The television was still on, loud and talking, but nothing made sense anymore. The words from the television had already blurred together. The voice fading into nothing but distant noises. The only thing I could hear was her name being called on the television.
"Sophia Callahan is alive."
It echoed over and over again, and I just couldn't place my fingers on where I had gone wrong. Everything I worked for had gone down the drain. My death had been undone. The air and my breathing was already shallow. I couldn't focus on anything except the matter on ground.
All I could hear, and feel was that truth sinking in. My world, everything I had carefully built, every lie I had survived on was about to crash and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
I turned my head slowly to look at Damien. The air around him had shifted, and his aura was deadly. He stood a few feet away from me, staring blankly at the television.
"This wasn't an accident Sophie." He said while clenching his jaw.
The anger written boldly on his face.
I swallowed my breath. "No
Damien."
He turned his face to look at
me fully, and I didn't notice how scary he looked till he was facing me directly.
"Who knows you're alive? Who did you tell?"
The question hit me harder than it was meant to. I opened my mouth to speak, but words failed me.
Could it be Aaron? He would never do such a thing to me.
The thought came instantly, but I pushed it aside. Not yet.
"I was careful," my voice was surprisingly steady despite the storm rising inside me.
"No one was supposed to know."
Damien let out a quiet but humorless breath.
"You're not dealing with ordinary people, Sophie. Mistakes don't need to happen for them to find you."
My chest tightened at his words. "I didn't make a mistake."
"No," he said, stepping closer, his presence shortened my wind pipe.
"You underestimated them Sophie."
The words landed like a slap to my face.
Before I could respond to his words, his phone was already in his hands.
"Marco," he said sharply when the call connected. "Lock everything down and Increase security. No one in or out without clearance."
He ended the call without waiting for a response.
Almost immediately after he ended his call, I could hear movement outside my room. The footsteps and voices were getting too much for such a quiet house turning like fortress.
My heart started racing rapidly. This was real to real to seem like an illusion.
I turned back to the television, just as the report escalated. Speculations filled the screen, my name tied to the Romano family, whispers of murder, betrayal, secrets. The media didn't know the truth, but they were close enough to make things extremely dangerous.
"I didn't just come back to life, I walked back into a war." I whispered to myself. My voice was barely audible.
I shook my head slowly, trying to understand how bad this situation was.
Damien didn't respond immediately to my confusion, rather he watched and studied me .Then, suddenly, something in his expression shifted and from the look of things, I guessed he had made a decision.
"We're not hiding you," he said.
I blinked, not bothering to hide the surprise on my face. "What?"
He stepped closer, his gaze unwavering.
"We go public."
My heart dropped. I couldn't go public. People would come after me.
"No."
"It's the only move that makes sense."
"No," I repeated, more firmly this time. "That makes me a bigger target."
Damien's lips curved slightly, but there was nothing soft about it.
"No," he said quietly. "It makes you untouchable."
The confidence in his voice sent a chill down my spine.
"You don't understand—"
"I understand perfectly," he cut in. "Right now, you're exposed and alone. That makes you weak.
But as my wife? As a Santiago?"
He stepped even closer, his voice lowering and screaming dominance and power.
"They won't touch you."
I held his gaze, my mind was already spinning and I just couldn't understand what exactly this man is always thinking about.
Was this protection or another kind of cage?
For a brief second, Aaron's face flashed in my mind. His voice. His promises. The life they had planned together. Then it disappeared just as quickly as it came because this was real. It wasn't just a fantasy or an imagination planned by two people.
I couldn't avoid this Damien plan. As much as I told myself I didn't want this, being his wife gave me the best chance at being protected. Although it was dangerous and very sudden, it was still the best considering I didn't have any other choice.
A knock on the door interrupted the tension. Marco stepped in without waiting.
"There's more," he said, his expression grim. "The image circulating isn't old. It's recent."
My stomach dropped, and I could feel my heart race rising.
"Recent?" Damien asked. His expression was cold and unreadable.
"That means.." I started, scared to say what I knew was true.
Marco nodded, confirming my suspicions. "Someone's been watching you."
Silence filled the room again, thicker than before.
This wasn't just an exposure, this was a hunt. A dangerous one to be precised.
Damien's expression darkened, and the anger radiating through him was worse than when he watched the news.
"Find out who, and report back to me immediately." he ordered, slightly raising his voice due to frustration.
Marco gave a short nod and left.
I felt it then. Everything had changed, and I couldn't control whatever was happening currently.
I wrapped my arms around myself , trying to hold onto something solid and steady my balance.
Damien turned back to look at me. His gaze darkened.
"From now on," he said, his voice calm but firm. "you don't move without protection."
I didn't argue. For once I couldn't argue. His voice left no room for discussion.
Then he added, almost as an afterthought.
"Tomorrow, you meet my family."
The word hit harder than anything else.
"What do you mean by meet your family?"
Damien sighed then spoke. "Yes Sophie, you need to meet my family for us to start the marriage process."
I let out a slow breath, my heart beat was loud enough that I could feel it pounding in my ears. Facing the world was one thing, but facing the Santiago family?
That might be where I actually die.