Chapter 116
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For a moment, Carlotta didn’t respond. Then, slowly, she looked up at higher face twisted in a mixture of pain and anger. “You told me they were gone from your life, Luca. You promised me that–they were gone,” spat, her voice trembling with something dark, something bitter. *1 agreed to marry you because you said they were out of your life for good.
Luca’s heart pounded painfully, each beat reminding him of what was unceling before him. “Carlotta, I never said Nico was out of my life. 1 never even implied that. He’s my son. I thought you understood that.” He struggled to keep his voice steady, but his disbelief and hurt crept in.
Carlotta’s eyes flashed, hardening as she spoke, her words laced with something venomous. “I have nothing against that boy, Luca,” she said, her tone so measured it was almost frightening. “But he’s not mine.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she paused, her hands twisting in her lap as she forced herself to continue. “How hard is it to understand that I don’t want him in our life? He’s the result of your affair, Lucat The reminder of everything you did to me!”
Luca felt the blow of her words hit him like a punch to the chest, and he stood there, stunned, as she continued. “He’s the reason you broke off our engagement to marry her!” Her voice trembled now, softening into something that was neither anger nor pity, just pure, broken sadness, “t accepted it. I got over it. But you can’t ask this of me–not to bring him into our home, into our life. It’s too much. It’s-” She broke off, her voice a strangled whisper, and in that moment, she looked so small, curled up on the sofa, her eyes wet and shining as she held herself, as if trying to block out some invisible pain.
Luca’s heart pounded in his chest, the full weight of her words settling over him like lead. Her pain was real; he couldn’t deny that. But as he watched her sitting there, he realized that her love came with conditions he could no longer ignore. Nico, his son–their son, whether Carlotta liked it or not–wasn’t someone she’d ever truly accepted.
He took a step back, feeling like he was seeing her for the first time. “I never thought you’d think of Nico that way,” he said quietly, his voice thick with disbelief and anger. “Never thought you’d reduce him to… to this. Calling him an affair baby. Like he’s nothing more than a stain on your perfect vision of our life together.” He felt a hot, bitter anger rise in him as he remembered every time he’d apologized to her, every time he’d tried to make up for the choices he’d made, the mistakes he’d acknowledged.
Carlotta looked up, her eyes narrowing defensively. “Oh, so now I’m the bad guy?” she whispered, her tone sharp. “You were the one who made the choice, Luca. You broke my heart when you left me to marry her. Don’t make me out to be the villain for not wanting the product of your betrayal in our home. Do you think that’s fair to me?”
And just like that, something snapped in him. He wasn’t even sure what it was, but the pain, the resentment, the shame–it all surged up, demanding to be voiced.
Carlotta’s face was flushed, her eyes flashing with righteous indignation, as if she truly believed she had a right to condemn Nico and judge his
existence.
“Really, Carlotta?” He took a step closer, his voice cold and steady, though he was fighting to keep it from shaking. “So, you’ve decided to completely wipe off the memories of that week, haven’t you? The one when I found out you’d had an abortion after a one–night stand in college?” He watched her face shift, her eyes widening, the defensive anger slipping into something else–shock, and just a flicker of fear. “You have chosenly decided to erased that week from your mind, it seems,” he continued, his tone laced with bitterness. “Because if you haven’t, then I really don’t know how you’re standing here, casting stones.”
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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.
