The past few days have been hell for me.Things between Eliza and Miguel couldn't have been worse. I know this because their problems are becoming more public, I'd say. She argues with him in front of everyone these days and things are getting out of hand. They've been bad ever since they crashed the yacht. She pushed him and he lost control. I'm sincerely hoping that I won't cross her path, not while Laura is here in the house with me. I didn't want to bring her, but when my mother told me that she wanted to talk to her, I didn't know what to say to her to change her mind. My mother isn't the kind of person who changes her mind on a whim. If she decided that she wanted to talk to Laura, nothing would stop her from doing so. She told me that she wanted to talk to her to get to know her, but I'm worried and I don't know why. No, I do know why. She's Priscilla's number one supporter and although she hasn't talked about her to me yet, I'm hoping that she has finally understood that Pris
A few hours earlier...Kissing Luca is always a magical moment and I'll never deny that. It lights my soul on fire, and all I can think about for hours on end is how his lips felt against mine and how my heart was in my throat when he touched me. But after the moment, a wave of guilt crashes into me, so powerful that I lose the ability to breathe. I can't kiss him without thinking about Mary. It's sickening and wrong, and it fills me with shame so deep that it can't be unrooted. Luca notices. Of course he does. He notices everything and although I'm flattered that he pays so much attention to me, it's frustrating not being able to keep this a secret. I close the front door behind me and lean against it. I wish I could be more open to this; to him. I wish I could throw myself in his arms without feeling so much remorse. Things would be so much easier, and I'd be able to say to myself that I love him. The words are on the tip of my tongue but there's something pushing them back and fo
I didn't call Luca right away. I stayed outside for the longest time, deciding what to do even though I had already made my decision in my father's office. I walked around and around, thinking deeply. Wondering if I was making a mistake. The neighbors drove past and saw me pacing back and forth like a lunatic. They all gave me odd looks. I wonder if they can tell that I've been kicked out of my own home because I refused to obey their orders. How can they expect me to break things off with Luca so that Mary might have a chance? How can they ask such a thing of me and call me selfish when I refuse to do it? I haven't known Luca for long. And I spent half of that time hating him. This is risky. I know it is. If I abandon everything I've ever know because of him and end up with a broken heart, I won't survive it. I'm giving up everything for him. To be with him. It's insane. Brett and Victoria wouldn't approve. They wouldn't even recognize me. I don't recognize myself. The sun was s
Luca “I know you mean well,” dad says to me, then glances at my mother. “I know you have the best of intentions with Laura. I know that, and everyone can see it.”“But?”“Marriage is a family affair,” mom answers for him. “Her family has to be in agreement for this to work. That’s the point of all of this, son. We’re supposed to unite our families so that we may be stronger in the future. You’ll be in control of the family when your father and I pass on, and we want you to be sorted, Luca. You need to make your own connections, and marriage is a step in the right direction.”“I don’t need connections,” I tell her, and she slaps her thighs and rolls her eyes. “This whole thing was an experiment. It wasn’t necessary. There are no rules, and no obligations. Marrying into a family with good connections was supposed to be a bonus, not a necessity.”“Yes, Luca, but—”“The Walshes were never on your list,” I remind her. “And they weren’t there because they don’t have the connections we need
I glance at the back of my phone again. I let it vibrate until whoever is on the other end of the line quits. When I woke up, I saw seven missed calls. Some were from my father, and the rest were from my mother. I don't know why the hell they're calling me, but I'm in no mood to talk to them. I'm deeply hurt. The morning has made things a lot clearer, and I've realized that the situation is more grave than I initially thought. They're abandoning me for wanting to be with a man that I love, a man that had promised nothing to my sister. God, was I supposed to reject Luca because my sister had a two-week crush on him? Is that how it goes? Am I the villain for wanting to be with him?Am I really that wrong?Tears sting my eyes but I tell myself firmly that I won't cry. Not again. I turn on my side and stare around the room. It feels odd, waking up in a strange room yet it's exciting at the same time. Butterflies dance around in my stomach, and I inevitably think about Luca. I bite my lo
Luca and I spent the whole day together. He ditched work to spend time with me and make me more comfortable in his house. Words can't express how this makes me feel. He's so thoughtful, and every sweet gesture threatens to rip me apart and put me back together. I'm not used to being treated this way. Luca makes me feel like I'm important. Like I matter. And although I can't say that I was constantly humiliated or degraded, I most certainly wasn't treated like this. He showed me the spots he loves most about his house. He grew up here, and so he has many fond memories of his youth. I deduced from his talks that he and Miguel are quite close. It reminds me of Mary and I once upon a time. We truly were close. Some of my friends from school back in the day said our relationship wasn't normal. Siblings fought all of the time. I once heard someone say that if siblings hadn't threatened each other with knives at some point in their lives, they weren't truly siblings. To me, threatening Mar
I wake up to the sun in my eyes. I look around the room quickly before sitting up and stretching my arms high above my head. Luca isn't here. He must have left when I was sleeping because his clothes aren't on the floor. Mine are, though. A smile splits my face in two and I squeal when I stare at my finger. I give myself this moment to be happy and giddy. I can't believe that last night happened, and at the same time I can't imagine it not happening. It's like everything is happening exactly when it's supposed to. I'm elated. I've never felt this kind of happiness before. I'm so happy that I check my phone. I want to share my happiness with someone. Brett. Victoria. They'll be thrilled for me. I haven't updated them at all since all of this happened the day before yesterday. I have so much to say to them. This is the most that has happened to me in the space of three days. Life with Luca is eventful. My days used to feel super short before. Now, they're long. There are over fifty
Nobody knows where she is.She disappeared the same day I left home. According to mom, she never said a word to either of them about it. Constance served lunch and went up to her room to call her but she wasn't responding. Constance ignored it and thought that she was just ignoring her and that perhaps she wasn't hungry. She reported this back to mom, who left the table and went upstairs to fetch her. She found the room empty. She cries as she says this, and holds a tissue to her nose. Her shoulders are shaking. I've never seen her this upset before. Still, it has no influence on me whatsoever. I realize that this is the reason why she looked so sad. It isn't because of me. It's because Mary is missing. It's only a matter of time before she starts blaming me for this. I look at dad. "You didn't mention this on the phone.""I didn't think it was something I could say over the phone," he admits. I look at mom. She says nothing else to me. I honestly don't know what to say to them. I