175

Sophia’s POV

Sitting at the dining table, I stared at the blank wedding planning notebook in front of me. My thoughts were swirling with everything we had to figure out, but all I could focus on was the heavy weight in my chest. The more I thought about it, the harder it felt to breathe. Ian was sitting across from me, his eyes fixed on the pages too, but I knew his mind was somewhere else. He hadn’t said much in the past hour, and it was starting to eat away at me.

“We need to set a date,” I finally said, breaking the thick silence between us.

Ian’s eyes lifted to meet mine, and I could see the strain in them. “Sophia, with everything that’s happening…”

I cut him off, my voice sharp. “I know what’s happening, Ian. I’m not blind to it. But we still have to do this. We can’t put our lives on hold forever because of the chaos around us.”

He sighed, leaning back in his chair, running a hand through his dark hair. “I just… I don’t want to rush anything. We’re under enough pressure already, and I don’t want to make things harder for you.”

I felt a flicker of frustration rise in me. “You think I don’t know that? You think I’m not feeling that pressure too? I’m the one carrying your baby, Ian. I feel the weight of all of this every single day.”

His expression softened slightly, but it was still tense between us. “I know, Sophia. I know. But I’m trying to protect you and our child. There are too many people who would use this against us.”

I pushed the notebook aside, crossing my arms. “I get that. But protecting us doesn’t mean we stop living. We need to find some kind of balance, or we’ll just fall apart under all of this.”

Ian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his eyes intense. “Balance? How are we supposed to balance protecting our unborn child and planning a wedding when we can’t even guarantee our safety from day to day?”

“By not letting fear control everything we do,” I shot back. “Ian, I love you. But if we keep waiting for the perfect moment, it’ll never come. We have to start living our lives now, even if it’s not ideal.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to argue with me. But then he sighed again, his shoulders slumping. “You’re right. I just… I hate that you’re being dragged into all of this. You deserve so much more than this constant danger, this endless uncertainty.”

I reached across the table, placing my hand over his. “I knew what I was getting into when I chose to be with you. And I don’t regret it. But we need to be in this together, Ian. We need to make decisions together.”

He squeezed my hand gently, his eyes softening as he looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to handle everything on my own because I didn’t want you to feel the weight of it. But you’re right—we need to face this as a team.”

I nodded, feeling the tension in my chest ease just a little. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

There was a long pause between us, the air still thick with unspoken worries. I could see the exhaustion in Ian’s face, the responsibility he carried every day. And I knew he was right—we were under more pressure than ever before. The attacks hadn’t stopped, and with my pregnancy becoming more obvious, the stakes were only getting higher.

“I just want our baby to be safe,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “And I want to know that we’ll have a future together.”

Ian’s grip on my hand tightened, his eyes locking with mine. “We will. I swear it, Sophia. I will protect you both with everything I have.”

I wanted to believe him, and part of me did. But another part of me, the part that had seen the dangers we faced firsthand, couldn’t help but feel doubt creeping in. “What if it’s not enough? What if no matter what we do, we can’t protect our child from the world we’re a part of?”

Ian’s gaze darkened. “It has to be enough,” he said, his voice firm. “I won’t let anything happen to you or our baby. I’ll tear apart anyone who tries.”

The fierceness in his words sent a shiver down my spine, but it didn’t fully ease my fears. “I know you’d do anything to protect us, but that’s exactly what scares me. You can’t take on the world by yourself, Ian. And I don’t want you losing yourself in the process.”

He shook his head, his hand gripping mine tighter. “I’m not losing myself. I’m doing what I have to, to keep you safe. You and our child mean everything to me.”

I pulled my hand away, standing up from the table, needing to put some distance between us. “But you’re shutting me out, Ian! You’re keeping things from me because you think it’ll protect me, but it’s only making things harder.”

He stood up too, crossing the room in a few quick strides to stand in front of me. “I’m not trying to shut you out. I’m trying to keep you safe from everything that’s going on.”

I looked up at him, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “But I need to be part of this. I need to know what’s happening so we can face it together. You can’t keep carrying all of this on your own.”

Ian reached out, cupping my face in his hands, his expression filled with a mix of love and frustration. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Sophia. I don’t want to see you suffering because of the decisions I’ve made.”

I leaned into his touch, my heart aching at the raw emotion in his voice. “We’re in this together, Ian. Whatever happens, we face it as a team. You don’t have to protect me from everything. I’m stronger than you think.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before opening them again and nodding. “You’re right. I’ve been trying to handle too much on my own. But no more. We’ll face this together.”

I smiled softly, feeling some of the tension between us ease. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

Ian kissed me gently, his lips lingering against mine for a moment before he pulled back, his forehead resting against mine. “I love you, Sophia. More than anything in this world.”

“I love you too,” I whispered, my heart swelling with the truth of those words.

“What do we do next?” I asked quietly, stepping back slightly to look up at him.

Ian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We focus on the wedding, on building our future. And we stay alert. The attacks haven’t stopped, and we need to be prepared for whatever comes next.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. “And the baby?”

His gaze softened at the mention of our child, and he placed a hand gently on my growing belly. “We’ll protect them, no matter what. But we also need to figure out who’s behind these attacks. I’m not taking any chances with our family’s safety.”

I placed my hand over his, feeling a mix of fear and determination rise within me. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”