Sophia's POV
"Cancel the engagement."
The words should have felt like freedom. They should have lifted the crushing weight that had been pressing down on my chest since this nightmare began. I should have felt relief, gratitude, the sweet taste of liberation from a fate I'd never wanted.
Instead, as I watched Vito wheel away with Maria clinging to his hand, something hollow and painful opened up inside my chest.
This is what you wanted, I told myself firmly. This is exactly what you've been fighting for.
But watching them disappear down the hospital corridor—him murmuring gentle reassurances to her, her fragile frame trembling with relief—I felt strangely bereft. Like something important had just slipped through my fingers before I'd even realized I was holding onto it.
Don't be ridi
