Chapter 115
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Chapter 30
Carlotta’s eyes fixed on him, cool and unwavering, though her voice trembled slightly. “When your marriage broke down, you said you wouldn’t fight for custody, Laica,” she said, each word carrying a weight he hadn’t ticed before. “You said you would let him stay with his mother
Her tone wasn’t hostile, but there was a distance in it that made Luca’s chest ache. The words floated in the air, unresolved and painful, as he
searched her expression, looking for any flicker of understanding.
“This isn’t a custody battle, Carlotta,” he murmured, his voice low but firm “Amber and I decided together–Nico needs to live with me now.”
Carlotta’s lips parted, but she didn’t shout or lash out as he might have expected. Instead, she grew quiet, her face pale and drawn as she slid back on the wide couch, her gaze drifting away from him.
“When we got engaged, when you asked me to marry you for the second time…” Her voice cracked on the words “second time,” and though Luca couldn’t be sure, there was a tremor of bitterness in her tone. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a sadness that felt deeper than he’d ever seen before. “You told me we were going to be a family, Luca. You and I, and our future children. You promised.”
Luca swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her words press into his chest. Nico is my family, Carlotta. He always has been, and he always will be,” he said quietly, trying to reach her, trying to make her understand. “I didn’t think I had to choose between him and the life we’re
building.”
“You said he was happy with his mother.” Her words were almost a whisper now, as if she couldn’t bear to say them any louder.
Luca nodded, feeling the lump in his throat grow as he thought of Amber, thought of the news she’d given him and the desperation in her voice as she’d asked him to take care of Nico. “He was. He is,” he replied slowly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s my son, Carlotta. My firstborn. I can’t turn my back on him now, especially not when he needs me.”
Her head dropped slightly, her gaze slipping from his as she struggled to hold onto her composure. Finally, her voice broke. “What I don’t understand, Luca, is why.” Her voice rose, filling the silence between them with raw, unfiltered pain. “Why you have to bring another woman’s child into our home. He could stay with his mother–like he always has. I’ve never tried to get in the way of your relationship with him. I’ve never interfered with you and… and that boy. So, why now? Why do you have to bring him here, into our home, and ruin everything we’ve
built?”
The words echoed in the room, hanging heavy and unresolved, the silence afterward thick as a mountain, pressing down on him. Carlotta’s eyes were red–rimmed, unshed tears shimmering as she looked at him, as if searching for an answer she couldn’t accept. He stood there, frozen, her words burrowing into him, each syllable a painful revelation.
Luca felt his heart splinter as he understood, really understood, what she was saying. He thought back to all the times he’d talked about Nico, thinking she’d felt the same quiet pride he did, that she’d come to accept Nico as a part of him. But now he saw her gaze turn cold, full of something he hadn’t expected to see: resentment. She resented his son–resented the boy he would never abandon,
His lips parted, wanting to explain everything, to tell her that Amber’s cancer meant Nico would only be with them temporarily, But the look in Carlotta’s eyes stopped him cold. It was as if none of it would matter. She didn’t want Nico here, not now, not ever.
Luca’s question hung in the air, reverberating through the silence between them. “You don’t like my son, Nico?” His voice was quieter than he’d intended, almost a whisper, but the hurt behind it was unmistakable, he’d never thought he’d have to ask anyone that, especially not the woman he’d asked to marry him, to share her life with him. But Carlotta’s resentment was right there, so close to the surface that he could almost feel it radiating off her, sharp as ice.
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09:15 Mon, Feb.
The End Of a Marriage
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.
