Chapter 43 Getting To Know Her

• Sophia
• The morning sunlight spilled gently through the sheer curtains of the Ricci estate, casting everything in a soft, golden glow that made the room feel warmer than usual, though my heart still ached with thoughts that refused to be silenced. I stood quietly on the balcony, my hands wrapped around a cup of tea that Christian’s mother had insisted I drink every morning, the delicate scent of jasmine swirling in the breeze as if it was trying to soothe me, and for a moment, I allowed myself to close my eyes and just breathe.
• So much had changed in such a short time that sometimes I wondered if I was still the same girl who had stood terrified in Christian’s grand hallway, clutching my bag like a shield, but now—now I was here, in this beautiful house, expected to act like a wife, expected to carry three lives inside of me like I was strong enough to do it all. And if I was being honest with myself, sometimes I didn’t know if I was strong enough.