Chapter 65 OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS
••Luciana••
Christmas came earlier than I expected.
I had spent the last two weeks with Roman, attending events together, accompanying him to elegant dinners with families close to the Orlovs. The days moved quickly, almost unfairly so, blending into one another until I barely noticed time passing. One moment it was early December, and the next, Christmas morning was already here.
Mildred had explained everything to me beforehand, carefully walking me through how Christmas was always celebrated in the Orlov household. Gifts were shared early in the morning before breakfast, followed by preparations in the grand hall where everyone worked together setting up decorations, arranging food, and organizing the evening Christmas party. According to her, the celebration lasted the entire day, filled with laughter, music, and guests arriving one after another.
Knowing myself, I realized there was no way I would comfortably give Roman his presents in front of his entire family. I would become shy, and definitely embarrassed. So when we woke up that morning, I decided to give him his gifts privately before we went downstairs for breakfast.
"Don't laugh at me," I said as I brought out the boxes from my drawer.
"What are these?" Roman asked, sitting on the bed facing me.
It is important to mention that he was shirtless. Something that had now become his habit ever since the day he confessed his feelings to me. He walked around comfortably without anything covering his upper body, completely unbothered by my reactions. He had also become more touchy lately, insisting I sleep in his arms every night, his bare chest warm against my back.
Not that it wasn’t nice. It actually felt safe sometimes. Still, I had told him I needed more time, and he should have respected those boundaries. I eventually came to the conclusion that his ego simply refused to accept rejection, and he was pretending I hadn’t asked for more time at all.
"Presents. Christmas presents," I answered.
I handed him the first box. He opened it slowly, already smiling before he even saw what was inside. It was a small black box tied with a red ribbon, and inside rested a silver wristwatch.
"Though you already have a full collection of wristwatches, I just wanted you to have one from me," I said.
"Thank you, Luci," he replied warmly.
"It's engraved at the back," I added.
He turned the watch over and stared at the engraving. His eyes softened immediately when he saw the numbers.
I had engraved the date of our wedding on it.
"Just so you don’t forget," I said lightly.
"I cannot forget," he said quietly, "but I love this."
His voice carried sincerity that made my chest tighten.
"So… to the next," I said, handing him the second box, which was longer than the first.
Inside was a leather journal, dark brown and smooth, with his initials embossed neatly at the bottom right corner: R.M. Orlov.
He unwrapped it carefully and ran his fingers over the initials as if memorizing the texture. He looked up at me afterward, smiling softly, and for once Roman Orlov seemed completely at a loss for words.
"And lastly…" I said, giving him the final gift.
"There's still more?" he asked, amused.
This one required more unwrapping since it wasn’t inside a proper gift box. When the paper finally came off, a framed photograph appeared. It was a picture of us from the day we went skating together. A photographer had handed me the photo when Roman stepped away to answer a phone call that day, and I had kept it hidden ever since.
"I didn’t know we had a picture from that day," he said, surprised.
"That’s why it’s a surprise," I replied, smiling.
He immediately pulled me into a hug and kissed my hair. "Thank you, Luciana."
I knew he genuinely appreciated it. His hand moved gently through my hair while I wrapped my arms around his waist. We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the moment, until he suddenly spoke again.
"Fuck… what are you doing to me?" he murmured.
I smiled softly. "Just admit you’re getting soft."
"Only for you, Princess," he said.
"Am I not getting a gift?" I asked, still resting against him.
"Of course you are," he replied.
I smiled happily. Roman always gave thoughtful gifts, even though he hadn’t really been gifting me much before. Now, however, we had the rest of our marriage to make up for lost time.
He opened his drawer and brought out a small white box. "I hope you are ready now," he said.
Ready for the gift… or ready for something else? I wondered.
He opened the box and turned it toward me. Inside lay a shining gold ring with a gemstone shaped like a delicate heart.
My hand flew to my mouth as my eyes widened in shock.
He spoke gently. "You don’t always wear a ring unless we have an event. So I wanted to get you one myself, because our wedding ring wasn’t chosen by me. I hope this one becomes special to you."
"Roman, I…" I tried to speak, but emotion blocked my words.
"You deserve so much more Luci." He said softly.
"Thank you." I muttered audible enough for him to hear.
"I truly care about you, Luci," he continued softly. "I want to do right by you now. Please give me another chance."
My eyes filled with tears, overwhelmed by everything I was feeling. The sincerity in his gaze left no room for doubt. In that moment, I realized something inside me had shifted.
The time was now.
I nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Roman. Yes… let’s do this again."
His smile appeared slowly, almost relieved. He took my hand, kissed my palm, and slid the ring onto my pinky finger with careful tenderness. Instinctively, I did the same for him, sealing the moment between us without needing more words.
He pulled me into another tight hug, holding me as though he never wanted to let go. After a moment, he pulled back slightly.
"You have another present," he said.
I didn’t know what else he could possibly give me. My heart already felt too full, almost unable to contain the emotions swirling inside me.
When he picked up his phone, curiosity filled my mind. I watched him dial a number, wondering what he was planning.
"Hello, Signor," a husky voice answered from the other end.
"Schedule a flight to Sicily for this afternoon," Roman said calmly.
"Yes, Signor," the man replied before ending the call.
I stared at Roman, my thoughts racing.
Was it what I thought it was?
“That’s your gift,” he said.
I continued staring at him, barely breathing.
“You’re going home for Christmas.”