11. Sofia

11

SOFIA

M y heart is heavy as I approach Perfezione, the fire damage evident from even down the street. It hurts so much to see my shop so badly damaged.

A red-haired man in his mid-thirties wearing a crisp suit is waiting outside, clipboard in hand. Must be the insurance agent.

“Hi, I'm Sofia Saldano,” I introduce myself, extending my hand.

He takes it, holding on a bit too long as his blue eyes rove my body. “James Porter. Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Saldano. Though I wish it were under better circumstances.”

I withdraw my hand, forcing a polite smile. “Shall we go inside?”

As we enter, the smells of smoke and char assault my senses. James whistles low. “Quite a mess. But don’t worry, I’m sure we can… work something out.”

The way he says it makes my skin crawl, but I ignore it. “The fire started here," I explain, leading him to the hole in the window where clearly, someone threw the igniter.

James follows closely, his eyes roving over me instead of the damage. “I see. And were you here when it happened? Must have been… hot.”

I grit my teeth. “No, I wasn’t. It was the middle of the night. Can we focus on the assessment, please?”

“Of course, of course,” he says, jotting something down. “So, tell me about your… assets.”

I take a deep breath, reminding myself to stay professional. If I piss him off, he might deny the claim. “The shop’s inventory was mostly destroyed. We had custom suits, dresses, and a lot of vintage fabric.”

Thankfully, only the front of the shop was damaged. The small kitchen, dry cleaning area, and library were all unscathed.

James nods, stepping closer. “Vintage, huh? I bet you look great in vintage. Or out of it.”

That’s it. I’ve had enough. I turn to face him, my voice ice-cold. “Mr. Porter, I’d appreciate if you kept this strictly professional. I’m here to file an insurance claim, not to be harassed.”

He has the decency to look somewhat abashed. “My apologies, Ms. Saldano. No offense meant.”

“None taken,” I lie. “Now, can we please continue?”

The rest of the inspection goes more smoothly, though I can feel James’s eyes on me the entire time, but I ignore him. I don’t have time to deal with him.

Dealing with the fire damage is hard enough without having to fend off unwanted advances.

I look around the shop, memories flooding back. The first suit I ever made. Lou taking her first steps right over there. Zip teaching me how to use his old shears.

Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them away. I can’t fall apart now. There’s too much at stake.

As I start cleaning up what I can, my mind wanders to Angelo. His strength, his kindness, the way he looks at me like I’m something precious. For a moment, I allow myself to imagine a future where we’re together, where Lou and I are safe and happy.

But then reality crashes back in. Gino’s threats. Jonah’s sudden reappearance. The mountain of debt looming over me.

I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. One step at a time, Fee. That's how we’ll get through this.

As I work, I silently pray that Angelo's lawyer finds something—anything—that can help us keep Jonah at bay. And that somehow, we’ll find a way to deal with Gino.

I’m finishing up, carefully folding some of the less damaged clothes when James emerges from the back room.

“Here,” he says, handing me a stack of forms. “Fill these out and submit them within the week. We’ll process your claim as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you, Mr. Porter,” I reply, relieved that this ordeal is almost over. “I’ll get these over to you by tonight.”

The bell above the door jingles, and I look up instinctively. My heart plummets as I see Jonah standing in the doorway, a smug smile on his face.

“Well, well,” he drawls. “Fancy meeting you here, Sofia.”

I straighten up, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you want, Jonah?”

He saunters in, his eyes gleaming with triumph. “Oh, I just thought you’d like to know. I got the DNA results back. Lou is mine.”

My world tilts on its axis. “What? How… how did you even get Lou’s DNA?”

Jonah’s smile widens. “When I saw her at the school, I managed to snag a few strands of her ponytail before she ran off on me. Easy peasy.”

Rage boils up inside me and my hands clench into fists. I want to fucking kill him. “You had no right?—”

“I had every right!” Jonah snaps, his mood shifting suddenly. “She’s my daughter. Mine!”

James looks between us, clearly uncomfortable. “Should I…?”

“Stay,” I command, not taking my eyes off Jonah. I need a witness here just in case Jonah tries to escalate.

To him, I say, “This doesn’t change anything. You’re not going near Lou without a court order.”

Jonah’s face contorts. “You can’t keep her from me. I’m her father!”

