Page 15 of Fierce Secrets

Sofia's expression shifted, a mix of guilt and frustration crossing her face. "I told them I had a family emergency. You're more important than some stupid presentation. They weren't happy, but tough."

"Sof! That was a huge opportunity for you. The hospital board was going to be there."

"And they'll be there next time." She reached across the counter and squeezed my hand. "Besides, my father knows the chief of medicine. He already smoothed it over."

There it was again, that casual mention of her family's connections. Sofia rarely talked about her family's business dealings, but sometimes things slipped through. Like how they "knew people" or how doors mysteriously opened for her.

"You shouldn't have done that," I insisted. "I'm fine. Leo's been..." I trailed off, not sure how to describe what he'd been.

"Been what?" She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with interest. "Taking care of you? Holding you while you cry?"

Heat flooded my cheeks. "It's not like that."

"Then what's it like? Because the Leo Donati I know doesn't do comfort. He doesn't do emotional support. Hell, he barely does conversation unless it's business-related."

"You always said you didn't really know him on a personal level," I shot back, and she shrugged.

"Again, family business, big hotshots. I've heard enough about him from everyone," she said with a shrug. "He's a stone-cold man from what everyone says, even all the articles on him and his businesses."

"He's different with me," I said softly, then immediately regretted it when Sofia's eyes widened.

"Different how?"

"I don't know. Just... different. This morning when I had that nightmare, he knew exactly what to do. How to calm me down."

Sofia sat back, a strange expression crossing her face. "Mer, honey, have you ever wondered why that might be? Why he knows how to handle your panic attacks? Why Gray trusts him with you more than anyone else?"

"What are you trying to say?"

She opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it. "Nothing. Just... maybe pay attention to how he acts around you. Really pay attention."

"You think we were closer? That I've forgotten a lot? Or blocked it out?"

"Maybe. Maybe think about why you feel so safe with him, even after all these years." She clicked her tongue as she pushed off the counter. "Now, I need to use the ladies' room. When I'm back, we're going to talk some more."

I nodded, watching her stride off down the hall, turning her words over in my mind. Why did I feel so safe with Leo? And why did everyone seem to know something I didn't?

I sipped my coffee, gazing out over the city. My mind was too full of fragmented memories, of strong arms holding me through panic attacks, of a teenage boy promising to always protect me.

Maybe Sofia was right. Maybe I needed to start paying attention.

"So tell me more about how you caught them," Sofia called as she emerged from the hallway, only to then slip into Leo's room."Please tell me you punched him and slapped her," she called out.

I rose, knowing she was being her usual nosy self. "Not much to tell. I came home early to surprise him for date night."

"Surprise was on him, bastard." Sofia ran her fingers along the bookshelf in his room, examining the minimal decor on each shelf. "God, this place is so... pristine. Clean lines, expensive everything, and absolutely zero personality." She paused. "Oh, wait. What's this?"

She picked up a silver frame I hadn't noticed before, tucked away behind a lamp on the bookshelf. My breath caught as I recognized the photo – me at sixteen, sandwiched between Leo and Gray at our family's lake house. We were all smiling, a rare sight for Leo even then, but something was off about the photo.

"My father's been cut out," I said softly, moving closer. "That was the summer before... before his accident."

Sofia's fingers traced the edge where my father had been removed. You could just see his shoulder by my brother's. "That summer? You never talk about it."

"I don't remember much of it." I chewed my cheek uneasily, my chest tightening as I attempted to recall it. "I don't think good things happened."

"The accident was that fall, right?" Sofia's voice was careful, measured.

"Yeah. Car crash. A month after my birthday." I frowned, trying to grasp at memories that felt just out of reach. "At least, that's what Gray told me, and the reports say."

---