Chapter 56

Chapter 56
Sofia's POV

The oars cut water in slow rhythm, each pull echoing off the cliffs. Mist pressed heavy around us, swallowing horizon and sky alike. The sea had quieted from its rage, but silence made every ripple louder, every breath sharper.
Diego rowed without strain. His scar caught the pale shimmer of fog light, his grin faint but constant. Across from him, I sat on the wet bench, my gown clinging in tatters, blanket dragging seawater into the hull. My wrists ached where his grip had bruised them.
“You don’t even look tired,” I rasped.
His smile widened. “I don’t row for escape, Sofia. I row for direction.”
“You’re rowing into nothing.”
“Not nothing. A place only I know. A place you’ll know soon enough.”
I glanced around at the blank fog. “You’ll get lost.”
“You sound like them.” His voice sharpened. “Always looking for maps, rules, a path someone else drew. I don’t need those. I make my own.”
“You’re dragging me to hell.”
He leaned forward, the boat creaking under his shift. “Hell is what waits with your brothers. With me, you live.”
I clenched the bench until my nails splintered wood. “You don’t understand love.”
“I understand possession.” His eyes glinted. “The rest is illusion.”
A voice cut faintly across the water.
“Sofia!”
My head snapped toward the fog. Luca.
I half-rose before Diego’s oar shot out, blocking my chest. “Sit.”
“They’re close!” My throat cracked. “LUCA!”
Diego’s hand clamped my jaw, silencing me. “One more shout, and I sink them where they stand.”
I shoved him off, chest heaving. “You’re afraid.”
He laughed once. “Of them? Never. Of you? Sometimes. You’re unpredictable.”
“You should be.”
His grin lingered. “Finally. A little fire.”
Another call floated nearer: Alessandro’s voice, sharp and steady. “Sofia. Hold on. We’re closing in.”
I shouted hoarsely, “I’m here!”
Diego slammed the oar against the hull. The crack boomed across the cove. “Quiet!”
The silence afterward was deafening.
He leaned across the boat, eyes drilling into me. “You think they’ll save you? They’re shadows. I’m the one who pulled you from the sea. You breathe because of me.”
“I breathe in fear.”
His jaw flexed. “Good. Fear keeps you alive.”
“Until it kills me.”
“Not while I hold it.”
The fog shifted, revealing a thin corridor of view. A lantern swayed in the distance, golden against the gray. My breath caught. Another vessel, larger, gliding silently.
I pointed. “There. That could be them.”
Diego’s gaze followed. His expression hardened. “Not them.”
The boat drew closer, silhouette hulking.
My heart hammered. “Who else would—”
“Someone uninvited,” he muttered.
The oars stilled. The mist thickened, smothering all but the glow.
“Stay quiet.” His hand slid to the knife at his belt.
I whispered, “You don’t know who they are.”
His grin returned, sharp. “Does it matter? Friend or foe, they’ll bleed if they try to take you.”
Another shout carried faintly, this time Luca again: “SOFIA!” His voice cracked on my name.
Tears burned. “Luca, I—”
Diego’s hand clamped mine, crushing bone. “Whisper his name again, and I snap your fingers one by one.”
“Let me go.”
“Never.”
The lantern swayed closer, rocking over black water. Then it stopped. Silence pressed.
A voice carried low across the fog, male, unfamiliar, commanding.
“Bring her.”
My stomach dropped.
It wasn’t Luca. Not Alessandro.
Diego’s grin spread wide. “Looks like we’re expected.”
I shook my head violently. “No. No, you planned this.”
His grip tightened on the oars. “I plan everything.”
“Who is it?”
“You’ll see soon.”
“No!” My scream tore ragged. “I’m not walking onto another cage!”
He leaned forward, eyes blazing. “You’ll walk wherever I lead. Cage or throne — it makes no difference, because you’ll be beside me.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m inevitable.”
The brothers’ voices cut through again, faint but desperate.
“SOFIA!” Luca roared.
“Stay calm!” Alessandro barked.
I shouted into the fog, “I’m here! Help me!”
Gunfire cracked. Bullets hissed, splashing near. The larger vessel’s lantern bobbed, steady, unshaken.
“See?” Diego said calmly. “They fight shadows while I take you where you belong.”
“You don’t own me.”
“You’ll believe it when no one else comes.”
The lantern brightened as the vessel slid alongside us. Figures moved in silhouette. One leaned forward over the bow.
“Bring her,” the voice repeated.
Diego’s smirk carved deep. He looked at me. “Now do you understand? Even the sea bends to me. Everyone calls for you, but only I answer.”
I trembled, clutching the bench. “Who are they?”
He didn’t answer. His hand gripped the gunwale as the larger vessel extended a rope ladder down.
The fog curled tighter. My brothers’ voices shouted again, closer, guns cracking in wild bursts.
The strange boat loomed larger, its lantern halo swallowing ours.
Diego dropped the oars, stood, and caught my chin. His whisper burned against my ear.
“Time to see how far you’ll follow.”
And before I could scream, he pulled me upright, forcing me toward the swaying ladder.