“Leonardo… maybe I should go. I don’t want to cause issues between you and Anastasia.”
His response was immediate, sharp with protectiveness.
“No one’s going anywhere. Don’t listen to that.”
The tone hit harder than I expected. He hadn’t spoken to me like that in years.
I inhaled slowly, pressing my emotions back into place.
“You’re right,” I said calmly. “That was my mistake. I shouldn’t have asked. I’ve already left—don’t worry about coming back for me.”
I ended the call before he could say anything else.
And for the first time, I didn’t look back.
Anastasia’s POV
Leonardo’s questioning edge disappeared the moment my response landed—cool, detached, and unmistakably final. Whatever he’d been preparing to say stalled in his throat. I didn’t wait for him to recover.
I ended the call and leaned back against the leather seat, turning my attention to the window as the car cut through the darkened stretch of private woodland leading toward the family estate. The headlights sliced through towering trees, their shadows stretching endlessly across the road, mirroring the weight pressing against my chest.