ELOISE.“Will Mom remember me?” an impertinent girl’s voice demanded, and I strained to open my eyes. The pain had reduced probably due to some kind of medication, but I couldn’t move my mouth still. My tongue felt thick and tasted awful, my eyelids were too heavy to open and I had no sense of my sorrounding. The only thing I knew knew was that I'd floated in and out of this state of semiconsciousness with my mind a jumbled blur. However, I wanted to see my daughter. I fought to lift a lid but couldn’t.“Of course your mother will remember you,” a woman said softly, her sharp, staccato footsteps snapping loudly as she approached the bed, the soft chink of jewelry accompanying the scent of that same elusive perfume. It was probably my mother in-law. her cologne was familiar. “Don’t worry.”“But she looks terrible.” The girl said again—my daughter. “I thought she’d be better by now.”“She is, but it just takes time, Giana. We’re all going to have to be patient. Do you want
LUCIANO "she's going to be fine. I assure you. Eloise can't die easily" "That’s just one theory.” Alex took a drag “The police and insurance companies are looking into it. I had the highway shut down. they said The vehicles never hit each other, at least that’s what they think. Eloise's Benz ended up off one side of the road, then semi further down the hill on the opposite side. both ended up smashed into trees, but you know what I think? It wasn't an accident. The truck driver sacrificed himself. ”“Damn,” I muttered underbreath. “Poor bastard.Alex snorted his agreement. “There’ve been detectives all over the place, asking everyone questions, waiting for Eloise to wake up and tell her side of the story.” He scowled darkly at the waters lapping in the bay.“She could be charged with negligent homicide, I suppose, if... She does pull through and wakes —”“If, Alex? If? She’s the strongest, most determined woman I know. She’ll make it. For Christ sakes, don’t put her in the grav
LucianoI spent the rest of the night staring out at the rain-drenched cityscape from my penthouse. The lights of Portland blurred behind the steady downpour, but I wasn’t seeing any of it. My mind was locked on Eloise, on the tubes and machines keeping her alive, on the bruises Alex said covered her delicate skin. I poured myself another glass of bourbon, the amber liquid burning my throat as it went down. Damon had always been a thorn in my side, a constant shadow that refused to disappear. When I came into Eloise’s life, she had just begun piecing herself back together after her divorce from him. She never spoke of him often, but I didn’t need her to spell it out for me. The way her shoulders tensed at the mention of his name said enough. He’d broken her, stripped her of her confidence, and left scars no one could see. And now, the man who had torn her apart once was keeping me from her. He was controlling access to her hospital room, spinning the narrative to make it look like
LUCIANO“Breaking news this morning,” the anchor began, her tone perfect “A video has surfaced showing Damon , the CEO of GED . Today, exactly five years ago, the grand inauguration of GED, the largest construction company in Italy took an unexpected turn when a dramatic altercation unfolded before cameras. What should have been a celebration of corporate achievement became a scandal that has left the media abuzz.As the ceremony began in GED’s grand event hall, an uninvited woman pushed her way through security, claiming to be the CEO’s wife. Witnesses say the woman, later identified as Eloise Huxley, was visibly distraught and holding what appeared to be important documents. Her arrival caused a stir among the distinguished guests, all of whom were gathered to honor the new ownership of the company.However, what happened next shocked everyone. The CEO, Mr. Damon publicly denied any connection to her, addressing her as his ex-wife and accusing her of clinging to an ‘illusion.’ In a
LUCIANO“Damn it, Eloise, what the hell happened?” I gasped. Shaking my head in disbelief. it was as if her situation got worst or maybe because she hadn't got surgery done when I saw her last. No matter how wretched she looked right now, in a drab cotton gown that she would have disdained as a rag, I had to remember the woman within. “How the hell did you end up here?” I whispered but I got no response. Behind her lids, her eyes moved. Wasn’t she supposed to be in a coma? The hairs on the back of my neck rose. “Eloise?” I whispered, his throat nearly closing on her name. “El?”Slowly, as if with all the effort in the world, her eyes opened a crack and then wider. She stared straight at me. My heart jolted.She squinted, blinked, but continued to keep me in her line of vision.“I thought you . . . I’d better call a nurse or a doctor.” my knuckles turned white as I gripped her bedShe lifted a hand to touch mine and struggled to speak, but her lips moved over teeth that were lac
LUCIANO My chest ached as I stayed crouched by her bedside, my eyes fixed on her bruised face, her fragile body nearly swallowed by the sterile white sheets. She was too still, too pale. I didn’t realize my vision had blurred until a tear slipped free, trailing down my cheek. I blinked hard, swiping at my face with the back of my hand, only to feel the pressure build again. “Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, glancing away, ashamed of my weakness. The tears caught me off guard. They blurred my vision until the hospital room turned into a watery haze. I didn’t even notice them fall until one hit the back of my hand. I swiped at it quickly, frustrated with myself. But as I looked at her, I saw them—thin, glistening streaks slipping down her temples from her closed eyes. I froze. My throat tightened painfully. “Eloise,” I whispered, leaning closer. “Eloise no, don’t…” My hand trembled as I reached out, brushing her tears away gently with the pads of my fingers. Her skin w
