Chapter 181
Amber sat in the living room, the afternoon sun filtering weakly
through the curtains, casting long shadows across the floor. She
stared at the wall, the colors of the room blurring in her vision, her
mind drifting aimlessly. The quiet had become a constant presence in
the house, a heavy silence that hung between the moments of
stillness, reminding her of all that had changed. It felt as though the
world outside had moved on, while she remained trapped in this
painful, uncertain space, clinging to the edges of her strength.
The effects of the chemotherapy had begun to take a far more
noticeable toll on her than she’d ever imagined. She had expected to
feel tired, but this level of exhaustion was something different
entirely. The fatigue seeped into her bones, deep and unrelenting,
leaving her unable to muster the energy to even lift her head. Her
body felt like a foreign vessel–one she no longer recognized. Each
step was a monumental effort, each breath seemed harder than the
last.
And yet, she continued. She kept going, because there was no other
option. She couldn’t bear the thought of Luca carrying the burden
alone, or of Nico watching his mother slip away from him. So, she
pushed through the pain, the sickness, the days of feeling so weak she thought she might break. But in the quiet moments, when she was alone with her thoughts, the fear crept in. What if this was too much?
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What if she couldn’t keep fighting?
As she sat there, caught between the weight of her own fear and the love she had for her family, the door creaked open, and Luca stepped
into the room. His face, as always, was a mixture of concern and love, but there was something else there now–something she hadn’t seen
before. It was exhaustion, the kind that didn’t go away no matter how
much rest you got. His shoulders slumped, his eyes bloodshot, and his
movements slow, as if the weight of everything was pressing down on
him. He was holding himself together, but just barely.
Amber’s heart tightened as she watched him. She hated seeing him like this–so weary, so drained. He had been her rock through all of this, but now, she could see the cracks beginning to show. The fear he carried, the uncertainty of it all, was starting to take its toll on him.
She didn’t need to ask how he was; she could see it in the way his
shoulders sagged, in the way his eyes avoided hers when they spoke.
“You look tired,” Amber whispered, her voice barely audible, thick
with concern.
Luca didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he gave her a weak smile,
but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was as though the smile was a mask, a
way to hide the truth. “I’m fine,” he said, but the lie was clear, even
before the words left his mouth. They both knew it.
Amber reached out slowly, her hand trembling slightly as she brushed
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against his. It was a quiet touch, a gesture filled with the weight of
everything they were both feeling. “Luca… I know it’s hard,” she said,
her voice breaking slightly. “But I need you to take care of yourself
too. I can’t do this without you.”
His eyes softened, but the tiredness in them remained. He swallowed
hard, nodding, but he didn’t meet her gaze. “I just want you to be
okay,” he whispered, his voice cracking under the strain.
And there it was–the raw fear that had been building between them.
Amber could feel it deep in her chest, the quiet ache that hung
between them, unspoken but undeniable. Luca was terrified. Terrified
of the unknown, terrified of losing her. His voice shook as he spoke,
and Amber felt a pang of guilt. She could see how hard he was trying
to keep it together, how much he wanted to protect her, to shield her
from the pain. But he was carrying so much himself.
Amber’s heart ached for him. She wished she could take away the fear,
the pain that he was holding onto. But she couldn’t. All she could do
was hold on, hold onto each other, and promise that they would get
through this together. It wasn’t much, but it was all they had.
“We’re going to get through this,” she said, trying to steady her own
voice. “I need you to believe that, Luca. For both of us.”
Luca’s eyes were filled with doubt, but he nodded, pressing his lips
together in a thin line. He didn’t say anything, but Amber could tell
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that the words didn’t bring him the comfort they should have. The
fear in his eyes told her everything she needed to know–he wasn’t
convinced, not yet.
