ALESSIO
A door closing pulls me from sleep.
I blink into the gray morning light, head pounding from a night that wasn't supposed to end in confusion. I rake a hand through my hair and stumble toward the kitchen, shirtless, scratching my chest.
The smell of coffee hits me first. Sharp. Burnt.
Then I see her, messy bun falling loose, face pale, dark circles under her eyes as she paces back and forth across the living room like a storm trapped in a bottle, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides.
My gut knots instantly.
“Soph?” My voice comes out rough, still thick with sleep.
She turns at the sound, with a sharpness that freezes me in place.
Her eyes are wild. Hurt. Furious.
“How many were there?”
The words slice through the quiet like a blade.
I blink, caught off guard. “What?”
Her jaw tightens, straining to hold back everything she wants to say. Like the question is just the tip of something deeper. Something breaking.
Sophie throws her phone onto the counter. It skitters across the surface, the clatter sharp as a slap.
“The women at the café. Your little fan club.”
I stiffen, heart slamming against my ribs.
“What women?”
“They knew you, Alessio.” Her voice rises, raw. “They knew you. Intimately. They talked about you like you were a fucking joke. They said they had their turn with you. And Nikolai.”
The room tilts as recognition slams into me. Jenna and Cassie .
Sophie laughs, but there’s no humor in it, just something brittle and broken.
"Was that supposed to be part of the package deal? Him and you, sharing?"
I take a step toward her, but she backs away like I’ve just proven everything she’s terrified to believe.
"You told me you were falling for me," she whispers, choking on the words. "Was that just another line? Was any of it real? Or was I just... next?"
Her hands tremble at her sides, and I realize she's not just angry.
She’s breaking.
Breaking because she trusted me.
Breaking because I gave her every reason to believe she could.
Her chin trembles. Her shoulders square, like she’s bracing for impact.
"I thought I was just late." Her voice is low and ragged. "I told myself it was stress. The merger. Life."
I stand frozen, every muscle locked.
She lets out a harsh breath, blinking fast. "But then I remembered… we didn’t use anything. That night."
Her fingers clench around her arms like she’s holding herself together by force alone.
"I tried to believe so hard that it was all the weight on my shoulders that was the cause. But I guess the joke was on me."
The silence between us stretches tight and thin, the air sharp enough to cut.
And then she looks straight at me, no armor, no shields.
"I'm pregnant, Alessio."
The words slam into my chest with the force of a wrecking ball.
I stagger back a step, one hand finding the counter to steady myself.
"Wait. What?"
She nods stiffly, arms tightening around her body.
"I just took a test. It's positive."
The world tilts. Or maybe it’s just me, knocked completely off balance by the weight of everything I don't know how to fix.
I press my palms to my temples, dragging in a breath that feels like it might shatter on the way out.
“Holy shit.”
Sophie just stands there, arms locked across her chest, watching me. Watching every second tick by like it’s proving something.
“That’s it? That’s your response?”
I open my mouth. Close it again. The words are a mess in my throat.
“I don’t know what to say! I’m not…this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Her laugh cuts through the air, brittle and furious.
“Oh, I’m well aware. You’re the king of ‘not supposed to happen.’”
The words hit harder than they should. Maybe because they’re true. Maybe because for the first time in my life, something mattered. And I still managed to fuck it up.
The spiral starts fast, dragging me under before I can stop it.
Memories crash into me. The way my father’s love was a leash, a weapon, a debt I could never repay. The way my mother faded right in front of me, smiling through gritted teeth until there was nothing left.
“I don’t want to ruin your life.” The words scrape out of me before I can catch them.
Sophie flinches like I slapped her.
“What?”
“I’m not the guy who does forever. I’m not built for this. You know that.” I wish I was. I want so bad to be that guy, With her.
But I can see she doesn’t want me. Not with all my baggage.
She squares her jaw, her voice a low, furious tremor. “You don’t get to decide that for me. But if you’re not ready, say it. Don’t pretend you’re doing this for me.”
I back away a step, shaking my head, the panic clawing harder now.
“I need time. I just… I need to think.”
Sophie crosses her arms tighter over her chest, her chin lifting in that stubborn way that guts me every damn time.
“Maybe it’s better if you go think somewhere else.”
The air between us vibrates with everything we’re not saying. Everything we can’t take back.
I grab the hoodie slung over the back of a chair, yanking it on without looking at her.
I make it halfway to the door before something roots me to the spot.
I turn, hand on the doorknob, voice rough with everything I’m too much of a coward to fix.
“I didn’t lie to you. I do love you.” It’s almost like I’m confessing it to myself.
Sophie doesn’t move. Doesn’t say a word.
I swallow hard.
“But I don’t know if I’m enough.”
And then I’m gone, the door closing behind me with a final, hollow click.
The night air slams into me like a fist.
I walk. Fast. Hard. Like if I just keep moving, I can outrun the mess behind me.
Spoiler, I can’t.
My sneakers scuff against the cracked sidewalk, each jolt rattling up my legs into my chest.
I shove my hands deep into my hoodie, fists clenched, head down.
You ruin everything good the second it touches you.
The thought slices through me, cruel and sharp.
I think of Sophie’s face, crumpling, fighting to stay strong while I stood there like a fucking coward. I think of her arms wrapping around herself, like she already knew I’d leave.
The city blurs around me. Horns, lights, voices. None of it matters.
All I can hear is my own heartbeat hammering against my ribs like it’s trying to break free of me.
I was supposed to be different. Supposed to be better.
Instead, I’m a fucking rerun.
All I can hear is her voice.
I’m pregnant, Alessio.
You told me you loved me.
Was any of it real?
What's Sophie’s future like if I stay?
Or worse. If I don’t?
I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn’t shut her out. Nothing will.
I jam my fists harder into my pockets, nails digging into my palms.
You’re not built for this.
Maybe not.
But the idea of losing her feels worse than the idea of trying.
And if I don’t figure that out soon...
I’ll lose her anyway.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
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- Page 5
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- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
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- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30 (Reading here)
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