chapter 9
RUHI POV
"So, your examination has end and the summer vacation will start from tomorrow, I hope you enjoy your vacation and do the homework" I said gathering up my things . The students have done given their examination and their summer vacation will start from tomorrow.
It's means some rest for me too.
I step out of the classroom and walk towards the staffroom, where a few other teachers were already sitting, talking about vacation plans and finishing their files. I gave them a polite smile and sat at my usual desk, arranging the answer sheets neatly before submitting them.
"Ruhi ma'am, any plans for vacation?" Mrs. Nanda asked with a warm smile.
"Not really. Just... rest," I replied with a soft chuckle.
As I walked out of the staffroom, I noticed Kartik standing near the corridor, pretending to scroll on his phone. But the way his eyes lifted the moment he spotted me-it was obvious he was waiting.
"Ruhi..." he said, walking beside me, "Just a minute... please."
I took a slow breath and stopped. "Kartik, I've told you before. Please don't make this awkward."
"I know, I just..." he looked down, searching for words. "I was hoping we could still be friends."
I nodded slightly, offering him a faint smile. "We are Kartik ,Nothing more .
I walked away before the conversation stretched longer, stepping out of the school gate and then froze.
There he was.
Lorenzo.
Leaning against his black car in a charcoal shirt with sleeves rolled up, sunglasses pushed into his hair. His intense eyes softened the second he saw me. A small smirk curved his lips as he straightened and walked towards me like some cinematic moment pulled right out of a romantic movie.
My heart did that stupid thing again skipped a beat.
"Ready to go, amore?" he asked, voice low, teasing.
I blinked, trying not to smile too wide. But before I could answer, I heard a voice from behind.
"Ruhi? Who's that?" one of the teachers asked, followed by another, "He's quite handsome! Are you two...?"
I turned, cheeks already turning red. "Uh... he's my-uh..."
"Are you married?" Mrs. Sharma asked bluntly, eyeing the way Lorenzo casually slid his arm around my waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I swallow hard, knowing I have to lie again.
"Y-yes" the lie slip from my tongue I saw the teachers eyes widen behind them standing there kartik his eyes widen his face pale .
I looked away, avoiding Kartik's gaze, pretending I didn't see the way his expression crumbled for a moment. The other teachers whispered among themselves, a mix of surprise and curiosity in their eyes.
Lorenzo, of course, didn't miss a beat. His arm stayed firmly around my waist as he leaned in and kissed my temple-like he'd done it a thousand times before. Like it was real.
"You didn't tell me your staff was this nosy, amore," he whispered into my ear, lips brushing against my skin just enough to make my stomach flip.
I elbowed him lightly, whispering back, "You're not helping."
He chuckled, low and rich, before looking at the teachers with a polite smile. "I'm Lorenzo. Her husband."
The word sent a shiver through me, even though I'd said it first. Husband.
The teachers, now entirely convinced, nodded with wide eyes.
"Oh, Ruhi, you should've told us!" Mrs. Nanda smiled, clearly delighted. "Such a handsome husband. You're a lucky girl."
I forced a smile and nodded, trying to act as natural as possible. "It all happened... suddenly. We wanted to keep it private."
Kartik still hadn't moved. He stood frozen, his jaw clenched, eyes flickering between Lorenzo and me. I didn't dare look too long.
"Shall we?" Lorenzo asked, opening the passenger door for me.
I gave the teachers a final tight-lipped smile and stepped into the car, my heart racing.
As soon as he slid into the driver's seat and we drove away, I let out a shaky breath.
"Well," Lorenzo said, glancing at me with amusement, "That was fun. I didn't expect to meet your whole staff today."
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Why were you waiting at the gate? They all saw!"
"Exactly why I waited there," he smirked. "I wanted them to know you're mine."
I shot him a glare, though my heart fluttered at his words. "You made everything so much more complicated."
He shrugged, reaching out to hold my hand. "Then I'll fix it. Starting tonight."
"Tonight?"
He smiled, eyes back on the road. "We're going somewhere. A surprise."
I narrowed my eyes. "I don't like surprises."
"You'll like this one," he said confidently, giving my hand a squeeze. "Trust me."
And somehow... I did.
LORENZO POV
I'm nervous, i don't even know if she will like it or not, but yesterday night when she was sleeping I saw her laptop open and when I peek at the screen I saw her watching the video of ice creams.
That's when I know she likes ice cream but which flavour? Ugh! I'm such an idiot first i forgot everything..and her and now I can't even remember her favourite flavour.
So in the morning, I stood in front of the giant glass freezer of the ice cream parlour like a man on a mission... or a fool in love.
Probably both.
Rows and rows of colorful tubs stared back at me, and for the first time in years, I felt utterly clueless. Chocolate chip, strawberry swirl, mango delight, butterscotch, mint choco-chip, blueberry cheesecake, classic vanilla how the hell was I supposed to know which one was her favorite?
All I knew was that last night, she'd fallen asleep with her laptop still open, a half-played YouTube video titled "Top 10 Ice Cream Flavours You Must Try This Summer" on the screen. I didn't even wake her up. I just closed the lid gently and sat beside her for a while, watching her breathe.
Soft. Peaceful. Mine.
And that was enough of a sign for me.
So now here I was, 3:15 PM, fifteen minutes before I had to pick her up from school, standing like a lovesick idiot in front of a teenager scooping gelatos.
"I'll take... all of them," I muttered.
The guy blinked. "All... all of them?"
"Yeah. One scoop of every flavor. Pack them properly. Don't mix," I said, pulling out my wallet.
