The moment Ethan stepped out, the silence in the room stretched painfully, like a string pulled too tight.

  Sofia sat on the bed, hands trembling slightly as they rested on her lap. She stared at the door long after it closed, as if Ethan might appear again within seconds. But he didn’t.

  He wouldn’t.

  His evaluation could take an hour.

  Maybe longer.

  She exhaled shakily and stood, running her fingers through her hair. The room felt too small, too quiet, too full of air she couldn’t breathe. She walked to the window, pressed her palms against the cool glass, and stared out at the base grounds.

  Soldiers moved with purpose.

  Trucks rolled past.

  Training drills echoed faintly in the distance.

  A world Ethan belonged to.

  A world she didn’t.

  A world that might soon reject him… or claim him fully again.

  And she didn’t know which possibility terrified her more.

  Her phone buzzed again.

  She ignored it.

  Her chest tightened.

  She would deal with Italy after Ethan returned—after she knew the shape of his future. It felt wrong to make her decision without knowing where he stood.

  She turned away from the window.

  And froze.

  Camila was standing quietly in the doorway.

  Sofia hadn’t heard her come in.

  Camila’s expression was soft. Not pitying—empathetic. She stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her.

  “Can I sit?” she asked.

  Sofia nodded.

  Camila took the chair by the wall, folding her hands in her lap, then looked at Sofia with a seriousness that felt like warm sunlight—not harsh, but steady.

  “You look like you’re about to fall apart,” Camila said softly.

  Sofia let out a shaky breath. “I’m trying not to.”

  “No need to pretend with me,” Camila said. “I’ve seen Ethan in states that would break most people. I can handle a little honesty.”

  Sofia swallowed, then sat beside her.

  There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask. Why Camila came. What she knew. What she thought of Sofia. But before Sofia could speak, Camila gently placed a hand over hers.

  “Ethan loves you.”

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  Sofia’s breath hitched.

  Camila smiled faintly. “I knew it before I even met you.”

  “How…?” Sofia whispered.

  “The way he said your name.” Camila leaned back slightly. “And the way he didn’t say certain things. Love hides and reveals itself in all the small spaces between words.”

  A long silence.

  Sofia felt her heart twisting painfully.

  Camila continued, “And I think you love him too. But you’re scared your choices might pull him apart.”

  Sofia nodded slowly, unable to deny it.

  Camila kept her voice gentle. “You’re not hurting him by having dreams, Sofia.”

  “I don’t want to take anything away from him,” Sofia whispered. “He’s already lost so much.”

  “And he’s gained you,” Camila replied. “That matters.”

  Sofia looked down at her hands, eyes burning.

  Camila hesitated, then said, “Can I tell you something? Not as someone who once loved him… but as someone who knows him deeply?”

  Sofia nodded.

  “Ethan survives for others,” Camila said quietly. “He pushes himself beyond reason because he thinks he has to be the strong one. But right now? He’s fragile. More than he lets on.”

  Sofia’s breath trembled.

  “And what he needs,” Camila continued, “is someone who doesn’t let him disappear into duty. Someone who reminds him he’s allowed to be human.”

  Sofia looked up, tears building. “I’m trying.”

  “I know.” Camila squeezed her hand. “And you’re doing it right.”

  Sofia was surprised by how comforting Camila’s presence was. She had expected tension, maybe complicated emotions, but instead she found calm. Honesty. A kind of sisterhood in loving the same man in different ways.

  Then Camila inhaled slowly. “But you should know something else.”

  Sofia frowned slightly. “What?”

  Camila hesitated.

  “Ethan’s evaluation today… it’s not just paperwork. It’s not a routine check.”

  Sofia’s chest tightened. “Tell me.”

  Camila looked at her with steady eyes. “The board already reviewed part of his medical file. They spoke to the medics, the specialists. The impact of the blast, his symptoms, the neuro scans…”

  Sofia’s pulse quickened. “Camila—”

  “They’re leaning toward something you both need to prepare for.”

