Darkness wasn't what woke Sophia.
It was silence.
The kind that pressed against your ears.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Her eyes opened slowly, her vision blurred as pain pulsed faintly at the back of her head.
She inhaled sharply.
Cold air filled her lungs.
She wasn't in the mansion.
That realization hit instantly.
Hard.
Sophia pushed herself up slightly, wincing as the room came into focus.
It was large.
Minimal.
Too clean.
No chains.
No locks.
No visible guards.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
"A pretty cage, isn't it?"
Sophia's head snapped toward the voice.
Isabella stood near the window, her back partially turned, the city lights glowing faintly behind her.
Calm.
Untouched.
Like none of this mattered.
Sophia's heart began to pound.
But she didn't show it.
"You took me," she said.
Isabella turned slowly.
A faint smile playing on her lips.
"I did."
Silence stretched between them.
Sophia forced herself to stay steady.
To think.
"Why?"
Isabella tilted her head slightly.
"That's a disappointing question."
Sophia's jaw tightened.
"You already know why."
A pause.
Then—
"Luciano."
Of course.
Sophia swallowed.
"He'll find me."
Isabella smiled again.
But this time—
There was something sharper in it.
"I hope he does."
That made her chest tighten.
Because that wasn't fear.
That was anticipation.
"You don't want me," Sophia said slowly.
"No."
"You want him."
Isabella stepped closer.
"I want to break him."
The honesty was chilling.
Sophia's pulse quickened.
"And you think I'm the way to do that?"
Isabella stopped just a few steps away.
"I know you are."
Silence.
Sophia forced herself to breathe evenly.
"You're wrong," she said.
Amusement flickered in Isabella's eyes.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"He won't break."
Isabella's smile deepened slightly.
"Everyone breaks."
Sophia shook her head.
"Not him."
That—
That made Isabella pause.
Just for a second.
Interesting.
"You believe that," Isabella said softly.
"I do."
Silence.
"And yet," Isabella continued, "he changed."
Sophia didn't respond.
"Because of you."
There it was again.
That truth.
That weight.
"You made him hesitate," Isabella said.
Sophia's chest tightened.
"And now… I get to see how far that goes."
Sophia straightened slightly.
"If you think this gives you control, you're wrong."
Isabella's brow lifted slightly.
"Explain."
Sophia met her gaze directly.
"You didn't weaken him," she said.
A pause.
"You made him dangerous."
Silence.
And this time—
Isabella didn't immediately smile.
Because that—
That was a possibility she hadn't dismissed.
"You're confident," Isabella said.
Sophia held her ground.
"I've seen what he does."
A pause.
"And now it's personal."
That shifted something.
Slightly.
Subtly.
But it was there.
Isabella stepped closer.
Close enough now that the air between them felt charged.
"Do you know what happens," she said softly,
"when men like him lose control?"
Sophia didn't answer.
"They destroy everything."
A pause.
"Even the things they care about."
That—
That hit.
Because it wasn't entirely wrong.
Sophia's chest tightened slightly.
But she didn't let it show.
"He won't destroy me," she said.
Isabella's gaze sharpened.
"You're sure about that?"
Silence.
Because doubt—
Just for a second—
Slipped in.
But Sophia pushed it away.
"Yes."
Isabella studied her.
Long.
Carefully.
"You're either very brave…"
A pause.
"…or very naive."
Sophia didn't back down.
"Maybe both."
That earned a soft laugh.
"I like you," Isabella said.
Sophia didn't respond.
"That's unfortunate," Isabella added.
Silence fell again.
Then—
Isabella turned slightly, walking back toward the window.
"You won't be hurt," she said.
Sophia frowned.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No."
A pause.
"It's supposed to keep you calm."
Sophia's chest tightened.
"I'm not calm."
Isabella glanced back at her.
"You will be."
Sophia's mind raced.
There had to be a way out.
Something.
Anything.
But deep down—
She knew.
This wasn't about escape.
Not yet.
This was about waiting.
About surviving.
"He's coming," Sophia said again.
This time—
Softer.
Stronger.
Certain.
Isabella didn't turn.
"I know."
A pause.
"And when he does…"
She looked back over her shoulder.
"…we'll see who he really is."
Silence filled the room again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was waiting.
Because somewhere in the city—
Luciano was getting closer.
And when he arrived—
Everything would burn.