The guy blinked again, probably wondering if I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. But I didn't care. I just didn't want to mess up. If I couldn't remember what her favorite flavor was... then I'd get them all. One of them had to be the right one.
By the time I loaded the giant insulated bag into my car's backseat, I was already mentally preparing the next step.
RUHI POV
By the time we reached home, I could tell something was off.
Lorenzo had that look again. That strange mix of nerves and mischief that he wore every time he was hiding something from me. I noticed the insulated bag in the backseat but decided not to comment, thinking it might be one of his spontaneous ideas again.
He parked the car but didn't get out right away. Just looked at me with that unreadable expression, his fingers tapping the steering wheel.
"Come," he said finally, unbuckling his seatbelt and hurrying around to open the door for me.
I stepped out slowly, watching as he grabbed the mysterious bag and locked the car. His hand found mine as he guided me inside not to the living room like usual, but toward the stairwell.
"The terrace?" I asked, confused.
He just smiled, eyes twinkling. "You'll see."
We walked up together, the warm afternoon breeze brushing against my cheeks, and when he pushed the terrace door open.
I stopped breathing for a second.
The rooftop had been transformed.
A soft rug spread out across the cement floor, with lanterns casting a warm, golden glow despite the sun still lingering in the sky.
There were fairy lights crisscrossed on the railing, swaying gently in the wind.
A low table sat at the center, and on it-two plates, a small stack of napkins, and a delicate vase with a single white rose.
But the thing that made my heart stop completely?
The ice cream.
A huge insulated box stood beside the table, lid flipped open to reveal at least a dozen little tubs of colorful ice cream. Neatly arranged. Labeled.
I turned to look at him, but Lorenzo was already watching me.
"You... did this?"
He nodded, a little sheepish. "You were watching ice cream videos last night. I figured you were craving it. I just... didn't know which one you liked."
My chest tightened.
"So... you got all of them?" I said, voice barely a whisper.
He scratched the back of his neck. "I panicked. What if I picked the wrong one?"
God.
This man.
I blinked rapidly, trying not to let my emotions spill out too fast. "You didn't have to do all this."
"I wanted to." His voice dropped. "You've done so much for me. Even when I didn't deserve it."
Back at Italy the de Romano Mansion was on fire , The usual calm order of the estate was shattered by the heavy footsteps of guards scrambling across the polished floors, rapid Italian echoing through hallways, and phones ringing endlessly.
Every servant and soldier looked over their shoulder-tense, alert, afraid.
Because when Don Emilio De Romano was angry, the air itself seemed to hold its breath.
And today... he was livid.
Inside the grand study, built of mahogany and leather and tradition, Don Emilio stood by the wide window, his hands clasped behind his back, sharp eyes scanning the horizon even though he knew Lorenzo wasn't out there.
His voice, cold and sharp, cut through the tension. "How can my own blood go missing in India, and no one has a damn clue?"
Elia, his most trusted consigliere, stood a few feet away, sweat glistening on his forehead despite the cool air.
"Don, we are trying. The last update was that Lorenzo arrived in Mumbai for the meeting with Mr. Mehta. They were supposed to sign the export deal by 7 PM. But after that nothing. His driver found the car parked near the hotel. No sign of Lorenzo inside."
Don Emilio's knuckles turned white.
"Did you check the CCTV?"
"Yes, Don. The footage shows him entering the hotel's lounge. He sat with Mr. Mehta, had one drink... and then everything cuts. The footage was wiped clean after 7:20 PM."
"Wiped?" Emilio turned, slowly, like a predator about to strike. "Do you mean to tell me this was planned?"
Elia nodded once, stiffly. "That's what it looks like. We believe Mr. Mehta drugged him. Maybe to negotiate under the influence... maybe something worse. But Lorenzo never left the hotel. At least, not through the front door."
The silence that followed was colder than death.
Don Emilio moved to his desk and pressed a button beneath it. Within seconds, two armed men entered.
"Mobilize the Indian team. I want every Mehta business, every warehouse, every contact watched. If Mr. Mehta even breathes, I want to know about it."
"Yes, Don."
He turned to Elia. "And you... send someone I trust to India. I want my grandson back. Whether he's breathing or not."
Elia hesitated.
"Don... what if Lorenzo-"
"He is not dead." Don Emilio growled.
"I would feel it. If my blood had spilled-I would know."
But deep down, a quiet fear gnawed at his chest. Lorenzo wasn't just the heir. He was the last connection to his only son. If something had happened to him...
No.
He shook it off.
"Find him. Before I burn every corner of India down to ashes."
RUHI POV
I didn't know the man I brought home.
All I knew was that he'd collapsed in an alley near the main road, bruised and bleeding, barely conscious.
That was a month ago.
A month since I took him in. Since the doctors confirmed the head injury had caused partial amnesia. He remembered some things languages, habits, reflexes but not his identity. Not where he came from. Not even his name, until I called him Lorenzo.
He had latched onto me with a quiet desperation, calling me "wife" the moment he woke up in the hospital bed. And in his broken, vulnerable state I couldn't break that illusion.
He looked at me like I was his entire world.
And now, as I sat across from him on the terrace while he offered me one melting tub of ice cream after another, I felt that world start to slip out of my grasp.
Because I knew somewhere, someone would come looking for him.
The question was... what would happen when they found him?
Would he still look at me the way he did now?
Would he remember how I saved him?
Or would he walk away like I was just a shadow from a time he'd forgotten?
I didn't know.
But for tonight... I let myself pretend. That this life this lie was enough.
(Hey sweeties! Do you like this chapter? If yes then drop your vote and comment down your favourite lines, part or any moment) ????