Chapter 2
Luca’s office felt too small, too confined, as though the walls were closing in on him. He stood near the large window overlooking Rome’s sprawling cityscape, his heart still hammering in his chest. The anger surged, a pulse of raw, burning emotion that he couldn't control. He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, trying to hold onto any scrap of composure. It wasn’t working.
“I can’t believe she had the nerve to call me like this—*out of nowhere*—and just announce that she’s coming to Italy,” Luca spat out, pacing furiously across his office like a caged animal. “I’m damn sure she has something planned. I know it!”
Carlotta sat quietly on the couch, watching him with that same calm, steady gaze she always had. “Luca, please calm down.”
“*Calm down*?” he nearly shouted, spinning to face her. “Why else would she come here, after three long years, bringing *my son* with her? She’s not here for a vacation, that much I know!” His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white from the pressure.
Carlotta called out to him again, her voice soft and soothing, but it didn’t cut through the whirlwind in his head. Luca couldn’t stop pacing, his mind racing through a thousand possibilities. *She must have seen the news of our wedding. That must be it! She’s trying to ruin my life again, trying to wreck everything, just like she did the first time.*
Before he realized what he was doing, his hand swiped across the desk, knocking the glass of water from Carlotta’s outstretched hand. The glass hit the floor with a loud crash, shattering into pieces that scattered across the office floor. Water seeped into the expensive carpet, spreading like the mess Amber had made of his life.
“Oh, Luc, I’m so sorry—” Carlotta’s voice was a worried murmur as she crouched to pick up the shards, but Luca immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him.
“No!” He dropped down beside her, his heart twisting with remorse. “No, *I’m* sorry, Lottie. I didn’t mean to—God, I’m so sorry.”
The guilt that gripped him now felt heavier than the anger. Here she was, the woman he had wronged all those years ago, still standing by him, trying to calm *him* down. And he, once again, was too wrapped up in his own emotions to notice how this news must be affecting *her.* Amber’s sudden return had thrown him into such turmoil that he hadn't even thought to check in on what Carlotta might be feeling.
She should be furious—he wouldn’t have blamed her if she was—but instead, she was the one trying to soothe *him.*
Carlotta looked up, her serene smile never wavering. “Luc, it’s alright. I know this must be difficult for you. But I believe you. I know Amber can’t come between us anymore.”
Luca felt his throat tighten at her words. He didn’t deserve her faith, not after everything he’d done, but the thought of losing her again twisted something deep inside him. “I swear, Lottie,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with conviction. “Amber will never come between us again. I’ll make sure of it.”
Carlotta nodded, her hand resting lightly on his arm. “I know that. And I believe you.” She paused, as if considering her next words carefully. “But… did she say why she was coming to Italy? Why now, so close to our wedding?”
Luca let out a long, frustrated breath, his mind still racing. “No, nothing concrete. Just some vague excuse about bringing Nico for a vacation.” The words felt bitter in his mouth. “I don’t trust her, Lottie. I know she’s up to something.”
Carlotta gently kicked away a large piece of glass with her foot and moved closer to him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder, her calmness anchoring him in the storm that was brewing inside. “Never mind why she’s here, Luc. Think about it—Nico will be able to attend our wedding. Wouldn’t that make you happy?”
The mention of Nico—their son—sent another painful jolt through his chest. His heart ached with the thought of his boy, the child he barely knew. The child that Amber had taken from him.
*Nico*, he repeated silently to himself, as though trying to grasp at the fragments of his relationship with his son. He could hardly remember the last time he had seen him. It had been months—eight months, to be exact, since that last pitiful, brief visit. They had spent an hour and a half in a crowded McDonald’s, with Amber hovering nearby, watching him like a hawk. That was the only memory he had of his son in nearly a year. The boy barely knew him, didn’t even recognize him as his father. And that was Amber’s fault.
She had stolen Nico from him, taken him back to the States, and left Luca with nothing but a gaping hole in his heart.
But now… *now she was bringing him back.* Nico would be here, in Italy, and Luca’s pulse quickened with the sudden, painful realization. He would finally see his son again. Finally, after all this time.
“Yes,” Luca said quietly, the anger beginning to ebb just a little. “I’d be glad if Nico stayed for our wedding.” It would mean everything to him, even if it was a bittersweet victory.
Carlotta smiled softly, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be wonderful, Luc. Having your son here for such a special day.”
They chatted for a few minutes more, Carlotta doing her best to soothe his frayed nerves. When she finally left, Luca’s office felt unbearably quiet. His assistant came in with a cleaning crew, sweeping away the shattered glass and mopping up the spilled water. Luca sat in his chair, watching as the pieces were cleared away, one by one, his mind drifting elsewhere.
Despite Carlotta’s attempts to calm him, there was still one thing that nagged at him, gnawing at the back of his mind like a relentless itch.
*Why?*
Why now? Why, after three years of silence, had Amber suddenly decided to bring Nico back to Italy? Why now, so close to the wedding? Luca wasn’t stupid. He knew Amber better than most. She didn’t make decisions like this on a whim. There had to be a reason, something more than the flimsy excuse she had given him.
Luca stared at the floor, the pieces of broken glass gone but the mess still lingering in his mind.
*What are you up to, Amber?*