e better left u

illed meeting between Alexander and David, I was emotionally drained, but there was no time to decompress. A message from my m

someone you said no to

bout to have settling on my shoulders. My mother didn't call impromptu meetings unless she had someth

ored white suit, her long blonde hair swept into a chic bun. Her designer sunglasses hid her eyes, but I knew she was already w

ive me a once-over. "Sophia, darling," she greeted me with a

pping into the seat o

s if she could see straight through the facade I had been wearing for the past fe

mooth and calculated, "how i

exander and I barely spoke? That his emotional distance was suffocating

stment," I said,

of her wine glass. "An adjustment? Darling, you married one of the m

at the weight of her expectations. "It

oval. "All men are complicated, Sophia. But that doesn't mean you get t

her. Victoria had always been pragmatic to a fault. Em

said carefully. "I'm just...

smile. "And that's exactly what

me, but I barely registered it. My focus was entirely on h

lightly. "Especially when you're marrying into a family like the Knights. But yo

nfused. "What

something much larger now. Your marriage to Alexander opens doors, not just for you, but f

an only dream of, and I would hate for you to t

cold silence, the emotional distance, the feeling of being trapped in a

arely holding back the frustration. "I married him because-" I stopped short, reali

se he was powerful? Because.

ed you better than this. You don't walk away from a marriage like yours just because it's not everythi

d *our family* that caught my attention. I leaned forward slightly, sus

, just enough for me to see a flicker of something

ely gaze. "I'm trying to say that you need to stop looking for problems where there aren't a

o a low, almost conspiratorial tone. "And you need to understand that

ease returning. "What things?" I as

exander hasn't been entirely honest with you. There are parts of his

ounding in my chest. "What are you talking about?" I dem

y, she gave a small, tight smile. "I'm not at liberty to say. But tru

g to slipping through my fingers. "Mom, if you know somethin

"I'm telling you this because I care about you, darling. I don't want you to be blindsided by somet

omach tighten further. What was she hiding? W

tion had been nothing more than casual small talk. "Think about what I've said, Sophia. And remember,

ed to leave, her heels clicking against the pavemen

stions. What was she trying to warn me about? And more