I scream her name at the top of my lungs anyway for good measure.
Fuck.
I rush back upstairs, panic rising in my chest. She’s not here. So, she either got scared and ran off to another part of the castle, or she was taken. I force myself to believe the former because the latter makes me want to be sick. Elio was acting so strange a moment ago, and I could tell he was bullshitting me, but I figured we were safe because we had guards outside the door. Who are missing now, inexplicably.
Elena cries softly upstairs as I continue to panic, heading towards my office. I don’t bother sitting at my desk as I wake up the computer to open up the application where I can review the footage.
And as horrible luck would have it, I don’t need to search around or rewind anything to find her.
She’s standing in a hallway towards the center of the castle with her brother and cousin. All three of them are laughing like they’re having the time of their lives. Denial is the first place my mind goes. Surely, she just told her family that the two of us are getting along great and it’s all a misunderstanding.
They talk for a moment. Then she points in the direction that would take them out of the castle and leads them away.
I feel nausea take over as I grip the desk and fall to the floor.
First, I find out that Elena pitied me her whole life, and she lied about everything. And now I find out that Sofia is willingly leaving with her family.
I suppose I could try to chase her. But I have no desire to. Not if everything has been a lie this entire time. She faked all of her happiness to escape? She even teased that it was a plan of hers this morning, probably because she knew I was so smitten that she could say anything and I’d trust her.
Was it obvious to everyone else? How will I have anyone’s respect if Sofia played me like a fiddle to that degree?
I’m a dead man.
If there isn’t some coup in the works already, there surely will be soon after word gets out that Sofia ran away with my unborn child.
Panic rises in my chest when I think about the baby and what her plans could be for that. Surely, she doesn’t want my child if she planned to escape this whole time.
But is she really that cold?
I almost join my sister in sobbing, but emotionally, I’m beyond that somehow.
Chapter 34
Sofia
Assoonaswestep outside the castle walls, Max’s hand is around my bicep as he leads me towards the trail down the hill. I’m assuming that’s where Max and Nick came from to avoid driving a car up here and risk being obvious.
“Just stop walking, please!”
“We’re getting to the car, driving away from this place, and then we’ll talk,” Max growls.
“No. You both promised we’d talk outside.” I jerk my arm away from his grip. He looks annoyed and doesn’t reach for me again, his eyes darting around.
“Where the fuck is everyone?” Max asks. “It was unnervingly easy, sneaking into the castle. We had backup ready to come and help but never had to call them.”
“Instead, we ran around the castle, completely out in the open like two assholes until we found Alessandro’s wing,” Nick says.
I look around, realizing Max is right. Where the hell is everyone? I’ve never seen the grounds this empty before.
“I have no idea,” I say. “I can’t wrap my head around anything that’s happening. But can we just wait? I need to talk to Alessandro, please.”
“We’ll call him when you’re in a safe location,” Max says.
“No. You lied to me to get me to walk outside with you, so why should I trust that you guys will let me talk to him ever again?”
“These people tried to kill me and our grandfather and then kidnapped you. Forcing us to make payments we couldn’t afford to keep you unharmed. Why should I trust him?”
“None of that was his plan! Alessandro killed Marco.”
