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Marco

Marco stood still watching the waves beat up against the cliff. He had gone today to visit the grave of his ex late wife, Nina. 

Not for any reason that he missed her but something mysterious was going on. Even though she was dead, she was still haunting him from her grave. Was this karma for him not giving her his best when they were married? 

Someone was trying to blackmail him because of Nina. He had received a cryptic message from a strange number. 

He remembered that his blood had gone cold when his eyes danced across the words that looked like threats. 

I know what you did to Nina. 

His phone beeped with a message notification. 
The screen lit up at the touch of his thumb, and though it was locked, Sofia's guard's name popped up. 

Matteo: Sir, Mrs De Santis sneaked out.

How had she sneaked out? 

Marco: Where? 

His jaw tightened as he waited anxiously for the typing bubbles to stop. 

Matteo: To the hospital. 

He paused. The hospital? He had noticed Sofia had been distant from him lately. Something was up and she hasn't told him yet. Was she sick?

Or had she gone with her Lucia as a form of support for her antenatal check ups? That was also another issue, Lucia was pregnant with an unknown man's baby. He knew it was going to be a matter of time before her family found out. 
Marco: Who was she with? Was she with her cousin? 

Matteo: No Sir. 

Matteo didn't say she was alone, meaning she was with someone else. Then who had she been with? 
The typing bubbles began and he waited for Matteo to continue. 

Something was up. 

Matteo: Kristoff Romanov was seen leaving the hospital in his car. 

His blood went cold. Kristoff Romanov was with his wife? 

Marco: Where's she now?

Matteo: She's back at home. 

Marco: Alright. Keep eyes on her. Also reach to the hospital staff and find out what she was doing at the hospital. I'm on my way. 

Why had Sofia met up with Kristoff? At the hospital at all places? 

It wasn't a coincidence. Marco knew coincidences don't just happen in his world. 

The secrecy.

The timing.

His hands clenched, jaw tight as stone.

She didn’t trust him. His wife didn't trust him. 

Sofia 

Sofia was laying on her bed when he stormed in, silent as thunder before a storm. She turned, startled by his abrupt entrance and the anger in his eyes.

“Where were you?” He asked her. 

Her heart stopped. He knew, Matteo must have notified him of her absence. Something told her not to lie because it would only worsen the situation. 

“You hid this from me,” Marco said, voice low, clipped, dangerous.

Sofia straightened slowly, fingers curling at her sides. “You had me followed?”

“Why did you sneak out?” He stepped forward, eyes burning. “You lied about meeting up with Lucia today but you have just been sneaking around behind my back, going to hospitals under false names? ”

“I didn’t mean to lie,” she said, though her voice shook. “I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Oh, right,” Marco snapped, “Because that’s so much better. Do you understand how dangerous that was?”

“I understand. I'm sorry I sneaked out.” She apologized, still guarded. He hadn't talked about Kristoff. 

His head snapped up. “You think this is about you just sneaking out and lying about meeting up with Lucia?”

She stared at him. “Isn’t it?” 

His expression didn’t soften.

“What were you doing at the hospital, Sofia?”

Silence. She should have known he would ask that question. 

His eyes narrowed. “You’re not sick.”

“No.”

“Then what?”

Sofia turned away, her body folding in on itself. She couldn’t say it. Not yet. She was scared. 

Marco's eyes widened as if he just connected the dots. 
Marco stepped around to face her again. “Are you... are you pregnant?”

She swallowed hard. Her lips parted, then closed again.

She couldn't deny it because it was the truth. 

He exhaled like he'd been punched.

“Is it mine?” he asked, voice hollow.

Sofia jerked back, shocked by his question. “How dare you?”

How could he ask that question after he was the first man to sleep with her? 

“You won’t tell me anything! I find a secret phone and hospital visits and I’m supposed to just trust you?”

She pressed both palms to her temples, shaking. “I don’t know how to do this. I didn’t plan it. I didn’t want it, ”

“You didn’t want me,” he cut in, quietly.

That wasn't what she had wanted to say. She wanted to say that she hadn't expected this thing to escalate to this point. 

Her gaze snapped to his. Her eyes were filled with so much pain, it undid something inside him.

“That’s not true, Marco” she whispered.

“Why? Why didn't you tell me?” His voice was 

She faltered. Her fingers curled into fists. “I needed answers. For myself.”

“You’re pregnant. And instead of coming to me, you went behind my back,” She cut him off. 

“I didn’t go behind your back. I was scared of how you would react.” Her voice shook. “I didn't know how to bring up the topic. And it seemed I was right to keep it to myself for the time being because you just literally accused me of cheating on you.”

He flinched with what she hoped was shame.

“Do you know who else was at that hospital?” Marco said, tone darkening. “Kristoff. My men traced his guard’s vehicle in the lot the same hour you were there.”

Sofia's chest tightened. She said nothing.

“Did he speak to you?” Marco asked sharply.

She paused too long.

“Did he speak to you, Sofia?”

She looked away. “He didn’t touch me. He didn’t threaten me. He just... offered something I didn’t ask for.”

“What?” His voice cracked with rage. “What did he offer you?”

She turned to him, expression hard. “Freedom.”

The word hit like a hammer.

Marco stepped back like she’d slapped him. “You considered it.”

“No,” she said immediately but there was a slight hesitation in her voice.

And it was that hesitation that broke him.

He laughed once, low and bitter. “Of course. You don't trust me to the extent, you’d walk straight into the arms of the devil I’m protecting you from.”

Sofia’s eyes glistened with tears. “It's not like that.” 

He looked at her for a long, silent moment.

“Then here’s some more of that,” he said coldly. “You’re not leaving the estate again. Not until I say so.”

Her heart dropped.

“You don’t get to decide that,” she said, voice trembling.

“I just did.”

“If you cage me like this, Marco, I swear, I will go to him.”

Something in his face went flat. Numb.

He didn’t yell. He didn’t argue.

He just... shut down.

Sofia saw it, the moment he stopped seeing her as Sofia and started seeing her as a variable to manage.

Emotionally, he had locked the door.

But physically, he didn’t leave. He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving her standing there with tears in her eyes and her heart breaking. 

Later that night, Marco stood alone in his study.

The security footage from the hospital had confirmed it, Kristoff had intercepted her at the hospital. He had seen her and spoken to her in his car. 

Marco leaned forward, bracing his hands against the desk, the weight of it all pressing against his spine.

She was carrying his child.

And Kristoff knew before he did.

How was he going to protect her now?