Page 59 of His Assistant

She looks at me with wide eyes, and I just shake my head. I have no idea what’s going through his mind right now, but he’s clearly not thinking straight.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says sympathetically. “Is there anything I can do to help, maybe Sofia and I could⁠—”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” he cuts her off coldly. “Sofia and I are no longer speaking. As far as I’m concerned, she’s dead to me.”

Tears fill my eyes again, and I motion for her to hang it up.

“Well, that sucks, Marco, because you’re missing out on an incredible daughter,” she says before she presses the end button. “Jesus, the gall of that man. I’ll burn his garage down for you, I really will.”

I snort with laughter, because coming from Maya it’s a ludicrous thought. Now if Dominic had offered, I’d worry he might actually do it.

“It’s fine,” I say, swiping at my eyes. “I mean, obviously it isn’t fine, but I can’t do anything about it, can I?”

She reaches her hand across the table and I grab it. Maya is as close as a sister to me, so if I’m not going to have my dad around, at least I’ll have her. It doesn’t lessen the heartbreak, but it certainly makes me feel less alone.

I go back to work and finish out the day. Dominic and I leave together around seven and get into his town car. We don’t talk much, but before we’ve pulled up to his building, he turns to me.

“Is everything okay with you?” he asks, his eyes trained on my face.

“Yes, everything is great,” I say sarcastically. “I can’t stay at my apartment because some lunatic trashed it and left no evidence of breaking in. My dad isn’t talking to me, and his business was also trashed. I’m two months pregnant and it’s throwing my hormones all out of whack, and half the time I just want to cry, and the other half I want to punch every person I know in the face!”

I take a deep breath and look at him. He’s smiling at me, looking way too amused for someone who’s causing me so many problems.

“Did that answer your question?” I ask petulantly.

“I think so, yes,” he says charmingly, leaning down to place a soft kiss on my lips.

There it is again. That easy intimacy. Somehow, in the last few days, we’ve started to be more couple-y. I suppose I’m due for something good after the mess my life has been for the last few weeks. And if my dad isn’t talking to me, why wouldn’t I get closer to Dominic? He’s the father of my child. He’s my family now, as strange as that sounds.

When I’m alone in my bed, though, I start crying again. This entire life is just a fantasy. I’m living in someone else’s house, being driven around in someone else’s car. This is a fragile ecosystem that could fracture at any time.

All I have to see is one wrong thing. I can conceptualize how dangerous Dominic is. I’ve seen him get mad. I’ve seen the evidence of his enemies trashing my things. How would I react, though, if I actually saw him kill a man?

There’s no way of knowing how that would change us. It would probably send me running back to the father who currently wants nothing to do with me. I truly don’t even want to think about that possibility.

Then I start to think about his safety. His business is ruined and he sounds like he really doesn’t want to open it back up, which I hate. Worse, though, are the dangers that are still lurking. If there truly is someone in Dominic’s circle that’s leaking information to his enemies, my father isn’t safe.

I sit up in bed, my heart pounding and head spinning. I can’t do this. I can’t spend the rest of my life terrified for him. He said I was dead to him. How could he be so callous? The pain of it forces me out of bed, and I go down to the second floor to get a glass of water.

I still feel restless, though, so I end up aimlessly wandering around. Dominic’s office is on the second floor, as well as a game room, a private library, and an indoor pool.

I walk into the pool area and sit down, deciding to stick my feet in. The water is cold, and it helps clear my head. I kick my feet back and forth, feeling the water splash out and hit my pajama shorts. I’ve only been there a few minutes when I hear the door slide open.

“Sofia? What are you doing in here?”

I look up to see Chiara standing there, watching me curiously.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I shrug.

“You know our parents had this pool installed when I turned five? All because I wanted to learn how to swim.”

“That’s pretty excessive,” I say.

“No worse than when they bought me an entire stable when I asked for a pony.”

“Wow.” I shake my head. “We had very different childhoods.”

“My family is like that,” she says. “You ask for an inch, and they’ll go a whole mile. Whether you want them to or not. Your baby is going to be really lucky to have that kind of love in their life.”