Chapter 23
Amber was up before dawn, the house still heavy with the quiet of sleep. It wasn’t insomnia or any physical ailment that had woken her—just a gnawing unease in her gut that refused to let her rest. She needed to talk to someone, needed to voice the storm brewing inside her, and there was only one person she trusted to listen without judgment: her friend Danny, a doctor back in the States. She dialed his number, her fingers trembling slightly as she pressed the phone to her ear. There was safety in the stillness of the morning, the silence of the house. No one would overhear, and for now, that was the only thing keeping her together. She wasn’t ready to face Luca, not after everything.
Not yet.
As she sat by the window, cradling her phone, her conversation with Danny offered a brief reprieve from the chaos in her mind. He listened, as he always did, his voice soothing through the speaker. But even he couldn’t offer her the comfort she needed—because the truth was, she knew what she had to do. She had to come clean. To Nico, to Luca. But just the thought of it made her chest tighten with dread. Her world had already started to unravel, and she wasn’t sure she could survive the aftermath of what she needed to reveal.
Eventually, the call ended, and Amber drifted downstairs in search of coffee. The housekeeper, Gabriella, was already in the kitchen, bustling around, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. Amber offered her a weary smile, sitting at the dining table as she scrolled through her phone, trying to distract herself from the inevitable.
That’s when she noticed Gabriella pouring a second cup of coffee, adding two cubes of sugar—something that made Amber’s brow furrow with a strange sense of unease.
“I thought Luca hated sugar in his coffee,” she muttered, not even realizing she’d spoken aloud.
The housekeeper glanced at her with a bright smile. “Oh, this isn’t for Mr. De Santis. It’s for Ms. Forentino. She stayed here last night. Always takes two cubes. Quite the sweet tooth, she has.”
The words hit Amber like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind right out of her. Carlotta. Here. Last night. It felt like a switch had been flipped inside her, and everything she had been dreading was suddenly crashing down around her. She had told herself, time and time again, that she could handle it—that she knew Luca had moved on. She had even convinced herself that it was for the best, for everyone. But knowing it in the abstract and having it thrust in front of her like this—knowing that Carlotta had spent the night with Luca, perhaps in the same bed they had once shared—it was a different kind of pain. One that was sharp, brutal, and completely inescapable.
She excused herself hastily, her coffee left untouched, her hands shaking as she pushed away from the table. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t face them—Luca, Carlotta—together. Not now. Not ever.
But as fate would have it, she didn’t make it far. Just as she passed by the master bedroom, the door creaked open, and there stood Carlotta, dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, her hair tousled in a way that screamed of a night well spent. Amber’s heart shattered. Carlotta smiled, oblivious to the storm inside Amber.
“Good morning,” Carlotta greeted casually, her voice filled with a warmth Amber could hardly bear.
Amber couldn’t remember if she replied. She couldn’t remember if she said anything at all. All she could feel was the ground dropping out from under her, the searing pain that made her want to collapse right there in the hallway. Somehow, she made it back upstairs, shutting herself in her room as the tears she had been holding back finally broke free. She sank to the floor, curling into herself, her breath coming in ragged gasps. It was all still there—the memories, the love she thought she had buried. It was pulsing under her skin like a wound that refused to heal.
The past she had run from was crashing back into her life, and there was no escaping it now.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed before Nico came bounding into her room, holding up a broken sandal with a proud grin. “Mummy, look! It broke!”
Amber blinked through her tears, forcing a smile for her son. “I see that,” she murmured, her voice hollow. “Why don’t we go buy you a new one?”
Nico lit up at the suggestion, already rattling off a list of things he wanted to buy at the store. Amber felt her heart squeeze as she watched him—so full of life, so innocent. He had no idea what she was going through, and she couldn’t let him see it. She had to hold it together, for him.
“Can I get a Superman sticker too?” he asked, his eyes wide with hope. “Like the one I had at home?”
Amber ruffled his curly hair, grateful for this moment of simplicity. “Sure, my naughty monkey. But you have to promise me you’ll be a good boy from now on, okay?”
Nico paused for a moment, staring up at her with those wide, innocent eyes as if thinking about something. Then he nodded, his little arms wrapping around her in a tight hug. “I promise, Mummy. I’ll always be a good boy.”
Amber held him close, his warmth grounding her in the present, pulling her away from the torment in her mind. “Let’s go, then. Maybe we can get you a haircut too.”
But as they descended the stairs, the warmth of that moment quickly evaporated. The family was already gathered in the living room. Guilia, Chiara, and—of course—Carlotta were there. Even Luca stood amongst them, his presence suffocating.
Amber's heart raced as she held Nico’s small hand tightly in her own, desperately trying to escape the suffocating atmosphere in the room. She walked quickly, her eyes fixed ahead, silently praying that they could make it out of the house without further confrontation. But it seemed like today Guilia or his daughter had no intrest in tormenting her. Because both of them completely ignored her presence and she was very glad about it.
The morning had already been a disaster—she wasn’t ready to deal with more. But just as they were nearing the door, it was Luca who stepped in front of them, his broad frame blocking their way like an immovable wall.
“Where are you two going?” Luca asked casually, though his eyes lingered on Amber’s face, searching for something. Amber, feeling the weight of his gaze, forced herself to look anywhere but at him.
