Chapter 114 One Hundred And Fourteen
Austin didn’t go far.
He drove aimlessly at first, one hand loose on the steering wheel, the other clenched tighter than he realized against his thigh. The city blurred past him in streaks of concrete and glass, but his mind remained fixed on one image—
Antonia’s face when she told him to leave.
Not angry.
Not hateful.
But resolute.
That stung more than Kennedy grabbing him ever could.
His phone buzzed in the cup holder.
He didn’t need to check the screen.
Sofia.
He let it ring twice before answering.
“Well?” her voice purred through the speaker.
Austin exhaled slowly. “You were watching.”
It wasn’t a question.
Sofia laughed softly. “Of course I was watching.”
He pulled into a shaded parking spot across from a café and killed the engine.
“You said you wanted clarity,” she continued smoothly. “Did you get it?”
He stared ahead, jaw tight. “Kennedy showed up.”
“I know.”
That made him look down at the phone.
“You saw him?”
“I saw everything.”
There was something deeply unsettling about how calm she sounded.
“How long were you there?” he asked.
“Long enough.”
Austin ran a hand through his hair.
He leaned back in the seat, exhaling sharply as he remembered the look on Kennedy’s face.
That split second when the smile froze.
The way his jaw tightened.
The possessiveness in his posture.
The insecurity.
The doubt.
It had been subtle—but it had been there.
“You should have seen him when he left,” Sofia continued, her tone laced with satisfaction. “Stormed out. Didn’t stay long at all.”
Austin’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he walked out of that building barely twenty minutes after you did.”
His heart skipped slightly.
“And?”
“And from his expression?” Sofia hummed softly. “I'm sure they argued.”
Austin’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“How are you so sure?”
“Because I know Kennedy. And because men don’t leave that quickly unless something went wrong.”
He pictured it.
Kennedy’s clenched jaw.
The tension in his shoulders.
The accusation in his voice.
“Are you guessing,” Austin asked slowly, “or are you certain?”
Sofia paused deliberately before answering.
“I watched him walk to his car.”
A beat.
“He didn’t look victorious.”
Austin’s stomach tightened.
He hadn’t expected that.
Immediate fracture.
Sofia continued, her voice silkier now. “Your presence destroyed whatever illusion of peace they were trying to build.”
He frowned. “That’s dramatic.”
“No,” she corrected gently. “It’s precise.”
Austin leaned forward slightly.
“You’re assuming too much.”
“I’m observing,” she replied smoothly. “You think Kennedy can just watch you show up at her door and not question everything?”
Austin didn’t respond.
Sofia pressed further. “You think he won’t replay every second of that interaction in his head? The history between you. The fact that you knew where she lived.”
He swallowed slowly.
“You sound pleased.”
“I am.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Because doubt is far more destructive than betrayal.”
Her words lingered.
“Explain.”
“Betrayal is clear,” Sofia said calmly. “It gives you something solid to react to. Doubt? Doubt festers. It grows quietly. It makes you question what you thought was stable.”
Austin’s chest felt tight.
“You think this ruined their chances?”
“I don’t think,” she replied softly. “I know.”
He scoffed lightly. “You’re very confident.”
“I saw his face.”
“So did I.”
“And?”
Austin hesitated.
There had been something there.
Jealousy, yes.
But also something else.
Fear.
“You’re sure they argued?” he asked again.
Sofia’s voice dipped slightly. “Kennedy left quickly.”
Silence.
“He didn’t stay to play father,” she added.
That hit deeper than expected.
Austin stared at the dashboard.
“He left?”
“Yes.”
“And Antonia?”
“She didn’t follow.”
Austin’s heartbeat quickened.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she let him go.”
The words slid into his mind like poison.
She let him go.
Sofia continued softly, “Do you understand what that means?”
“Not necessarily,” he replied carefully.
“It means whatever they were trying to rebuild is fragile.”
Austin’s jaw tightened.
“She still defended him.”
“Of course she did,” Sofia replied. “That’s instinct.”
“And what does this mean for me now?”
“It means you may have a chance with Antonia.”
He let out a slow breath.
“I really hope so.”
“I know,” she said gently.
Austin leaned his head back against the seat.
“You sound victorious.”
“I am.”
There was no shame in her tone.
No hesitation.
“I told you,” she continued, “Kennedy and Antonia rebuilding would be inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient for you.”
“For us,” she corrected.
He didn’t like that phrasing.
“Don’t include me in your agenda.”
She laughed softly. “You were at her door, Austin.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“I wanted answers.”
“And you got something better.”
He opened his eyes slowly.
“What’s that?”
“An opportunity to sneak back into her heart.”
The word made his stomach twist.
Sofia continued, voice now edged with something sharper. “Kennedy’s biggest weakness has always been pride.”
Austin didn’t argue that.
“And now?” she pressed.
“Now he doubts.”
Austin rubbed his jaw slowly.
“You’re assuming he walked out because of me.”
“I watched him,” she insisted quietly. “He wasn’t calm.”
He imagined Kennedy in his car.
Hands tight on the steering wheel.
Mind racing.
Questioning Antonia.
Questioning himself.
Questioning everything.
“Even if they argued,” Austin said carefully, “that doesn’t mean it’s over.”
“No,” Sofia agreed smoothly. “It means it’s cracked.”
Silence fell again.
“And cracks,” she added softly, “are where people slip through.”
Austin finally understood what she was implying.
“You think you have a chance now.”
She didn’t deny it.
“I think,” she said slowly, “that if there was ever an opening… you created it for the both of us.”
His jaw tightened.
“You’re welcome,” he muttered dryly.
She chuckled.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“I’m strategic.”
“You’re calculating.”
“And you,” she replied calmly, “are still emotional.”
That struck.
“I’m not emotional.”
“You went there because you couldn’t stand the thought of her choosing him again.”
He didn’t respond.
“Don’t confuse your motives,” Sofia said softly. “You weren’t there for clarity.”
He swallowed.
“You were there because you didn’t want to lose.”
The word echoed.
Lose.
Austin’s jaw flexed.
“This isn’t a game.”
“It always has been.”
He didn’t like that she might be right.
Sofia shifted her tone again, now smooth and deliberate.
“Let me ask you something.”
“What?”
“If Kennedy truly trusted her… would he have left?”
Austin didn’t answer.
“Would he have walked away with that look on his face?”
“No,” Austin admitted quietly.
Sofia smiled faintly to herself.
“Exactly.”
He exhaled slowly.
“So what now?” he asked.
Now.
The word lingered.
“Now,” Sofia said calmly, “I pay him a visit.”
“You think you can just slip back into his life?”
“I don’t have to slip,” she replied coolly. “I just have to remind him what certainty feels like.”
“You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I don’t move unless I am.”
He considered everything she had said.
“You really believe I ruined their second chance.”
Sofia’s voice softened.
“You didn’t just ruin it.”
A beat.
“You exposed it. And now we both have a chance to be with who we want.”