just ran.

Through a side path. Through darkness. Through pain I didn’t have time to feel.

Until I found a service gate left open.

And I kept going.

Even when my legs gave out.

Even when my lungs felt like they were tearing apart.

I didn’t stop until the estate was gone behind me.

---

The flight terminal was quiet.

Too quiet.

I sat in the corner seat, wrapped in a borrowed coat, my hands still shaking slightly.

My phone buzzed.

Damon.

Don’t play games, Sophia. I don’t have time for hide-and-seek.

I stared at the screen.

No anger.

No sadness.

Just… nothing.

Then I turned the phone off.