LUCIANO“I’m telling you she woke up, stared me straight in the eye and asked me who I was,” I said, still unnerved. Leaning against the window casement in the sitting room of the hundred-year-old mansion where I'd grown up, I yanked at the collar of my shirt and glanced at my little sister. . “Well, thank goodness she’s had a breakthrough,” Laura said from her favorite high-backed chair. “I’ve been so worried, you don’t know. This has been a nightmare, Luci, an absolute nightmare.”“It’s not over yet.”“Oh, I know.” She shook her head and not one strand of brown hair moved.The phone jangled in another part of the house, but Laura didn’t budge, she just glanced toward me like she was expecting me to pick up the phone when she's even more closer to it and younger than me . What sort of disrespect is that?.I sighed and ignored her. The phone jangled sharply again, then became silent. “Why won't you pick it up Laura? ” I said, clenching my fist so tightly that they were almost
LUCIANOYep, it was quite a place. If you liked a house that seemed to have no soul.The front door opened and Alex strode inside... He dropped his briefcase on the lowest step of the staircase. Yanking off his gloves, he glared through the archway at his brother.“You said Eloise was awake,” he accused, his gray eyes harsh and disbelieving.“I said she woke up and stared at me, said a few words and fell asleep or whatever you want to call it again. Then and her eyes opened she couldn't speak . Just for a splitting seconds” I explained“Well, she never so much as moved while I was there and I stayed over an hour.” Alex unbuttoned his coat. “The doctor told me waiting around was futile. They’ll call if there’s any change.” Tossing his coat over the banister, he walked into the sitting room. “Hell of a thing, isn’t it?” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarette. “After over three months of nothing, not one solitary sign of life, Eloise opens her eyes, speak
ELOISE"Eloise . Are you sure you want to do this? We have not pinned your accident's culprit on anyone. We should be careful since something worst could happen. I will handle everything my own way" Luciano pleaded "No I will do it. And I will be fine. Obviously these people would try to cover everything up if I give the flash to the FBI or press. Thankfully I have this journalist friend of mine that wouldn't stand the injustice " I said to assure Luciano that I would be fine. I didn't exactly know if truly this man wouldn't come after me. Infact I'm sure he would but then everyone will get a glimpse of his true nature and after all I have my husband and Alex by my side. We settled in the living room, the low hum of the television was the least of my concern as I picked slowly on the bowl filled with popcorn. Luciano was warm beside me, the scent of his cologne grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. His arm rested along the back of the couch, close enough that if I leaned just
ELOISEBy the time I got home, the sky was already turning that deep shade of orange Valerie’s words stayed with me the entire drive back. I hadn’t expected that. It was one thing to hate the man who raised you, However it's another Story entirely to hand over the evidence that could destroy him. As I stepped into the house, the familiar warmth o wrapped around me, but it didn’t settle the unease in my chest.The kids were already in their pajamas, curled up in the living room. Giana was half-asleep against Nicole’s shoulder, Kiara’s fingers tangled in her own curls as she watched a cartoon with so much attention. I took a deep breath and forced a smile while they hugged me tightly “Hey, miei amori. Long day?” Nicole barely looked up. “Yes ” I chuckled, ruffling his hair before pressing a kiss to Giana’s forehead. “Alright, just a few more minutes, then dinner. I will go fix something up now” Kiara nodded, but her eyes flicked up to my face,. She always knew when something
ELOISETwo days later I got up from the wrong side of bed again today. All I wanted was to grab a stranger by his collar and get a fight with him. And I obviously know whom to drag every single hair out of his hair to feel better. Josh. My so called cousin. He's been invisible for the past few months after I've reported him of house burglary. He had disappeared from the very face of the earth ever since , even Alex couldn't find him. My phone vibrated on the nightstand, the sound slicing through my tangled thoughts. I grabbed it, barely awake, and blinked at the screen. It was Dr. Vera that texted me 'Eloise, I’ve been thinking about our last session since it helped greatly, I want to try something better today, a more traditional method. This time, you’ll choose which part of your memory to recall. I believe it could speed up the process. Can you come in this morning?* A slow exhale left my lips. Choosing which part of my memory to unlock? The idea sent a chill down my spi
