Chapter 4
Nico, exhausted and overwhelmed, whimpered softly before surrendering to the exhaustion that had been chasing him for hours. His eyelids fluttered shut, his breathing slowing as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.
“Go home, Mummy,” Nico whispered one last time, his words barely audible as his small body relaxed in her arms, finally succumbing to the weariness of the day.
Amber exhaled deeply, relieved that Nico had found some peace, but the tension with Luca still hung in the air, thick and suffocating. She gave Luca a pointed look, her eyes pleading with him to drop the argument. Nico needed peace right now, not more hostility. For once, Luca seemed to understand. He didn’t push further, didn’t try to argue. Instead, he straightened up, his jaw tight as he nodded silently.
“I’ll take care of the luggage,” Luca said flatly, his voice devoid of any emotion as he hoisted their suitcases off the ground with ease, as though carrying all their physical baggage was nothing compared to the emotional weight hanging between them.
Amber followed him through the terminal, the heavy silence between them broken only by the shuffle of their footsteps. Nico’s small body was still nestled against her chest, his quiet breathing the only comfort Amber could cling to as they walked toward the exit.
As they stepped outside, the cool night air washed over Amber’s face, a small reprieve from the heat and tension that had been suffocating her inside the airport. The sky above was dark, stars hidden behind a blanket of thick clouds, and the scent of the Mediterranean sea breeze lingered faintly in the air. Despite the peacefulness of the night, Amber’s nerves were frayed, and the tension in her shoulders refused to ease.
Luca pointed toward a sleek black car parked nearby, its headlights cutting through the darkness. A driver stood waiting beside it, holding open the back door, ready to take them wherever Luca commanded.
“My driver is waiting,” Luca said, his voice stiff, as though the words were mechanical, devoid of the warmth they once held for her.
“We’re booked at a nearby hotel,” Amber began, her voice laced with exhaustion. The last thing she wanted was more confrontation, but she needed her own space after the draining day. She needed to rest, to process everything before facing Luca’s world again.
But Luca cut her off, his tone sharp and authoritative. “Forget the hotel. You and Nico are staying with me. At the casa.”
Amber stopped in her tracks, the weight of his words hanging heavily between them. Of course, Luca would try to take control, like he always did. He hadn’t changed. His commands, his need to dictate every aspect of her life, were still as infuriating as ever. Her jaw tightened, but she wasn’t his wife anymore. She didn’t have to follow his rules.
“No,” she said firmly, her voice filled with a quiet strength. “We’re staying at the hotel I booked.”
Luca stopped walking and turned to face her, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. His eyes were dark, narrowing with frustration, and for a moment, she thought he might lash out again. But he didn’t. Instead, his expression shifted into something more calculating, as though he was weighing his options, considering how far he could push before she would push back.
“Fine,” he said, his voice cold and clipped. “I’ll have my driver drop you off at the hotel.”
Amber opened her mouth to thank him, but the next words out of his mouth made her blood run cold.
“But Nico comes with me.”
Her stomach twisted into knots as she processed what he was saying. He was using Nico as leverage. Again. She could feel her anger bubbling beneath the surface, but she swallowed it down, knowing that fighting him would only make things worse. Deep down, she knew Luca had a point. If she wanted Nico to bond with his father, she couldn’t keep him at a distance. But that didn’t make this any easier.
“Fine,” she muttered, the bitterness rising in her throat like bile. She would play his game, for Nico’s sake. “But what about Carlotta? Won’t she object?”
The mention of his fiancée’s name was like a trigger, snapping something inside Luca. His face hardened instantly, and the cold, distant man who had spoken with barely restrained anger moments ago transformed into something much more dangerous. His eyes flashed with a fury she hadn’t seen in a long time, and his voice was like ice when he spoke.
“That’s none of your business,” he spat, the venom in his words cutting through the air between them. “Stay out of mine and Carlotta’s life.”
Amber swallowed her retort, her hands tightening around Nico as she followed Luca into the night.She should have seen that coming.
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