  Sofia’s throat closed.

  “They may medically discharge him,” Camila said softly.

  The words cut through Sofia like ice.

  “No,” she whispered. “He—he loves his job. It’s everything to him.”

  “I know,” Camila said gently. “But the military can’t risk sending a man with compromised balance and neurological trauma back into combat.”

  Sofia grabbed the bed railing, her knees trembling.

  “But if they discharge him…” Sofia whispered. “He’ll feel like he’s being thrown away.”

  “Yes,” Camila said softly. “He will.”

  And that terrified Sofia more than anything.

  Ethan didn’t fear death—

  He feared uselessness.

  Lack of purpose.

  Being left behind by the life he’d given everything to.

  Sofia covered her face with her hands, feeling tears slip through her fingers.

  Camila stood slowly and touched Sofia’s shoulder. “He’ll need strength. Yours. Not pity. Not guilt. Just… you.”

  Sofia nodded, wiping her face.

  Before she could say anything else, the door opened again.

  A nurse stepped inside.

  “Miss Russo?”

  (Sofia barely heard her name; her heart was pounding.)

  “There’s a call for you at the front desk. International.”

  Italy.

  Sofia’s stomach flipped painfully.

  Camila looked at her gently. “Go. It might help you understand what you truly want.”

  Sofia hesitated, then exhaled and stood.

  She followed the nurse down the hallway, each step feeling heavier than the last.

  When she reached the desk, the phone was waiting.

  She picked it up with trembling fingers.

  “Hello?” she whispered.

  A voice she recognized immediately spoke on the other end—warm, excited, and full of expectation.

  “Sofia! This is Director Bianchi. We need your final answer. Are you coming to Florence?”

  Sofia closed her eyes.

  Her heart hammered.

  Her throat tightened.

  Her entire body felt suspended in an impossible moment.

  She opened her mouth.

  The words rushed to her lips—

  But she couldn’t answer.

  Not yet.

  “I… I need a little more time,” she whispered.

  Director Bianchi hesitated. “Sofia, we cannot delay any further. This project is prestigious—once-in-a-lifetime. We must know soon.”

  Sofia’s breathing quickened.

  She pressed her free hand to her chest.

  “I promise,” she whispered, voice breaking. “I’ll call before midnight.”

  “Very well,” the director sighed. “But know this, Sofia—Florence wants you. Your future is waiting here.”

  The call ended.

  Sofia placed the phone down with shaking hands, feeling like she might collapse.

  Because she wanted that future.

  And she wanted Ethan.

  And she didn’t know how to choose between two pieces of her own heart.

  She turned to walk back toward the room—

  But halfway down the hallway she saw Ethan.

  Standing there.

  Leaned against the wall.

  Pale.

  Expression unreadable.

  Her heart stopped.

  He wasn’t supposed to be done yet.

  He wasn’t supposed to be here.

  But he was.

  And one look at his face told her—

  He had already heard his verdict.

  She stepped closer.

  “Ethan…” she whispered. “What did they say?”

  He looked up slowly.

  His eyes held pain.

  Fear.

  And something breaking quietly beneath the surface.

  “They’re discharging me,” he said softly.

  Sofia’s breath caught.

  Ethan swallowed hard, his voice almost a whisper.

  “I’m no longer fit for service.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth.

  His eyes filled—but he didn’t let the tears fall.

  His voice cracked.

  “My career is over, Sofia.”

  He exhaled a shattered breath.

  “I don’t know who I am now.”

  Sofia rushed to him, holding his face, pulling him into her.

  He collapsed into her arms—

  And for the first time since she’d met him…

  Ethan broke.

  Right there in the hallway.

  In her arms.

  A soldier falling apart.

  She held him tightly, fiercely, tears mixing with his.

  She didn’t say it would be okay.

  She didn’t offer empty promises.

  She just held him like he was the most precious thing in the world.

  Because he was.

  And she knew—

  Now more than ever—

  She had to decide

  not just where she belonged…

  but where he would belong too.