Chapter 71 : The Unraveling

The next morning, Fabio woke up to an unusual quiet in the house. The kind of quiet that made his instincts twitch. He glanced at the clock—Sophia usually would have been up by now, making breakfast or working on something in her home office. He rolled over, but her side of the bed was empty, and her pillow was cold.

Fabio sat up, his heart racing as a strange unease settled over him. The events of the past few weeks had put him on edge, and now every small change felt like a warning. He quickly got dressed and stepped out of the bedroom, calling for Sophia.

"Sophia? Are you here?"

No answer. His voice echoed through the hallway, bouncing off the walls of their large, quiet home. He descended the stairs two at a time, looking around for any sign of her. The kitchen was empty, the living room untouched. The only sound was the low hum of the refrigerator, and Fabio felt a cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.

He was about to reach for his phone to call her when the front door cr