42
Waking up in Luca's arms felt like safety itself.
His warmth surrounded me, his steady breaths soothing the chaos that had been swirling in my head for years.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was carrying my burdens alone.
I had said it out loud—my darkest secret—and he didn't leave. He didn't flinch.
He was still here.
I turned in his embrace to look up at him. Even in sleep, Luca looked powerful—his jaw sharp, his dark lashes brushing his cheekbones. His arm was draped over my waist possessively, as if even in his dreams he was protecting me.
For a moment, I let myself just be. No thoughts of the past, no fears for the future. Just this moment.
But peace has a way of slipping through your fingers when you least expect it.
I was curled up on the sofa later that morning, looking at the view from Luca's rooftop, wearing one of his shirts that hung loosely on me. He had disappeared into his study for a bit, promising to be back soon.
I was flipping absentmindedly through a magazine when his phone, left on the coffee table, buzzed with a message. I wouldn't have paid it any attention, except the screen lit up with a name I didn't recognize
The message previewed beneath it caught my eye: "It's done. He won't bother anyone again."
Curiosity mixed with unease, and before I could stop myself, I unlocked the phone with the code I'd seen him use a hundred times.
The full message stared back at me: "It's done. Sam won't bother anyone again. Guards confirmed it this morning—died in a fight."
My heart stopped.
Sam.
I read the message again, my hands trembling. My pulse roared in my ears as I pieced it together. Luca had done something. He had to have done something.
When he returned to the living room a moment later, the phone was still clutched in my hand, my wide eyes staring up at him. He stopped in his tracks, his expression unreadable as he noticed the unlocked screen.
"You saw," he said simply.
"Luca..." My voice was barely a whisper. "What did you do?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he came to sit beside me. "I took care of it, Lenora. He's gone. He'll never hurt you again."
"You..." I struggled to find the words. "What does that mean? What did you do?"
His gaze was steady, unwavering. "After you told me about him weeks ago, I had him tracked down. My men brought him here and I taught him a lesson—got him arrested. I made sure the charges stuck. But..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "I couldn't just leave it at that."
My stomach twisted. "You had him killed?"
"He deserved worse," Luca said coldly, his voice laced with fury. "He stole so much from you. He broke you, hurt you, and I wasn't going to let him live a second longer than he deserved."
I stared at him, my emotions a tangled mess. Shock. Relief. Grief. Gratitude.
"I had connections in the prison," he continued, his tone dark. "The guards looked the other way, and... let's just say justice was served."
I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to feel. My hands trembled as tears filled my eyes.
"Lenora," Luca said softly, his voice losing its edge. He reached for me, his hand brushing my cheek. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you're safe now. He can never hurt you again."
The tears spilled over, and before I knew it, I was sobbing. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly as I broke down.
"It's over," he whispered, his lips against my hair. "You don't have to carry that weight anymore."
I clung to him, my fingers digging into his shirt as I cried. Part of me was horrified by what he'd done, but a much larger part of me was... relieved. Sam was gone. Truly gone.
"You did this for me," I whispered through my tears.
"I'd do anything for you," he said without hesitation.
I pulled back slightly to look at him, my tears still streaming. "But what does that say about me? That I'm... relieved he's dead?"
"It says you're human," Luca said gently, his thumb wiping away my tears. "It says you've been through hell, and now you can finally breathe again."
His words broke something inside me, and I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. The kiss was messy, desperate, filled with every emotion I couldn't put into words.
"I don't deserve you," I whispered against his lips.
"You deserve the world," he replied, his voice hoarse.
Later, as I lay tangled in the sheets with him, my head resting on his chest, I felt lighter than I had in years. The weight of Sam's memory was still there, but it no longer felt as crushing.
"Thank you," I murmured, tracing circles on Luca's chest.
"For what?"
"For loving me," I said softly. "For protecting me."
He tilted my chin up to look at him. "Always, angel. Always."