Chapter 174

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the bedroom. Sophia stirred, her fingers brushing against the empty space beside her. The sheets were cold.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The house was silent, save for the distant hum of the city waking up.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. A message from Daniel.

"Good morning. Can we talk today?"

Her heart skipped. She hadn’t seen him since the incident at the hospital.

Before she could reply, another notification popped up—Isabella.

"Call me ASAP. It’s about Liam."

Sophia’s breath hitched. She dialed immediately.

Isabella picked up on the first ring. "He’s gone."

"What?" Sophia’s grip tightened around the phone.

"Liam. He left a note. Said he needed time alone."

Sophia was already out of bed, pulling on a sweater. "Where would he go?"

"I don’t know, but Ethan’s freaking out."

Sophia’s mind raced. Liam had been distant lately, but this?

She grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

The city streets blurred past as she drove. Her phone buzzed again—Daniel. She ignored it.

The Blackwood estate loomed ahead, gates swinging open as she approached. Ethan stood on the front steps, his face pale.

"Any news?" Sophia asked, stepping out of the car.

Ethan shook his head. "Nothing. His phone’s off."

Sophia’s stomach twisted. "We need to find him."

Ethan’s jaw clenched. "I already have people looking."

She studied him—the dark circles under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders. He was just as scared as she was.

Then her phone buzzed again.

Unknown number.

She answered.

A familiar voice sent chills down her spine.

"Miss me?"

Sophia froze.

Sebastian.

Ethan’s twin brother. The man who’d nearly destroyed them all.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "What do you want?"

His laugh was cold. "Oh, just a little reunion. And I brought a guest."

In the background, a muffled voice cried out.

Liam.

Sophia’s blood ran cold.

Sebastian’s tone turned deadly serious. "Come alone. Or the kid pays."

The line went dead.

Ethan’s eyes locked onto hers. "What happened?"

Sophia swallowed hard.

"We have a problem."

The game had just changed.

I can’t lie to myself any longer. I fucking want her. But with everything I’ve done, I doubt she’ll ever look at me the same way again. The love that once burned in her eyes for me is gone—replaced by something colder, something resigned. The only reason she tolerates my presence now is because of Liam.

"Mr. Blackwood."

The nurse’s voice snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts.

I lift my head, meeting her steady gaze.

"How is she?" The words rush out, raw with desperation.

"She’s stable, and so is the baby. We’re keeping her for observation—she was severely dehydrated when she arrived."

A sharp inhale comes from behind me. Shit. Victoria didn’t know about Sophia’s pregnancy. Now she does. I ignore her, focusing solely on the nurse.

"Can I see her?"

She nods and leads me down the hall. The door clicks open, and I step inside before it shuts softly behind me.

Sophia lies still, an IV drip feeding into her arm. Bandages wrap around her wrists, a thin sheet covers her from the waist down, and the gash on her lip has been stitched closed.

"How’s Isabella?"

Her first question isn’t about herself. Not about the baby. Not even about the pain she must be in.

Damn this woman. She’s too good.

"No updates yet," I admit, sinking into the chair beside her bed. My fingers twitch with the need to touch her, to reassure myself she’s really here. "But she’ll pull through."

A tear slips down her cheek. "I’m so sorry," she whispers. "I never meant for her to get hurt. I just wanted to get away. If I’d known she’d be shot—"

I can’t hold back anymore. My hand closes over hers, warm and small against my palm.

"Why did you want to escape?"

The question has haunted me since I found her. Didn’t she trust me to come for her? To protect her?

She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. "Why would I stay? The second Damian gave you that ultimatum, I knew where I stood. Isabella will always come first for you. I know that."

Her words gut me.

If seeing her hurt wrecked me, hearing this obliterated what was left. But how could I blame her for believing it?

Hadn’t I spent years hammering it into her? That Isabella was my world. That she meant everything, while Sophia meant nothing. I’d carved that truth into her mind, her heart, her soul.

And now I had the audacity to be hurt that she believed me?

The pain inside me is unbearable. My grip on her hand tightens without meaning to.

"Ethan?" Her voice is soft with concern. She tries to pull away.

I loosen my hold but don’t let go. Right now, she’s the only thing keeping me from drowning in the mess I’ve made.

"I was coming for you, Sophia. From the moment Damian gave that ultimatum, you were my choice." The confession tears free, raw and unfiltered. "I know it makes me a monster, but I would’ve let Isabella die if it meant saving you."

Her eyes widen in shock.

But I meant every word.

There was never a choice to make.

Because she’s been my only choice for a long, long time.

She owns me.

Even if she doesn’t know it yet.