Luca. It had been a few minutes since my dad dropped the big bombshell news on my lap and somehow it still felt like a bad dream, and a big part of me wished I would just wake up and all of it would be gone. I admit I had my own differencea with Richard, but so did every father and son. But I loved the man, I loved being his son, and now I did not know who I was anymore or who I was supposed to be. I couldn't even be mad because the person I really wanted to be mad at was my mother and I had no clue where she was. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Lila said from the door, she had a bunch of flowers with her. "Since you are going to be staying here for a while I brought this to brighten up your room." she said smiling as she put the flowers in a vase. "Thank you, that's thoughtful of you." i said slowly, trying to sound normal even though I was dying inside. "Hey, what's wrong? Something is wrong" she said sitting on the foot of my bed. "I am okay." i lied, did not want to burden he
Lila.The room was dim, the soft beep of the machines providing a quiet backdrop to the sterile hospital air. Luca lay in the bed, his face relaxed, the weight of the transplant surgery finally starting to show signs of peace. The steady rhythm of his breath was the only thing that assured me he was still with me, still fighting.He was a fighter. I sat in the chair beside him, my fingers lightly gripping his hand, not daring to let go. My mind raced with the events of the past few days the fear, the hope, and now this uncertain calm. My heart had been a rollercoaster, and right now, it was firmly on the precipice of both relief and tension.The man that had threatened to black mail us had not reached out yet, which was even more worrying since Luca could not do anything really in his state. But I was not going to worry about that right now. Luca had a successful surgery and that's all that really mattered right now. Just as I started to relax, the door opened.y gaze snapped up, w
Vanessa. She was right. I hated that girl since the very first day I saw her, I knew Luca liked her because of how she looked, but I could just tell she was trouble. And she needed to go even if it meant blowing up my marriage. She was Young, full of life and looked like someone Luca would fall in love with. She could give him kids something I could not be able to do. Luca alwyas said he didn't mind that I couldn't give him children since he did not want any kids. But he was still young, he was only thirty and I knew he would change his mind someday, I always thought when that day came, we would cross that bridge, but now with Lila in the picture I was running out of time. Lila was right and too involved in business that did not concern her, but she was not wrong. We were both living a lie pretending to be happy and we were dragging innocent people down with us into our web of lies. I watched Luca, his body still and his breath shallow, I watched as his chest rose up and down w
Lila. I stood there, hidden behind the half open door, my heart hammering in my chest as I listened to Vanessa’s voice drip with the venom of a threat. She was telling Luca she would finally leave her husband. The words, sharp and dangerous, echoed in my mind. If she left him, Luca wouldn’t need a fake fiancée anymore. Meaning I wouldn’t matter anymore and our deal would be off.Well there was no way I was going to let that happen. I couldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not when I had finally let myself want more.I waited until I was sure Vanessa was completely gone and she was not coming back before I decided to make my move I took a deep breath, pushing away the panic that threatened to rise in my throat. The weight of the moment was heavy, and I knew I had to act quickly. The door creaked as I stepped into the room, my presence cutting through their conversation like a blade.He was awake now, I wondered for how long though, he had seemed to be sleeping when Vanessa was in the ro
Lila. It had been a few days since I moved into Luca’s house and since he was discharged from the hospital. I was still yet get used to the house itself. I always imagined what the rich and luxurious lived like, but I never imagined it would be this luxurious. It was like living in a resort, waking up every day with the best view in the world. I wanted to explore every part of the house in due time or atleast before my time was up. I had thought Luca was still sleeping and wanted to go down for a swim when I heard his voice from his home office, I slowly tiptoed down the hall to where his office was located. I wasn’t supposed to be snooping around. I knew that. But Luca had been so quiet ever since he got out of the hospital, and I hated seeing him like that. I couldn’t help it. I had to know what was going on.I had no clue what he was thinking or where his mind was at. I wanted to atleast know if he was in contact with Vanessa, if she was still getting a divorce, but Luca bare
Luca.I sat in total for a few more minutes, taking in everything that had just happened. The last thing I wanted was for Lila to see this part of my world. She was so innocent, so naïve, but my world was dark and dangerous, Vanessa understood that and loved me because of it. But Lila was different and I was beginning to like her for that, because she was so out of touch with my world, she represented the world I would have wanted to be in if I wasn't raised the way I was. I watched her through my window as she did her swimming laps. She was perfect, even when she wasn't trying to. We had grown closer the past few weeks, she had known a part of me that I never let anyone know, but with her, it was like I didn't have to pretend to be someone I am not. Which is why I could not lose her. I looked at my phone, I had over ten missed calls from Vanessa and some text messages from her and my father too. It was time I had a conversation with Vanessa. Just like Lila, Vanessa had her own r
