Chapter 109
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Chapter 25
The drive should have taken only forty–five minutes, but it felt like eternity. The rain lashed against the windshield in thick sheets, obscuring everything beyond a few feet. Thunder rolled through the sky, deafening, as if the heavens themselves were roaring in fury. It had been relentless for hours, a storm that showed no signs of stopping. Luca had gripped the steering wheel tighter, his heart pounding with the same
frantic rhythm as the rain.
When he finally neared the area, it was clear something was wrong. The road was strewn with debris–broken branches, broken umbrellas, uprooted by the violent winds. He cursed under his breath as he swerved around them, tires skidding on the slick roads. Then, just as he was a few miles from the casa, he saw it–a massive tree had fallen across the road, forcing him to take a detour, adding even more time to his
already delayed arrival.
By the time he pulled up to the house, the rain was still pounding, and the power had been cut off. Darkness swallowed the estate whole, save for the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the silhouette of the trees against the night sky. His gut twisted as he pushed open the door, the air thick with the scent of rain and the eerie silence of an empty house.
“Amber?” Luca’s voice rang out, but there was no answer. The silence that followed was suffocating.
Instead, it was Gabriella who emerged from the kitchen, a single candle flickering in her hands, casting long shadows on the walls. “Senor, Ms. Amber is in her room, I think,” she said quietly, her voice tense. “I called to her, but she didn’t answer. I think something is wrong.”
His pulse quickened, his heart a wild drumbeat in his chest. Without waiting to hear more, Luca dashed up the stairs, his mind racing with Nico’s words from earlier: “Mummy hides under the bed or in the cupboard when she’s scared. The thought of Amber cowering, terrified and alone, twisted something deep inside him.
He reached her door and knocked hard. “Amber!” His voice was louder now more insistent. But there was only silence.
“Amber, I’m coming in,” he announced, pushing open the door.
The room was pitch black, the heavy drapes drawn tight, blocking out any trace of light. He squinted into the darkness, trying to make out her form. The bed was a mess, pillows and blankets thrown haphazardly, but Amber was nowhere to be seen.
Panic started to creep in. “Amber? Carissima, where are you?” His voice cracked with urgency.
Luca’s heart clenched as the image of Amber, hiding like a frightened child, filled his mind. He dropped to his knees, peering under the bed, but it was empty. He tore open the wardrobe doors–nothing.
And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her.
Amber was curled up in the farthest corner of her walk–in wardrobe, wedged beneath the large wooden shutters. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around them tightly, as though she was trying to make herself disappear. Her body trembled violently, small tremors that wracked her frame. She was shaking uncontrollably, her face buried in her arms, her long hair tangled and damp from sweat.
Luca’s heart shattered at the sight of her. She wasn’t just scared–she was terrified, paralyzed with fear.
“Dear God,” he whispered, his voice breaking. He had never known she suffered like this.
He knelt beside her, gently touching her shoulder. “Amber, carissima, it’s me,” he murmured softly, his fingers brushing the hair out of her face.
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09:15 Mon, Feb 9 0
Chapter 109
And then, she stirred, her head lifting slightly. “Luca?” The way she said it nearly undid him.
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“Yes, it’s me. I’m here.” His voice cracked, and before he could say anything more, Amber’s arms shot out, wrapping around his neck in a desperate, almost panicked grip. Her body collapsed into his, trembling wontrollably as she buried her face in his chest.
Luca held her tightly, his arms wrapping around her protectively. Her small, fragile frame trembled against him, and he could feel her shivers as they coursed through her body. It was as if she was trying to hold herself together, but barely managing, And Luca… Luca didn’t know what to do except hold her, as if his embrace could somehow shield her from the storm raging both outside and inside her mind.
And then suddenly, after three long years, as he kneeled there in the dark closet…..he asked himself the question, he had stopped asking himself long back.
Where had it all gone so wrong? How had they ended up here, broken and torn apart, with a chasm between them that felt too wide to ever
cross?
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