“Mummy and me are going to buy me some shoes. My sandal is broken.” Nico piped up before she could respond, his small face pulled into a deliberate sad expression. Amber could see the way her son had already learned how to win over his father’s heart, and she couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet pang in her chest. Despite everything, the bond between them had grown stronger in such a short time. Luca smiled at Nico, reaching down to pinch his son’s button nose playfully.
“Ah, broken shoes, huh? Well, I’m taking Ma and Carlotta to the market anyway. I can drop you two off,” Luca offered, his tone easy and familiar, as if everything was still normal between them. But Amber’s insides twisted violently at the thought of it—*Carlotta.* The image of her in that bathrobe from this morning flashed across her mind like a nightmare, plus she had just seen what was in Carlotta’s hands at the moment – a bridal dress magazine! Which meant they were going for Bridal dress shopping. Her heart pounded in her chest, every beat a painful reminder of how Luca had moved on.
It wasn’t just the jealousy—it was deeper than that. It was the raw, gnawing pain of realizing that she had never been the woman Luca wanted to marry. When they had eloped to Naples, she had worn a cheap blue sundress from her emergency bag, far from the white bridal gown she had once dreamed of. She had been nothing more than a quick, temporary solution—a bride only because she had gotten pregnant. And now, watching Carlotta prepare to have the wedding that she never had, Amber couldn’t breathe under the weight of it.
Her lips parted, but the words stuck in her throat. Finally, she managed to mutter, “No, thanks. We can manage.”
Luca, however, wasn’t ready to let it go. He took a step closer, his brow furrowing slightly in that familiar way that made her feel like he could see right through her defenses. “You don’t have a car, Amber. I would’ve sent the driver, but Ma has him running errands. Let me drop you off. It’s no trouble.”
Now, everyone was looking at them. Carlotta was looking a tad bit anxious, while Guilia looked outright offended.
Amber’s pulse quickened. She could feel herself unraveling. The thought of sitting in the same car as Luca and Carlotta, of witnessing them together, even for a few minutes, was unbearable. She could already imagine the casual touches, the whispered conversations, the small, intimate glances that would tear her apart. Her stomach churned, and the room felt like it was closing in around her.
“Actually, you know what, Nico?” she said suddenly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to keep it steady. “Mummy’s not feeling very well. We’ll get your sandals tomorrow, okay? I think I need to rest for a bit.”
Nico’s face immediately crumpled into disappointment. His little mouth pouted as he looked up at her with wide, confused eyes. “But you said, if I’m a good boy, you’ll get me the Spidy sticker…” His voice was small and pleading, and Amber’s heart ached. She had promised him that sticker, and now, she was breaking that promise.
Before Amber could respond, Guilia stepped forward with a smile that felt more like a dagger to Amber’s chest. “Tesoro, you can come with us. We’ll get you new shoes and that… what did you call it? Spidy sticker?” She hesitated, clearly unfamiliar with the superhero, but Luca seemed to find her offer perfect.
Luca’s eyes brightened at the suggestion,he loved the idea because. If his mother took Nico shopping, it would give him the chance to return home after dropping them off and get some privacy with Amber—something he had been trying to orchestrate since the moment he saw her that morning. There were things to discuss, things Nico had told Luca the day before.
“Yes, that’s a great idea,” Luca nodded, looking down at his son. “You can come with Nonna, and I’ll pick you out something really cool, okay?”
Amber’s heart dropped. *No. Not Guilia.* She couldn’t stand the thought of her son being with Luca’s mother.
“No—I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Amber started, her voice shaky, but Luca cut her off with that frustrating calmness.
“Don’t worry,” he said softly, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her want to shrink away. “He’ll be safe with us. I promise.”
*Promise.* Amber almost laughed bitterly at the word. Luca’s promises used to mean the world to her. But now, they were just empty words—promises he had broken over and over again. A promise to love her. A promise to build a family with her. A promise to stay.
“Promise?” Nico asked innocently, his small voice echoing the word as he looked up at his father with wide, trusting eyes. Amber’s chest tightened painfully. Her son still believed in his father’s promises. He didn’t know yet that promises could be broken, that trust could be shattered, that sometimes, love wasn’t enough to keep people together.
Amber wanted to scream, to shout, to tell everyone in the room to just leave her alone, to let her breathe, to let her escape the suffocating memories of Luca and Carlotta together. But instead, she swallowed it down, forcing herself to stay composed.
“I don’t know if—”
“He’ll be fine,” Luca interrupted, his voice firm yet gentle. “You need rest, Amber. I can see that. Let Nico come with us, and you can stay here. I’ll come back after I drop everyone off, and we can… talk.” That last part was especially wishpered only for her ears, as everyone started filing out towards the car.
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she looked down at Nico, his innocent face full of hope and excitement. She wanted to say no, to keep him close. But then she saw the way Nico was looking at Luca, the way he idolized his father, the bond they had forged in such a short time.
Amber felt her resolve crumbling. “Fine,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “But just… be careful with him, Luca.”
Luca’s expression softened, and for a moment, Amber saw the man she had once loved, the man who had made her believe in promises and forever. “I will. I promise,” he said again, his voice low and reassuring.
As they left the house, Nico’s small hand slipping out of hers and into Luca’s, Amber stood frozen in the hallway, watching them disappear through the door.