Page 68 of Forsaken Promises

“Okay, Sofia,” I mutter to myself, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You once again have gotten yourself into quite the situation. Kidnapped by a fucking psychopath, trapped God knows where, with no way to contact anyone. Great job, Sof. Brilliant work, really.”

But even as I mock my own predicament, my mind is racing with possibilities. There has to be a way out of here, a means of escape that Luca hasn’t thought of. A weakness in his defenses, a chink in his armor that I can exploit.

I start to search the room methodically, checking every nook and cranny for something I can use. A weapon, a tool, anything that might give me an edge over this idiot.

As I work, I can’t help but let my thoughts drift to Dom, to the man I’ve spent so long trying to hate, trying to convince myself he was nothing more than a monster in a tailored suit.

But he’s not a monster. He’s just a man, a flawed and complex man struggling under the weight of his own pressures and demons. A man who’s made mistakes, who’s hurt me in ways that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from.

But he’s also a man who values family over anything. And even if he doesn’t love me the way I love him,I’mhis family. He will come for me. He will fight like hell to bring me home.

Which means I have to fight too. I have to find a way to get the fuck out of here, to stop whatever plot he’s hatched and keep the man I love safe from harm.

Even if that man doesn’t love me back.

So I keep searching, keep fighting for some way to escape this nightmare so I can get back to Dom and tell him how much I love him.

Because I am Sofia Sicura, and I willnotbe broken or beaten.

I will rise. I will triumph.

And I will destroy anyone who gets in my way.

33

DOMINICO

Ipace back and forth in my bedroom, my phone pressed to my ear as I listen to the ringing on the other end. Each unanswered tone feels like a knife twisting in my gut, a sickening reminder of the growing fear and unease that have been building in me ever since Sofia didn’t come home for dinner.

Finally, just as I’m about to hang up in frustration, the call connects. “Marino residence, how may I assist you?” The butler’s voice is calm and professional, a stark contrast to the chaotic pounding of my own heart.

“This is Dominico Sicura,” I say, trying to keep my tone level and composed. “I need to speak to Sofia. She’s not answering her cell phone, and it’s important.”

There’s a brief pause on the other end, a moment of heavy silence that feels like an eternity. And then the butler speaks again, his words like a punch to the gut. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sicura, but Miss Sofia isn’t here. She left shortly after lunch and did not return.”

I feel the blood drain from my face, a cold, creeping dread settling in the pit of my stomach. “What do you mean, she did not return? She has to be there!”

The butler’s voice takes on an edge of alarm that mirrors the panic rising in my own chest. “I can assure you, sir, that Miss Sofia has not returned to this house today. I would have seen her if she did. If you’d like, I can fetch Don Marino for you?—”

“No!” I practically shout, my heart hammering against my ribs. “No, that won’t be necessary. Sofia just walked in the door. Everything’s fine. Thanks for your help.”

I hang up before he can respond, my hands shaking so badly that I nearly drop the phone. This can’t be happening. It has to be a mistake, a misunderstanding. Sofia has to be safe, has to be somewhere out there, angry and hurt but unharmed.

But the truth is staring me right in the face.

Sofia is missing. And if she’s not with her family, if she's not answering her phone or responding to my increasingly frantic texts and calls… then something is very, very wrong.

I feel a wave of terror wash over me, a sickening sense of dread and despair that threatens to bring me to my knees. If anything happens to her, if she’s hurt or scared or in danger because of me…

I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll never be able to live with the guilt and the grief and the knowledge that I failed her. I should have gone after her. I should have prevented her from leaving.

Oh, God, what if that was the last time I ever saw her?

No. I can’t think like that. I need to think rationally and logically here, especially when every second counts and every moment wasted could mean the difference between life and death.

I have to find her. Iwillfind her. And I will do whatever it takes to bring her back to me.

Reaching for my phone again, my fingers fly over the screen as I start making calls. I call our most trusted men, the shadowy network of informants and spies that my family has cultivated over the years. I call anyone who might even have the slightest chance of helping me find Sofia.

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