pte

ph

sharply with the cold rain tapping against the windows. Inside, the low hum of conversation blended

lear view of the door. She needed a moment to breathe, to gather her thoughts before Eva arrived. The secret she was

cold weather that had her feeling so uneasy. It was everything. Her father's debts. Mikhail. T

to see Eva walk in, her bright smile light

, waving as she walk

s Eva slid into the seat across from her, she set her coff

e laced with concern as she leaned forward.

de anymore. She couldn't keep pretending

ter now. "Everything's just... changed. I feel like I'm standing

"What do you mean, 'huge'? You've been actin

the edge of her coffee cup. The weight of her confe

ly a whisper. "And he's... part of a worl

f guard by the shift in tone.

her. How could she even explain Mikhail? The mafia? The chaos they

she finally managed. "He's...

them. It felt like the air had thickened, and Sophia c

voice tinged with disbe

One minute, I was just trying to sort out my father's mess, and the next, Mikhail's trying to ta

urgency. "Sophia, this sounds insane. Are you telling me th

dding again. "I don't have a choice," she said, her voice shaky

"But you're not alone in this, okay? You've got me. And we'll

o believe that there was a way out of this nightmare. But she knew better. Mikha

r gaze drifting to the window, where the rain continu

's hand tightened with newfound strength. "

om the inside. She had never felt more trapped. The wall

-

kh

re him, a sea of lights below. The rain had stopped, but his thoughts were still

ph

g into her father's dealings. Trying to find answers to things that had been buried for years. And that

, pulling him from his thought

d that Sophia has been meeting with someone outside her u

ld do this. Of course she would dig deeper. She didn't

h of the darkness he was tied to. But now, she was actively seeking i

she pushed, the more likely it was she would uncover som

emind her of who she belonged to, but to

resolve. He would no longer sit back and let things

me to mak