Chapter 112 MY CHEST.
\~~~RAINA.
“Is that Luciano?” I asked the moment Alessia dropped the call.
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she breathed out slowly and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling for a brief second like she was trying to gather her thoughts.
We were in her office, actually. I had resumed work today, just like she said I would. I was officially back in the corporate world, and now seated across from the woman who had somehow become my only safe place in the last few days.
Her phone had rung while we were discussing a proposal, and the moment she saw the caller ID, she had lifted a finger at me.
‘Don’t say a word.’
So I didn’t.
But now that the call had ended, my chest felt tight.
“Is that him?” I asked again, my voice softer this time.
Alessia breathed out long and slow, leaning back in her chair. Her eyes met mine, tired but steady. “Yeah. It was him.”
I swallowed hard, my fingers twisting in my lap. I'd been killing time here, flipping through old reports, trying to act normal.
But now, the air felt thick. “What did he want?”
She rubbed her temple. “He knows you are not at home. It is only a matter of time until he figures out you're with me.”
My stomach dropped.
Luciano was now searching for me?
I sat back in my chair, my hands gripping the armrests.
“Don't you think we should tell him?” Alessia pressed, her voice gentle but firm. “At least let him know you're safe. He sounded so worked up, Raina. Panicked, even.”
I shook my head fast, leaning forward in my seat. “No, no, I can't do that.” The words tumbled out, laced with fear.
How could I face him?
Tell him I'd run like a scared child, only to get rejected by my own family? It was too raw, and too humiliating.
Alessia tilted her head, studying me. “Why not? He wouldn't barge in if you don't want him to. I can handle it and keep him at bay.”
“It is embarrassing, Sia,” I gripped the edge of the chair, my knuckles turning pale.
‘'I packed my bag without even being asked. Left the house like some thief in the night. And then... My parents? They threw me out. Literally. What would I even say to him? "Hey, I'm fine, just homeless and divorced"? No. I can't see him. I don't want to.”
She sighed, her expression softening. “Raina.”
“It’s embarrassing,” I repeated. “I don’t want him to see me like that.”
“What is embarrassing about surviving?” she asked gently.
“You don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t… I just can’t see him right now.”
She leaned forward slightly. “Raina.”
I swallowed hard as she called my name.
She leaned forward now, her eyes locking on mine. “Do you seriously have no feelings for my brother?”
The question hung there, sharp as a knife. I swallowed the ache rising in my throat, my hand fisting the fabric of my dress.
Feelings? Maybe I had them.
Fleeting, and buried deep, tangled up in anger and hurt.
But that was before the truth came out, and before the deception shattered us. Now? It was safer to deny it all.
“I don't,” I said, forcing the words out. They tasted like ash.
Alessia watched me for a long moment, her gaze piercing. Then she nodded slowly and looked away, toward the window where the city skyline stretched out.
“You don't believe me?” I pressed, my voice cracking a little.
She turned back, her lips pressing into a thin line. “What I believe isn't the issue here. It's what you believe.”
'I have no feelings for him. None, whatsoever,” I repeated it, louder this time, as if saying it again would make it true.
But inside, doubt swirled.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and accusing. I didn't need anyone to point out that I was lying to myself. It was plain as day. My heart still raced at the thought of him, and still ached for what we could have been together.
But admitting that? It would mean facing the pain head-on, and I wasn't ready.
We sat there quietly for what felt like ages. The hum of the office outside filtered in, with keyboards clicking and phones ringing, but in here it was just us and the unspoken truth.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed back from the chair and stood, smoothing down my dress. The fabric felt too tight, like it was holding in all the emotions I couldn't name.
“I should get going,” I murmured, avoiding her eyes.
Alessia didn't stop me. She just watched as I walked toward the door, my steps quick, and my chest tight. I reached for the handle and pulled the door open…
Then, I froze.
A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Because there, filling the doorway, was Luciano Moretti.
His dark eyes locked on mine, intense and stormy. He looked disheveled, his shirt was slightly untucked, and his hair was tousled like he'd run his hands through it a hundred times.
But that wasn't what stole my breath. It was the raw need in his expression, the way his jaw clenched as if he'd been holding back a storm.
“Luciano…” I whispered, but the word got lost as he moved.
He closed the space between us in an instant, faster than I could think. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest with a force that knocked the air from my lungs. It was a tight hug, desperate, like he was afraid I'd vanish if he let go. His body pressed against mine, warm and solid, his chin resting on my head.
I stiffened at first, shock freezing me in place. His scent, that faint cologne mixed with the day's stress flooded my senses, bringing back memories I'd tried to bury.
Then his hand pressed gently against my back, steady and warm.
And something in me broke.
I didn’t hug him back and I didn’t push him away either.
I just stood there, caught between fear and relief, my face buried against his chest as his arms held me like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go.
And for the first time since I left his house… my chest felt lighter.