ELOISEThe moment the door clicked shut behind Valerie, I exhaled, releasing the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. But few minutes later. as I turned to Luciano, ready to dissect everything that had just happened, the sound of soft knocking interrupted me. I narrowed my eyes, already knowing who it was. Luciano groaned, rubbing his temple. “Of course she wouldn't leave untill a call the police on her. " With an exaggerated sigh, he yanked the door open. There stood Valerie, looking as smug as ever, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. “Forget something?” Luciano asked dryly. Valerie grinned, rocking on her heels. “I forgot to beg.” Luciano sighed started closing the door, but she slipped past him with ease, making a beeline for the couch. She plopped down dramatically, stretching her legs out. “Luciano, please,” she drawled, batting her lashes up at him. “I swear, I’ll be so quiet you won’t even know I’m here. I can be very, very invisible.” I
LUCIANO..I looked around and noticed the rose petals that were on the dinning. I couldn't help but smirk. Eloise must have had a long day regretting but her ego didn't let her to leave me a text. "Is today a special day?" Valerie asked once she noticed were my gaze was at. "No!" Eloise replied immediately. Her face showed all kinds of disappointed expressions. "Come on! What special day? It's not valentine and ... Is it your birthday Luciano or the triplets?""That didn't answer the question I asked earlier. Why the hell are you in my house?"Valerie clicked his tongue. " Here I am worried about you" she directed to no one in particular " Worried about whom? Him or...me?" Eloise muttered.."Him ofcourse. Why should I worry about you?" Valerie replied fiercely ..I gave her a stern warning look. She dare not talk to my wife like that. "Your parents would be worried. Go home Valerie.""Luciano, didn't you hear what I just said? I'm going to crash at your place for a few days ".
ELOISE Most times we'd things we end if regretting, but changing the clock backwards to correct or mistakes has never been possible. Ever since I left Luciano's office I've been restless . Probably due to guilt. No matter what he did, I shouldn't... I had no right to slap him. I've been fed with a whole lot of things this past few days and I'm just not sure who to believe but my heart would never lie to me. I know deep down that Luciano wants what's best for me. I paced back and forth in the living room, my heart hammering against my chest , and I kept glancing at the clock on the wall. Did he run away from home? There's no damn way a grown ass kan would do that. Luciano said we needed to talk, and I had convinced myself that this conversation would change everything. Would he forgive me for slapping him? Would he finally tell me the truth? Or was I just a fool The sound of that passcode being wrongly entered echoed in my ear. Was he drunk? I swallowed hard, smoothing
LUCIANO"You need to see this boss" James said as soon as Jonathan left. "I did my own research and looking at the land registers..." I brought out a landscape and placed the photo in my desk.."Do you remember the VIPs at the museum opening party?" He asked and I nodded. "Their name came up quiet often on the register" James said with total certainty. I couldn't help but scoff. This was exactly what i guessed. It was weird enough that the museum that had no visitors at all suddenly got flooded on the opening party even though all those that Eloise invited turned down her invitation. They ended up coming. I should have know judging by the fact that they all arrived at the same exact time..So to them it was like land surveying Instead of open party? Those scumbags! "Sir... I'm sorry to bring this up again. Your grand father insist you visit him today"..I raised a brow in annoyance and then leaned back in my chair, drumming my fingers against the desk. Of course my grandfather
LUCIANO"I don't know why she's here but it's definitely unlike her. She never visited you before" James said trembling on his feet. "Well let her in ofcourse" Eloise was probably trying to get to know more about herself. She was always busy running her museum and I am always the one visiting to help out and strategize but today she came and I am glad she found time to visit. "I wasn't expecting you El" I said with a smile ushering her to seat at the cushion while I abandoned my work to join her. However instead of reciprocated smile, I got a slap on my cheek instead and I could only scoff. "Did you know about this?" She asked and hands her tabs over to me. " If you were going to lie to me, to deceive me just because of money, you could have atleast had a rethink. I almost died but all you and your family care about is purchasing every piece of land around the museum "I got really annoyed but I won't blame her. She was at her most vulnerable state that she could easily be decei
ELOISELuciano wouldn't have sex with me and it still bothers me. Does he chest on me or something? I'm sure I know men enough to realize that they never keep their stuff under their pants. I didn't want to lose my husband to the hands of a random slut . Even though I insisted that we stay in the same room, he sleeps on the couch and leaves the king sized bed for him But tonight I won't let him. I'm a human too and I'm sure he is! I was about to break the king silence before luckily he spoke up. "It's unlike you to insist on sharing the same room with me. I guess the accident really messed with your head" Luciano said with a chuckle as he lay on the couch close to the television. " No. I just feel a married couple should share a bed. I don't know how shitty my personality have been while we are married but I do appreciate that you saved me from my ex-husband. That asshole would have manipulated his way into my life again" I said . I already heard from the news about all that hap