The next morning felt… wrong.
Sophia woke with a heavy feeling in her chest, like something bad was already set in motion—and she was walking straight into it.
She barely slept.
Luciano's words from the night before wouldn't leave her mind.
I watched her die.
Her heart tightened again.
"Stop thinking about him," she muttered, pushing the covers off.
But it was useless.
Everything about this place led back to him.
She got dressed quickly, choosing something simple again—something that felt like her, not something chosen for her.
She needed that reminder.
That she still had control.
At least… some of it.
The dining room was empty when she arrived.
Strange.
Luciano was always there first.
Sophia frowned slightly, glancing around.
"Where is he?" she asked one of the staff.
"He had urgent business this morning," the woman replied quietly.
Of course.
Sophia nodded, trying not to feel… disappointed.
Which was ridiculous.
She didn't want to see him.
Right?
She sat down anyway, picking at the food in front of her without much interest.
The silence felt louder than usual.
Uncomfortable.
Unsettling.
"Eating alone now?"
Sophia froze.
That voice.
Slowly…
She looked up.
Isabella stood at the entrance.
Dressed even more elegantly than before, like she had walked straight out of a high-end fashion show. But this time, there was something sharper in her expression
More intentional.
More dangerous.
"You're not supposed to be here," Sophia said, her tone colder now.
Isabella smiled.
"And yet… here I am."
Sophia's grip tightened slightly on her fork.
"Luciano told you to leave."
Isabella walked in slowly, unbothered, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.
"He tells a lot of people a lot of things," she said. "Doesn't mean we listen."
She stopped across from Sophia, resting her hands lightly on the back of the chair.
Studying her.
Again.
Sophia held her gaze.
Unflinching.
"I'm not scared of you," Sophia said.
Isabella laughed softly.
"You should be."
Sophia's jaw tightened. "Why? Because you're jealous?"
That hit.
Just slightly.
Isabella's smile didn't fade—but her eyes sharpened.
"Jealous?" she repeated.
"Yes," Sophia said, leaning back slightly.
"You walked in here acting like you own him."
A pause.
Then—
Isabella pulled out the chair and sat down slowly.
Confident.
Composed.
"I don't own him," she said calmly.
Sophia raised a brow.
"I understand him."
That made something twist in Sophia's chest.
"And you think I don't?" she challenged.
Isabella tilted her head slightly.
"No," she said simply.
The bluntness stung more than it should have.
"You don't know anything about him,"
Isabella continued. "What he's done. What he's lost."
Sophia's heart skipped.
I watched her die.
She knew more than Isabella thought.
But she wasn't about to say that.
"You don't know what I know," Sophia replied quietly.
Isabella studied her more carefully now.
Suspicious.
Curious.
Interesting.
"Then tell me," she said.
Sophia shook her head. "No."
A small smile returned to Isabella's lips.
"Exactly."
Silence fell between them.
But it wasn't empty.
It was tense.
Like a storm building.
"You think you're different," Isabella said after a moment.
Sophia frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Isabella leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering, "you think you're the one who'll change him."
Sophia scoffed. "I don't want to change him."
"Then why are you still here?" Isabella asked.
That question hit deeper than expected.
Sophia didn't answer immediately.
Because she didn't have a clear answer.
And Isabella noticed.
Her smile widened slightly.
"Exactly."
Sophia clenched her jaw. "I'm here because I have no choice."
Isabella's expression darkened just a fraction.
"Neither did she."
Sophia's breath caught.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
"What?"
Too late.
Isabella saw it.
That reaction.
And something clicked in her eyes.
"Oh…" she murmured softly. "So you do know something."
Sophia's pulse raced.
She said nothing.
But the silence confirmed it.
Isabella leaned back slowly, studying her like she had just uncovered something valuable.
"Interesting," she said.
Sophia forced herself to stay calm. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" Isabella replied lightly. "Luciano doesn't talk about her."
Her heart pounded louder.
"But you looked like you just saw a ghost," Isabella added.
Sophia looked away.
Mistake.
Isabella smiled again.
Sharp.
Victorious.
"Let me guess," she continued. "You overheard something."
Sophia said nothing.
And that was answer enough.
Isabella exhaled softly, almost amused.
"Well… that complicates things."
Sophia snapped her head back toward her. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Isabella said calmly, "you're more dangerous than I thought."
Confusion flickered across Sophia's face. "Dangerous?"
"Yes," Isabella said, her gaze locking onto hers. "Because now you understand him."
Sophia's chest tightened.
"And that makes you harder to replace."
The words hit like a slap.
"Replace?" Sophia repeated.
Isabella's expression softened slightly.
But not kindly.
"Do you really think you're the first girl he's protected like this?" she asked.
Sophia's stomach dropped.
"No," Isabella continued. "You're just the one who looks the most like her."
Silence.
Dead.
Heavy.
Sophia felt like the ground had shifted beneath her.
"That's not true," she said, but her voice lacked conviction.
Isabella didn't argue.
She didn't need to.
Because doubt had already been planted.
"I've known Luciano longer than you,"
Isabella said softly. "I've seen what he becomes when he loses control."
Sophia's heart pounded.
"And you think this is different?" Isabella tilted her head. "It's not."
A pause.
Then—
"He doesn't love you."
The words were quiet.
But they cut deep.
"He's just afraid of losing you."
Sophia swallowed hard.
Her mind raced.
Her chest tightened.
Because part of her—
A small, dangerous part—
Believed it.
"You're lying," she whispered.
Isabella smiled sadly.
"I wish I was."
The sound of footsteps echoed suddenly from the hallway.
Both of them turned.
Luciano.
His presence hit the room like a storm.
His gaze went straight to Isabella.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"I told you to leave."
His voice was quiet.
But deadly.
Isabella stood gracefully, smoothing her dress.
"I was just keeping her company," she said lightly.
Luciano didn't even look at Sophia.
"All you're doing is testing my patience."
Isabella smiled.
"I've always liked doing that."
A long pause.
Then—
Luciano stepped closer.
His presence overwhelming.
"If you come near her again," he said, his voice dropping lower, darker, "I won't warn you next time."
The room went still.
Even Isabella paused.
But only for a second.
Then she smiled again.
Slow.
Knowing.
"Careful, Luciano," she said softly. "You're starting to sound like you care."
His expression didn't change.
"I don't."
The lie was obvious.
To both women.
Isabella glanced at Sophia one last time.
"That's what he said about her too."
Then she turned—
And walked out.
Leaving silence behind.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Luciano finally looked at Sophia.
And for the first time…
She didn't know what to say.
Because now—
There was doubt.
Fear.
And something else.
Something far more dangerous.
The question she couldn't shake.
Am I just a replacement?