Lila.All I could think about all morning was the fact that Luca had someone killed. I knew his world was dangerous, that he was dangerous but I never really thought about it deeply, a part of me wanted to live in oblivious, and it was working until I overheard the conversation I was not supposed to do. I dialled my phone over a million times, thinking maybe I should tell the police, but Luca's family owned the police, they owned literally everything, there was nothing that money could not buy. They were used to getting away with stuff like this. But how was I supposed to ever look at him the same way knowing what I knew. Guilt was eating me up and I had no one I could talk to. My mother was my friend, and we were not in good terms. But maybe she was right, marrying into this family was dangerous, I had to go talk to her and apologize. From Luca's house to the hospital was only a few minutes walk. So I just sneaked out and decided to walk to help clear my mind. I walked through
Lila. I was past confused, everyone was keeping secrets from me and none of it was making sense to me anymore. I knew exactly who would give me the answers I needed and I was not going to play dumb anymore. On the way back to the house I took a cab, I was too agitated to walk back there. The house was quiet, I knew exactly where I would find him. I storm into Luca’s bedroom, my mind racing with a thousand questions. The tension between us could be felt across the room. Luca appeared from the bathrooms, white towel around his torso, his bare chest out dripping wet. He was in the shower when I stormed in. I immediately second guessed my choice to storm into his room without knocking. He just looked at me, no expression in his face at all, he picked up an extra towel and started drying his hair in silence as if giving me time to say what brought me into his room. I didn’t care about the awkwardness, didn’t care that Luca was probably just as confused as I was. I needed answers. A
Lila. The front door slammed behind Luca as he entered, his face a mix of exhaustion and frustration. I could tell he was running on fumes, his clothes were wrinkled, his hair disheveled, but the fury bubbling up inside of me didn’t care about any of that. I was furious, seething in a way I couldn’t remember feeling before. I was so furious I just wanted jump on him, the past twenty four hours had been crazy. I couldn't even go to the hospital in peace, the paparazzi was literally everywhere. I had been stewing in silence, trying to hold it together for the past few hours, waiting for an explanation that didn’t come. The images of Luca and Vanessa had been plastered all over the tabloids, and my phone had been blowing up with messages, each one worse than the last. I couldn’t even look at it anymore. My hands were shaking as I held the glass of wine in front of me, but I didn’t dare take a sip if I drank, I’d fall apart. And right now, I needed to be strong. Luca walked into the
Vanessa.I had always been the kind of woman who took control of things. I was used to getting what I wanted, bending people to my will, making sure I was never left behind. But I did not see the divorce coming.We had a system that worked over the years, as long as I stayed out of my husband's business he stayed out of mine. It was a marriage of convinience, not love. But we didn't start out like that, we were in love once. But so much had happened between us now. We tried everything, we tried opening our relationship, we tried therapy but nothing worked. My husband was in love with someone else, a man nonetheless, so we kept our little arrangement. At first I was not okay with it, until I met Luca and everything changed. I had the best time with Luca, he saw me, the real me and he loved me. Him, just like me was driven by success, which is why our situation was functional for so long. We both understood the rules. Atleast we both pretended we did. But he wanted more after a whi
Lila.I had spent the night at the hospital again, going home was no longer an option because all I could think of was my mom. I preferred staying at the hospital just incase she woke up I would be there. With Luca being gone too, the house felt a lot more depressing anyway. I step out of the hospital doors, the brisk morning air hitting my face like a slap. It's colder than I expected, but the chill feels good, somehow. I need something to calm my nerves; my thoughts have been a jumble of hospital noises, sterile smells, and too many unanswered questions for the past week. I head toward the small café across the street, hoping a simple cup of coffee will help me clear my head. When Luca was around he was the one who would do the coffee runs. He was in my mind a lot this morning, mostly because he had not called or texted to check in. But as I approach the door, I hear the distinct sound of cameras snapping. Flash after flash, they go off like an unholy orchestra. I freeze in place
