Chapter 23 LOVE HIM LIKE NO ONE
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ADELINE
“ you should have told us beforehand about your decision, Luciano “
Leonardo spoke as everyone gave them attention. We were sitting on the table having lunch being served to us. I clenched my fists on my lap as aurora gave me a stern look before looking away.
“ I wanted it to be a surprise “
Alessandra smiled and looked at her son.
“ Luciano. I am so happy. Finally you have decided to be happy “
Hearing those words, I really struggled to hold back. I slowly raised my gaze and suddenly my eyes met ……… Christian’s. He looked at me and I looked down avoiding his gaze after last night.
I was embarrassed. He knew the deeds I did with Luciano but he still stayed a brother to me. He gave a stern look and his eyes showed affection to which I decided to stay calm.
“ how do you know Elena ? “
Angelina asked to which my ears perked up. I wanted to know it too to make it clear that he was indeed in love with someone else.
“ oh I know, they share a very close bond. Right, Luciano “
Leonardo smirked as he looked at Luciano as if he knew something we did not. I did not want to hear anything further but before I could say anything, my mother looked at me.
“ Adeline. Would you mind drinking tea with me. I have something to talk about “
I looked at her as now the attention shifted to us. Everyone knew that we did not had a close bond. I looked at her without any emotion. I did not even feel anything, nothing.
“ I have work with Aurora “
I quickly looked at Aurora wanting her for help and she stood up, nodding her head.
“ actually. We have to plan things. “
I quickly stepped away from the table and I made my way towards the bedroom, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
My vision was blurry from tears I refused to let fall, and my heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of my anguish.
I pushed the door open with trembling hands, stepping into the dimly lit room that offered no solace from the storm raging inside me.
How dare Luciano do that to me!?
Behind me, Aurora followed closely, her steps hurried but hesitant.
“Adeline,”
She called softly, her voice laced with concern.
“Adeline, talk to me. What’s going on in your head? What are you thinking?”
I stopped in the middle of the room, my back to Aurora, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. For a moment, i said nothing, the silence stretching taut between us.
My mind was a whirlpool of emotions and hatred at the moment. Then, with a deep, shuddering sigh, I closed my eyes, and the first tear slipped down my cheek.
“I’m in pain, Aurora,”
I whispered, my voice cracking.
“It hurts so much.”
Aurora stepped closer, her face expressed the concern and pain.
“I know it does,”
she said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“But you have to talk to me. You can’t keep this all inside.”
I turned to face her, my face streaked with tears, my expression raw and vulnerable.
“How could he do this to me?”
I cried, my voice rising with every word.
“How could Luciano use me like that… and then marry someone else? How could he stand there and look at me as if I’m nothing?”
Aurora moved to embrace me, but I pulled away, my pain bubbling over into frustration and despair.
I took a step back, shaking my head as my tears flowed freely.
“You don’t understand, Aurora. He wasn’t just someone to me. I loved him! I still do! ”
“Adeline, I know you did,”
Aurora said gently, trying to calm me.
“No, you don’t!”
I shouted, my voice cracking with the force of my emotions. I turned abruptly and grabbed the blankets from my bed, throwing them across the room.
“You don’t know what it’s like to love someone so much that it feels like you’re dying without them! I feel used. I feel dirty yet I can’t hate him! ”
I began to throw everything within reach—pillows, books, anything I could grab—as if destroying my surroundings could somehow ease the ache in my chest. My breaths came in short, ragged gasps, and my sobs echoed in the room.
Aurora stepped forward, catching my arms in a firm but gentle grip.
“Adeline, stop!”
she said, her voice steady but filled with compassion.
“This isn’t going to help. You need to breathe. Please, just breathe.”
But I shook my head violently, my tears blinding me.
“I love him, Aurora! I love him so much that it feels like I’m being torn apart. And he—he just… he just threw me away like I was nothing.”
