Page 120 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

This isn’t over.

This was never over.

I shove the bolt lock into place, moving through the apartment room by room, checking every window, every door, every shadow.

When I finally sit by the window, clutching my phone in both hands, I type out a message to Alessio.

You need to tell me everything.

But I don’t send it.

Not yet.

Instead, I sit there, watching the streetlights flicker, the shadows shift.

And I wonder which one of them is coming for me next.

28

ALESSIO

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I step out of the bar.

The night air is sharp, slicing straight through the haze clouding my brain.

I pull it out, thumb already swiping across the screen. And then I freeze.

Sophie’s name.

Her message.

You need to tell me everything.

My chest tightens.

Everything?

What the hell does she mean?

Is this about the fight? The pregnancy?

The women from the café?

Or something else I’m too stupid to see coming?

I call her immediately, heart hammering against my ribs.

Straight to voicemail.

Fuck.

I shove my phone in my pocket and take off down the sidewalk, practically sprinting toward the apartment. Every step feels heavier than the last.

When I finally burst through the door, Sophie’s sitting at the kitchen table, motionless.

Her face is pale. Her hands tight in her lap.

An envelope lies open beside her.

---