Beneath Crimson Skies

(Sophia's POV)

I wasn't expecting to see him.

Not at the old bookstore on Via Verdi, not in the soft golden hour where the sun turned the street into a painting, and certainly not while holding a copy of The Little Prince, as if I wasn't in the middle of a storm inside my chest.

But there he was.
Black coat, unshaven jaw, hair messier than usual.
And eyes that found me instantly, like they were still searching.

We froze.

Me, with a paperback in hand and a head full of confusion.
Him, with his hands in his pockets and something desperate in his expression.

"Sophia," he said softly.

I didn't answer at first. Just stared at him like the wind had knocked out of me.

And then I whispered, "Dante."

His jaw flexed. "I've been looking for you."

"I needed space."

"I know. And I gave it. But I," He took a step closer, hesitant. "Just... one chance. One hour. Let me explain everything."

I should've walked away.

But something in his voice, not just regret, but clarity, made me nod.

"Okay," I said. "One hour."

We didn't go back to his place.
We went to the Romano estate. But not to the marble halls or golden balconies.

We went straight to his father.

Enzo Romano was seated in the garden, a blanket over his lap, reading the newspaper like nothing in the world could shake him. He looked up slowly as we approached, his eyes narrowing at the sight of me.

"You brought her," he said to Dante.

"She deserves the truth," Dante replied.

The man exhaled through his nose, folded his paper with military precision, and gestured for us to sit.

I kept my distance. He noticed.

"You found the Bianchi files, didn't you?" he asked.

I didn't speak. Just nodded.

He looked toward the hedge maze in the distance. "That was a long time ago. I assume you've already guessed we weren't exactly... transparent."

"Luca's family lost everything," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "And your name was on the papers."

His gaze met mine. "Yes. My firm handled the transfer. But it wasn't theft, Sophia. It was a legal seizure, done under pressure from people far above my reach. Luca's father, Antonio, was in deep debt with the wrong people. He offered his land as collateral, thinking he could pay it back."

He sighed. "But he didn't. And those people came to me. Told me I could either take it legally, under Romano ownership, or watch them destroy it. I chose the lesser evil."

My breath caught. "And the fire? The deaths?"

His face darkened. "That... was never part of the plan. The fire happened months later. Luca's mother and sisters... they weren't supposed to be there. We don't know who set it. But it wasn't us."

He looked at his son then. "Dante didn't know. I never told him. He was a teenager. I wanted him far away from this."

I turned to Dante, who hadn't said a word.

His voice was rough when he finally spoke. "I found out piece's years later. But by then, the damage was done. And when Luca came back into our lives, he already believed the worst."

"And you didn't tell me," I said.

His eyes met mine. "Because I didn't want you to see the dirt under everything I touched."

I swallowed.

This wasn't innocence.
This was consequence.
Messy. Unfair. Human.

I turned to Enzo. "So, Luca was wrong?"

"Partially," he said. "He was a child who saw his world fall apart and needed someone to blame. But he was also manipulated. Lorenzo twisted everything. Turned a scar into a weapon."

Silence stretched between us.

And for the first time in weeks, the ache in my chest began to loosen.

Because I saw it now, the fear, the guilt, the damage.

And how Dante had carried a burden that was never his to hold.

I stood slowly, heart thudding.

Dante watched me, unsure. Expectant. Vulnerable in a way I'd never seen before.

I reached for his hand.

And for once... he didn't flinch.

Is this the beginning of healing... or just another calm before the storm? 🌿✨ Comment down your theories guys!!