My voice broke, and I collapsed to my knees, my strength finally giving out under the weight of my sorrow. Aurora knelt beside me, wrapping her arms around my trembling frame and pulling me close.
“I know it feels like the end of the world right now,”
Aurora said softly, stroking my hair.
“But you’re not alone in this. I’m here for you, and I’ll help you through it. You’re stronger than this pain, Adeline. I promise you are.”
I clung to my friend, my sobs gradually quieting into soft, broken whimpers. The room was a mess around us, a reflection of the chaos inside me. I was hurt. Too hurt to process any other emotion.
I wanted him. Only him.
My chest heaved as I pulled away from Aurora’s embrace, my eyes wild and distant. It was as if I was no longer in the same room, my thoughts spiraling into a dark abyss.
I turned abruptly, my movements frantic, and grabbed the heavy vase from the table near my bed. I was not in my senses. The pain of losing Luciano was too much.
“Adeline, stop!”
Aurora shouted, alarmed by the sudden shift in my demeanor.
But I didn’t listen.
With a cry of anguish, I hurled the vase at the ornate mirror across the room. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the space, jagged shards raining down onto the floor.
Aurora jumped at the outburst, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at me shocked.
\[ It was the first time Aurora had seen Adeline like this—so consumed by her pain, so utterly lost. \]
“Adeline, please,”
she said, her voice trembling.
“You’re scaring me. Just talk to me. We can get through this together.”
My breathing was ragged, my gaze fixed on the broken pieces of the mirror as if they called to me. My hands shook as I crouched down, picking up one of the sharp fragments.
Aurora’s eyes widened in horror.
“Adeline, no!”
She cried, stepping forward.
But I raised the shard, pressing its sharp edge against my wrist. Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head, my voice breaking.
“I can’t, Aurora. I can’t live like this. I can’t watch him love someone else. I don’t have that strength.”
“Adeline, stop it right now!”
Aurora’s voice was panicked as she reached out, desperate to pull the glass away from me.
But it was too late. With a trembling hand, I dragged the shard across my wrist, crimson blood spilling forth and dripping onto the floor.
“No!”
Aurora screamed, her voice echoing through the room. She rushed forward, catching me as I began to collapse, my body weak from the sudden loss of blood.
“Somebody help! Mom! Dad!”
Aurora’s voice broke as she cradled me in her arms, tears streaming down her own face.
My head lolled back, my pale face streaked with tears.
“I loved him,”
I whispered, my voice faint.
“Luciano… I loved him so much.”
Aurora was frantic, her hands shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding with a piece of fabric she grabbed from the bed.
“Stay with me, Adeline. Please. Don’t do this.”
Footsteps thundered down the hallway, and within seconds, the door burst open. Luciano stormed inside, his expression one of pure shock and horror as his eyes fell on my limp form and the blood pooling on the floor.
“Adeline!”
he shouted, rushing to my side. He dropped to his knees, his hands trembling as he gently cradled my face.
“What did you do? Why?”
My eyelids fluttered open, my gaze unfocused as I looked up at him. Tears welled in my eyes as a faint, broken smile graced my lips.
“Luciano…”
I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“You’re here…”
And then, as my body gave in to the overwhelming pain and blood loss, my eyes closed, darkness surrounded me and I went limp in his arms.
“Adeline!”
\[ Luciano roared, his voice filled with desperation. He pressed his hands to her wrist, trying to stem the bleeding as his eyes darted around the room, searching for help.
“Someone get a doctor! Now!”
Aurora, shaking and sobbing, bolted from the room to find help, her own cries echoing through the halls.
Luciano held Adeline close, his face pale as he whispered her name over and over, his voice breaking.
“Don’t you dare leave me,”
he murmured, his voice trembling.
“Not like this. I’m here now. Please, Adeline. Stay with me.”
The moments stretched into an eternity as he held her, her blood staining his hands and clothes. For the first time, Luciano’s stoic mask crumbled, revealing the fear and pain he’d buried deep within. \]