“Father?” I scoff, shaking my head. “You’re nothing but a sperm donor and a rapist. Lou already has a family.”

“No, no, no,” Jonah mutters, pacing now. “You don’t understand. I need her. She’s mine . My blood.”

Something’s off about him. His eyes are too bright, his movements erratic. It’s making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Jonah," I say cautiously, “are you… okay?”

He whirls on me. “Okay? I’m fantastic! I’m a father. A father, Sofia! Do you hear that, world? I’m a father!”

He’s shouting now, his voice echoing in the damaged shop. James edges toward the door.

“Jonah, you need to calm down,” I try, but he’s not listening.

“Calm? How can I be calm? My daughter’s out there, and she doesn’t even know me. But she will. Oh, she will.”

A chill runs down my spine at his words. “What does that mean?”

Jonah’s eyes lock onto mine, a manic gleam in them. “It means I’m taking what’s mine, Sofia. You can’t stop me. No one can.”

Panic surges through me, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. “I’ll kill you if you try to take my daughter!” I scream, my whole body shaking with rage and fear.

James watches us with wide, fearful eyes as he gropes for the door. “I should go, let you two talk?—”

Jonah whirls on him, his face contorted with fury. “Where do you think you’re going? You want Sofia for yourself, don’t you? Want to play daddy to my daughter?”

“What? No, man, I’m just the insurance agent,” James stammers, his face pale with fear.

“Liar!” Jonah roars, lunging at James with unexpected speed.

I scramble for my phone, dialing 911 with trembling fingers. “Please, hurry to Perfezione. There’s a man here, he’s dangerous—” I manage to get out before the phone slips from my grasp.

A violent scuffle breaks out between Jonah and James. Displays crash to the floor, fabric rips, and the air fills with the sounds of grunts and desperate gasps. I look up just in time to see Jonah remove a knife from his jacket.

“No!” I scream, but it’s too late. Jonah plunges the weapon into James repeatedly, blood spattering across the floor and nearby fabrics.

I watch in horror, frozen in place, as James crumples to the ground. His eyes meet mine for a brief moment, filled with pain and confusion, before they glaze over.

Jonah, wild-eyed and blood-spattered, looks at me for a split second. His chest heaves with exertion, and there’s a terrifying emptiness in his gaze. Then, without a word, he bolts out the door, the bell jingling incongruously in his wake.

As sirens wail in the distance, I rush to James’s side, my hands hovering uselessly over his bleeding form. “James? James, can you hear me?” I plead, but there’s no response.

The reality of what just happened crashes over me in waves of shock and terror. The smell of blood mingles with the lingering scent of smoke from the fire, creating a nauseating cocktail that threatens to overwhelm me.

I force myself to take deep breaths, trying to think clearly through the panic. Jonah is gone, but the threat of what he might do next looms large. I need to warn Angelo. We need to protect Lou.

With shaking hands, I retrieve my phone from where it fell. There’s a crack across the screen, but it still works. I dial Angelo’s number, praying he’ll answer.

“Fee?” his voice comes through, tinged with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Angelo,” I choke out, my voice breaking. My chest is heaving with erratic gasps as I glance down at James’s still form. “It's Jonah. He… he was here. He killed someone. He’s coming for Lou.”

Oh, God. I just saw someone get murdered .

I’m going to throw up.

There’s a sharp intake of breath on the other end. “Where are you now? Are you safe?”

“I’m at Perfezione,” I say nearly hysterically. “The police are on their way, but Angelo… I’m scared. What if he gets to Lou before we can?”

“Listen to me, Fee.” Angelo’s voice is calm but urgent. “I’m on my way. I’ll call the school and have them put Lou in lockdown. No one’s getting near her, I promise.”

As I hear the sirens getting closer, I nod, even though Angelo can’t see me. “Okay. Okay. Please hurry.”

“I will. Stay where you are. Don’t go after him yourself, Fee. Promise me.”

“I promise,” I whisper, even as every instinct screams at me to run to Lou.

As I end the call, I look around the shop. The place that’s been my sanctuary, my livelihood, is now a crime scene. James’s body lies still on the floor, a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.

But as the first police car pulls up outside, I steel myself. Jonah’s out there, unstable and dangerous. And I’ll be damned if I let him anywhere near our daughter.

Whatever it takes, we’ll keep Lou safe. Even if it means facing down a murderer.