Chapter 12
I stretched my arm out across the sheets, fingers grazing the empty space beside me. Empty. Cold. The spot where Luca had been last night.Gone, like he was never there at all.
I sat up slowly, my body aching in places I didn't want to think about. The events of last night crashed into me all at once. The way he touched me, the way he took what he wanted. The way I gave in.
A foolish part of me had expected him to still be here when I woke up, but Luca Moretti didn't do soft mornings. He didn't even have the decency to hold me afterward.
A bitter taste of disappointment settled on my tongue as I pulled the sheets tighter around myself.
I should have known better. This wasn't some fairytale romance where we woke up tangled in each other's arms, where he pressed lazy kisses against my skin and whispered my name like it meant something.
He had taken what he wanted. Just like I had let him and now he was gone.
I exhaled sharply, pushing off the covers and grabbing the robe draped over the chair. The house was silent.
He really was gone.
I wandered through the halls pacing the same paths over and over. The morning stretched into afternoon and still there was no sign of him.
I tried to distract myself by flipping through a book, making a cup of tea but nothing held my attention. My thoughts kept circling back to him.
By late afternoon, I gave in.
I reached for my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen. I needed to call him. To ask where are you?
Wait.
I didn't even have his number.
My chest tightened. I was his wife and I had no way of reaching him.
It shouldn't have surprised me. He had never offered and I had never asked. I stared at the blank screen for a long moment before setting the phone back down.
By the time the sun had disappeared completely, exhaustion weighed heavy in my bones. I had spent hours waiting, wondering, and for what? He clearly didn't care enough to tell me where he was, so why should I care where he went?
I climbed into bed, telling myself I didn't care. That it didn't matter. That I wasn't waiting for him.
?????
The sound of the front door slamming jolted me awake.
My eyes flew open. The only source of light was the faint glow from the bedside lamp I had left on. The clock on the nightstand showed it was past midnight.
I sat up as heavy footsteps approached. The door creaked open and then he was there.
Luca stood in the doorway, shoulders tense, jaw tight, looking like he had been through hell and back. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing fresh bruises on his knuckles.
My stomach twisted.
"You're late." My voice came out quieter than I intended but the accusation was clear.
He huffed out a quiet, humorless laugh, stepping inside. "Didn't know I had a curfew."
The casual bite in his tone sent a flicker of irritation through me.
He wasn't even going to acknowledge that he had been gone for hours? That I had no idea where he was?
I ignored the bite in his tone, my gaze flickering to his hand. "You're hurt."
Luca glanced down at his knuckles. "It's nothing."
I watched as he turned away striding toward the bathroom. He stripped off his shirt, the fabric falling carelessly to the floor. The muscles in his back flexed, tension coiling in every sharp line of his body.He stepped to the sink, running his bruised knuckles under the water like it was nothing.
I pushed off the bed, irritation curling in my chest as I followed him.
The bright bathroom light made the bruises on his knuckles more visible. He didn't flinch as the water ran over his skin but his shoulders remained rigid.
I grabbed the first aid kit from the cabinet and set it on the counter beside him.
Luca glanced at it, then at me. "I don't need that."
I ignored him, pulling out the antiseptic and some cotton.
When I reached for his hand, he didn't stop me. Didn't move. Just let me take it, my fingers wrapping around his wrist as I started cleaning the wounds.
The moment the antiseptic touched his skin, he hissed through his teeth, his hand twitching in my grip. "Damn it, Alessa."
"Hold still." My voice was sharp.
Luca exhaled harshly but didn't pull away.
"You didn't tell me where you were."I asked, dabbing at the dried blood.My voice was quieter now, more controlled.
"You need me to report to you now?" He looked up at me.
I narrowed my eyes. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you are getting." He answered.
I pressed the cotton a little harder than necessary and he cursed under his breath.
"You don't get to just disappear all day, come back like this and expect me to act like it's normal."
His jaw clenched. "That's exactly what I expect.If I'm gone, I'm gone. That's all you need to know."
I threw the used cotton into the bin, reaching for more. "You are unbelievable."
Luca let out a sharp breath, his patience visibly fraying. "I have things to handle, Alessa. I can't play the fucking doting husband you want just because we fucked last night."
The words hit like a slap.
For a second, I just stared at him.Then I threw the cotton ball straight at his chest.
"Then take care of yourself" I snapped. "Because clearly, I don't want play the role of a doting wife either."
I turned on my heel, storming toward the door.
Luca's voice followed me, rough and taunting. "Where the fuck do you think you are going?"
I didn't answer. I didn't even look back. But just as I reached the hallway, his voice cut through the space.
"Just to let you know" he called out. He let the pause stretch as if savoring the moment before delivering the final blow. "I used to fuck in those two spare bedrooms."
My stomach twisted.
I made it to the nearest bedroom, shoving the door open and stepping inside. The moment it clicked shut, my composure cracked.
I pressed my back against the door, inhaling sharply.
I didn't even look at the bed. Didn't want to imagine anyone else in it. Didn't want to picture Luca with someone else.
Instead, I walked to the couch in the corner and sank down, pulling my knees to my chest. My arms wrapped around them, fingers digging into the soft fabric of my nightgown as I willed my pulse to slow.