CHAPTER 4 — The Woman Who Wasn’t in His Past
That night, Sophia was followed.
She didn’t see it.
Not directly.
But she felt it in the way taxis didn’t linger.
In the way footsteps adjusted behind her.
In the way her usual route home felt… rerouted without change.
When she reached her apartment building, she finally turned.
No one visible.
But she knew.
She locked the door immediately.
Leaned against it.
Exhaled.
And then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She hesitated.
Answered.
“Hello?”
A pause.
Then—
Alessandro’s voice.
Calm.
Controlled.
“You are being watched,” he said.
Sophia went still.
“…What?”
“I would not have called if it was not necessary.”
Her grip tightened.
“This is starting to feel like harassment,” she said.
A pause.
“No,” he replied.
“This is correction.”
Silence.
Sophia’s voice sharpened.
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“You will,” Alessandro said.
A pause.
“Open your door.”
Sophia froze.
“What?”
“Open your door,” he repeated.
Her heart jumped.
She backed away slowly.
“I’m calling the police—”
“You won’t need them,” he interrupted.
A pause.
“Open the door.”
Something in his voice—
not threatening.
Not soft.
Certain.
She hesitated.
Then unlocked it.
Opened it.
And saw nothing.
Except—
a black card on the floor.
No name.
May you like
Just a symbol.
A crest she didn’t recognize.
