108
Luca's POV
The minutes ticked by, each one pulling me closer to a decision I knew I could never take back. My heart pounded as I sat there, gripping the edges of the armchair in Benedicta’s living room. I’d been over it all a hundred times in my head, weighing every word I might say, every possible outcome. But as the minutes passed, it became clear that thinking wasn’t going to get me anywhere. It was time to act.
With a surge of determination, I finally stood up, grabbing my keys from the table. I didn’t know exactly what I’d say, or how I’d stop this wedding, but I knew I had to try. There was no way I could sit back and let Lia marry Finn. Not when I was ready to lay everything on the line for her.
As I opened the door, the cool night air hit my face, and for a moment, it was like a shot of clarity. I could feel a path opening in front of me, even if it was narrow and uncertain. I was done waiting, done standing on the sidelines. I would fight for Lia with everything I had—even if it meant crossing lines I never thought I would.
The drive to Finn’s territory felt longer than it had any right to. Each mile seemed to stretch, each turn tightening the knot in my chest. The sky was pitch black, with only the faint glow of streetlights here and there, illuminating the road just enough to guide my way. Finally, I pulled up to the gate of Finn’s pack, the tall iron bars casting long, ominous shadows across the ground. I parked, feeling the weight of everything I wanted to say pressing down on me.
I stepped out of the car and closed the door quietly, hoping not to draw any immediate attention. For a brief second, I just stood there, gathering my thoughts. Then, reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until Lia’s name appeared on the screen. I took a deep breath and hit the call button, holding the phone to my ear as it rang.
Each ring felt like an eternity, my pulse thudding in sync with the sound. Just as I thought it might go to voicemail, Lia picked up.
“Luca?” Her voice was soft and cautious, as if she already sensed something was wrong.
“Lia,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I’m at the gate. Please, come out. I need to talk to you.”
She hesitated, and I could almost feel her glance around, torn between my request and the boundaries she now had to respect. “Luca, I can’t. You know it’s… it’s not right for you to be here.”
Before I could respond, I noticed movement in the distance. Two guards and a sentinel were making their way toward me, their steps purposeful and their expressions stern. They must have noticed my car and come to check. My grip tightened on the phone.
“Lia, please,” I said urgently, watching the guards approach. “I’m not here to cause trouble. Just come out for a minute.”
“Luca,” she whispered, her tone strained, “you need to go. If they see you here, it’ll only make things worse.”
The guards were close now, one of them motioning for me to leave. “Sir, you’re not authorized to be here,” the guard said firmly, crossing his arms as he blocked my view of the gate. “This is private territory. You need to leave immediately.”
I could still hear Lia on the other end of the line, breathing softly, hesitating. I turned away from the guards, lowering my voice. “Lia, listen to me. I put a stop to my wedding with Jenny. I couldn’t go through with it, not when… not when you’re all I think about.”
She was silent, and I could feel the weight of her thoughts as if they were my own.
“So, please,” I continued, desperation creeping into my voice. “Do the same, Lia. Don’t marry Finn. If you’re doing this because you thought I was going to be with Jenny, then… then don’t. Let’s stop this before it’s too late.”
There was a long pause, and then I heard her sigh, a sad, resigned sound. “Luca, I can’t just stop everything now. This is about more than you and me. Finn… it would be humiliating for him if I backed out now.”
My chest tightened at her words. “Humiliating for him? What about us, Lia? Doesn’t that matter to you?”
“It does,” she said quietly. “But… I went through with this because I thought you’d already made your choice. You can’t blame me for that. You can’t show up here now and ask me to ruin everything I set in motion.”
I felt a sharp, hollow ache in my chest. “So that’s it?” I asked, barely able to keep the hurt from my voice. “You’d rather protect him than take a chance on us?”
“Luca, please understand,” she said, her voice breaking. “It’s not as simple as that. I have to go.”
“Lia—” I started, but she’d already hung up. The line went dead, and I was left standing there, the silence pressing down on me like a weight.
I lowered the phone from my ear, staring at it in disbelief. My hands were shaking with frustration, with anger, with every emotion I’d tried to keep buried for too long. Before I even realized what I was doing, I hurled the phone onto the ground, watching as it shattered into pieces, the small fragments scattering across the pavement.
The guards were still watching me, wary but silent. I didn’t care. Without another word, I turned, got back into my car, and slammed the door shut. My heart felt like it was being squeezed, a pain I hadn’t expected searing through my chest.
As I drove away from Finn’s territory, the night felt darker and colder, and I realized that, for the first time, I had no idea where to go from there. I’d put everything on the line and left myself vulnerable, only to have her turn away, unwilling to take the same risk.
But as painful as it was, one thing became clear at that moment: I wasn’t giving up on Lia. Not yet. Not while there was still a chance to make her see what we could be together.
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