Sophia’s heart stalled, then raced. Did he want to take her on an actual date? That didn’t make sense. When he’d left her last night—just after midnight—he’d said he was going away for a few weeks for work. She’d thought that was him smoothly ending things without any awkward discussion. Yet, now he was back—only the next afternoon dressed in a sharp suit and looking awfully handsome.
Felipe flipped his phone to her and showed her one of those horrible pictures from the ball on some social media forum—there was a long list of comments beneath it. She winced. Was he here only because of that garbage?
‘I told you to just ignore it,’ she said.
‘Like you are?’ He jammed his phone back into his pocket. ‘By not leaving this place?’
‘Have you been watching my door?’ she asked flippantly.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you’d lost your job?’
She sighed. ‘I walked out midway through the evening after causing a scene with the paying client. I was never going to keep that job.’
‘It’s my fault.’
‘No, it isn’t.’
She wasn’t having Felipe claim responsibility for that. She’d made her choices, acted how she’d wanted. And she didn’t want him to think he had to be chivalrous about the ramifications in any way.
‘What are you going to do?’ he asked.
Sophia blinked at the intensity in his eyes and glanced away.
‘Start over,’ she said breezily. ‘I’m good at it. I don’t mind.’
In the aftermath of Ares’s unexpected marriage to Bethan, Sophia had escaped Greece. She’d gone to a small town in Spain, worked an assortment of unskilled jobs. She would do that again.
‘You shouldn’t run away. Shouldn’t have to hide. Shouldn’t suffer these threats.’ He stepped closer. ‘Come to dinner with me.’
Confusion smothered her as she remembered what he’d asked only moments ago—she needed clarification. ‘But not as your fake date.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘As my fake fiancée.’
‘Your what?’ Sophia turned back to him.
He had to be joking. She forced a laugh.
‘I’m serious,’ he said softly.
She shook her head. ‘You think I really want another failed engagement on my record?’
Nausea swirled. Because it would be failed. He wasn’t offering her everything here and he clearly had no idea the pain he could inflict.
‘You need support, Sophia. Don’t let this drive you away.’
Had he actually thought about this? Horrified, she watched him pull something from his other pocket. Sophia instantly recognised the gold chain. Her heart pounded; that nausea burned the back of her throat and she felt rejection in every cell.
‘I am not wearing your mother’s ring!’ she snapped harshly.
His mother had always worn her ring on that chain around her neck so she wouldn’t get dough stuck in the pretty stones.
Felipe’s face went mask-like, his expression unreadable. ‘Is it not worth enough?’
‘It is far too precious,’ she retorted. ‘You’re cheapening it by suggesting I wear it for some stupid, unnecessary game.’
Felipe nodded jerkily. ‘Then maybe it doesn’t have to be a game.’
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