Luca.I stood there, glaring at Vanessa, my fists clenched at my sides. I was sweating, the anger pulsing through my veins like a furious current. Miami’s humid air hit me hard as I stepped into the lobby of the hotel where I had been instructed to meet the “business contact” who had called me earlier. The moment I saw her Vanessa leaning casually against the polished marble counter, I could feel my blood boil. When I got the call I did not even think it through, which is how I can tell the whole Lila thing had thrown me completely off my game. I am not someone that's easily manipulated, but somehow Vanessa had managed to do it. “What the hell, Vanessa?” I demanded, trying to control my voice. The heat of the city, the sudden change in plans, the wasted time it all felt like a heavy weight pressing down on me.I would rather be back home in New York with Lila, I only came out here because I had been trying to land the account Vanessa has used to lure me in for so long. Vanessa, alw
Lila. I sit in the sterile, cold hospital room, my fingers trembling as they grip the armrest of the plastic chair. The fluorescent lights overhead flicker like they’re unsure whether they should be on or off. The quiet beeping of the heart monitor is the only sound breaking the silence, and every time it makes its monotonous rhythm, it reminds me that my mother is still here… at least for now.I can still see Richard who is sitted across the room throwing random glances at me and every time I looked away. The possibility that he was my father was unfathomable to me and every time I looked at him it was like a reminder, and I was not ready to deal with that part of reality no matter how it looked like. A few hours later, the doctor came out and we both followed him to his office. I could just tell by the look on his face whatever he was about to say was not good. "We tried to get as much of the malignant tumor in her brain as we could, it had spread so much... Almost half of her b
Lila.I did not get any sleep at all last night, I twisted and turned the whole night replaying every single memory I had of my father. Some things made more sense now, like why Luca's dad was always at the hospital visiting my mom even though my mom claimed they had never met before. Could this be the reason Luca’s mom Elena left? I asked myself. I also remembered the last few days leading up to my father's death. They were always fighting about something with mom and I always thought it was becauseom didn't want him working for Luca's family. But maybe my father found out the truth. I quickly got dressed and rushed downstairs, I was going mad by all the scenarios forming in my head. I needed answers. "Hey, breakfast is ready." Maria said with a smile on her face the moment she saw me. "I am not really hungry Maria, thanks though." I said as I poured my myself a cup of water. I spotted Luca in the dining room which was off. In the few weeks I had spent in this house, I had ne
Lila. I feel the warmth of Luca’s lips on mine, and for a moment, everything melts away. His kiss is soft, hesitant, but there’s something there something I didn’t expect. My heart starts racing, and just as I’m about to sink deeper into the feeling, he pulls back abruptly. Confusion floods over me, and I blink, trying to make sense of what just happened. My lips still tingle with the memory of his touch. I knew he felt the same exact way I was feeling, our chemistry was undeniable, so why did he pull back and why was he looking at me like that. Like I had something wrong. “What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice shaky, unsure if I’m even speaking clearly. I could tell something was wrong I just had no clue what. He looks at me, his eyes avoiding mine for a moment before meeting my gaze with something like guilt in them. “We can’t,” he says quietly, his words hanging between us like a weight. I expected atleast more than two words, but he went back to pacing around the room like that was
Lila. It has been a few hours since I last spoke with Luca, I had decided to give him some space to process everything that was going on. But he also needed to eat something since he was still taking medication. I quickly fixed him a plate of some food and put it on a tray with some water and headed up to his room. I knew he was not going to get out of that room so I did not even bother calling him to come down. Once at his door, I could hear some of soft music coming from his room, I knock lightly on his door, holding the tray full of food in my hands, hoping it will help ease whatever storm was brewing inside of him. I just wanted to do something for him, anything, to make him feel better.“Luca?” I call softly as I push the door open. He is sitting by the window, staring out into the dark. It’s like he is miles away, even though he is right in front of me. I hesitate for a moment, but then walk in, setting the food down on the bedside table. "I brought you something to eat...
Vanessa.I had tried to get in touch with Luca but his phone was off or busy or went straight to voicemail and it was bugging me. In the three years we had been together, he never even once sent me to voice mail and no matter what was going on in our personal lives, we always talked to each other which is why this was bugging me so much and it had Lila written all over it. Normally I wouldn’t be worried by a girl like Lila, but I could tell she was different, she was not a city girl like the ones Luca was used to and that's what scared me the most. "I have to ran an errand for a few hours, cancel all my meetings and if my husband calls tell him I am at my wax appointment." I said to my personal assistant as I picked up my bag. "Do you need me to organize for a driver?" "No, I will just drive myself, I need to clear my mind anyways." In a few minutes I was pulling up to Luca's house."Is he in?" I asked one of the security men, as I got out of the car while tossing him the car ke