Chapter 1
Chapter One: A Past That Haunts
Luca De Santis stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of his sleek Rome office, the city stretching out beneath him like a living, breathing entity. He was on a conference call, negotiating high-stakes deals with the kind of precision and charm that had made him one of Italy’s most powerful CEOs. His voice was steady, cool, authoritative, as he discussed investment strategies for their upcoming New York expansion.
“I’ll fly out in July to oversee the investors personally,” Luca said, his tone resolute. “We’ll ensure everything runs smoothly.”
But suddenly, there was an awkward silence on the other end of the line. The pause was long enough that Luca frowned and demanded, “What’s going on? Why the silence?”
His second-in-command cleared his throat before answering, “It’s just... we thought you were getting married in July, sir.”
Luca laughed, but the sound was hollow. “Ah, right. The wedding. I’m already playing the part of the absent-minded husband, forgetting anniversaries before the wedding even happens.” His colleagues chuckled, the tension breaking, but a strange unease settled in Luca’s chest, even as he ended the call.
The weight of their words lingered. Marriage. Carlotta. Sweet, patient, perfect Carlotta Fiorentino, the woman he had once promised forever to, and now, after years of chaos, was finally about to marry. He was lucky to have her, and he knew it. The entire world seemed to agree. Carlotta was kind, understanding, and most importantly, she had been there for him when his world fell apart.
But that nagging feeling wouldn’t let go. Luca rubbed the back of his neck, pacing the polished floors of his office. Carlotta’s father was a major shareholder in De Santis Investment Bank, and their families had been close for as long as he could remember. Summers spent together, holidays shared in luxury villas — it had all seemed natural when they started dating in their twenties. Marriage had been the logical next step.
He had proposed, and she had gleefully accepted. The grand wedding was planned, the families had rejoiced, and life had felt perfect. But that was five years ago.
And what a fool he had been.
He shouldn’t have agreed to that long engagement. He should’ve put his foot down, married Carlotta immediately, and spared them both the misery that followed. He wouldn’t have been so easily tempted. Wouldn’t have let his entire life implode because of one stupid, reckless decision.
He could still remember it like it was yesterday. That summer, when everything changed.
The day Amber walked into his life. That fiery redhead, the American intern who was nothing more than a blip on the radar, someone meant to fetch coffee and sort papers. Yet the moment he saw her, something wild and primal overtook him. One glance at her had been enough to unravel everything he’d built with Carlotta.
It was like a punch to the gut. And instead of keeping his distance, like any sane man would, he had thrown away years of trust and loyalty for a few nights of passion with a woman who had no place in his life.
He had been an idiot. A reckless, selfish bastard. Luca clenched his fists as the memories surged—those stolen moments with Amber, the lies he told himself, the excuses he made. All for what? A few fleeting nights of lust?
And the cost? Carlotta’s heart, their engagement, and his dignity. All shattered because he had let his libido rule his decisions. He had betrayed the one woman who had always loved him, the one who had been his perfect match in every way. And for what? For Amber? A girl who had wormed her way into his life, seducing him with her fiery attitude and leaving him in ruins.
His jaw tightened as the bitter taste of regret filled his mouth. The aftermath had been catastrophic. Carlotta had been devastated, of course. Her heart broken, her future destroyed. His family had been furious. Carlotta's family even more so. It was a scandal that rocked the very foundation of both their worlds.
But his punishment had been swift. Amber had turned up pregnant.
He hadn’t needed a paternity test. He knew it was his. Of course, it was. Karma had a way of kicking him when he was down. His family had urged him not to marry her, not to ruin his life any further. But Luca had been a hard-headed idiot, believing he could make it work. Believing that marrying Amber was the responsible thing to do for their child.
What a joke.
They had barely made it to their one-year anniversary before Amber left him. She took Nico, their son, and fled back to the States. And just like that, his life was once again in shambles. She had served him divorce papers before he even had time to process what was happening. Amber had torn through his life like a hurricane, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.
Luca’s hand gripped the edge of his desk, the memory of that day still raw. The day she had taken his son—his blood—and ripped him from his life. He had missed Nico every single day since then, the ache of his absence a constant, gnawing pain. And he would never forgive Amber for that. She had stolen his son. His child was growing up without him because of her selfish, heartless decision.
She had ruined everything.
But through it all, through the darkest moments, Carlotta had been there. Even after he had shattered her heart, she had been the one to help him pick up the pieces of his life. Slowly, over time, they had found their way back to each other. It had taken years to rebuild what he had destroyed, but they had done it. Their relationship was stronger now, forged in the fire of his mistakes.
And this time, he wasn’t going to mess it up. Carlotta was the woman he should have married all those years ago. The woman he was meant to be with.
Their wedding was set for July, just two months away. A grand event that would bring together two of Italy’s most powerful families. He should have been thrilled, and yet... the ghosts of the past still lingered, haunting him when he least expected it.
“Sir, Ms. Fiorentino is here to see you,” his assistant’s voice came through the intercom, breaking his reverie.
Luca straightened, shaking off the dark thoughts. “Send her in,” he said, making sure his expression was calm, collected. Carlotta didn’t need to know the storm that had been raging in his mind.
The door opened, and Carlotta entered, radiant as always. Her beauty, her grace, was a balm to the chaos in his life. She smiled at him
“Oh, Luc, thank God you’re free,” Carlotta said with a sigh, flopping down on the plush couch in his office. “My mother has been driving me insane about the wedding guest list. She wants to invite everyone — and I mean everyone she’s ever met. Can you imagine what kind of circus that would be? I won’t even know half the people there.”
Luca smiled, shaking his head. “She’s your mother, Lottie. Besides, she loves you more than anyone.”
“Exactly! That’s why you should talk to her,” she said with a wink, her annoyance softened by a smile. “If both bride and groom are against it, surely she’ll have to listen.” He was just about to respond to Carlotta's playful plea when his phone buzzed on the desk. Normally, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought—any work call could wait, especially when his fiancée was in the room. But something made him glance down, his eyes automatically drawn to the screen.
And then his world narrowed, every sound in the room muffled, his breath stalling in his chest.
Amber.
Her name flashed across the screen like a warning, like a dark shadow from the past reaching into the present, reminding him of everything he’d worked so hard to forget. Luca stared at the phone, his pulse thudding in his ears. His heart, steady just moments ago, now slammed violently against his ribcage.
It had been three years. Three long, agonizing years of silence.
His hand hovered above the phone, hesitating. The air in the room suddenly felt thick, suffocating. He could feel the blood drain from his face, cold sweat forming at the back of his neck. He hadn’t heard from her since the day she’d ripped his life apart and disappeared, taking Nico with her. Not a word. Not a call. Not a sign of life except for the occasional formal email about custody visits, as clinical as a business transaction.
Yet here she was. After all this time, Amber was calling him. The ex-wife who had detonated his life, the woman who had walked away with his son, was now intruding on the carefully rebuilt walls he had erected around himself.
“Luc?” Carlotta’s voice floated in from the distance, but he barely registered it. His focus was completely consumed by the phone in his hand, the name glaring back at him.
His throat tightened as he slowly picked up the phone, his hand trembling slightly. He hated that she still had this effect on him, even after all these years. Hated that, despite everything, despite the loathing that simmered in his veins every time he thought about her, a part of him couldn’t shake the tension, the fear of what she might say.
He swallowed hard, his voice barely escaping his tightened throat. “Hello, Amber.”
The words felt heavy, thick with unspoken history. He spoke her name as if it were a curse, as if the very sound of it was poisonous. His mouth was dry, his body tensed, bracing for the impact of whatever chaos she was about to hurl into his life.