Chapter 79

Chapter 35
The laughter around the room died instantly, the shock spreading like wildfire. Amber’s stomach plummeted, her face heating with the sting of humiliation as the whispered insult settled over the crowd. Her fingers instinctively clenched around her glass, and she felt the urge to disappear, to retreat into some corner where no one could see the shame flaring in her eyes. But she couldn’t look away, frozen as Luca’s aunt turned her attention to Chiara, whose shoulders shook with silent laughter, eyes gleaming as she covered her mouth, her fake sympathy poorly concealed by the mask of her painted smile.

Luca’s face was flushed with anger as he stormed off, his usual composure shattered. Amber watched him go, barely able to breathe, feeling both a pang of vindication and a deep uncertainty. She knew him well enough to recognize that his temper had finally snapped, and his frustration with his family had boiled over in a way she had rarely seen. It was both reassuring and terrifying to watch him march down the hall, his shoulders stiff and jaw set.

The soft chatter of the guests filled the air around her, but she could feel their eyes on her, like silent judgment passed down with every lingering glance. She couldn’t stand the pity, the whispered questions, the sidelong looks of those who, only minutes earlier, had been laughing along. So, while Luca faced his family, she withdrew, edging away from the main gathering to stand alone on the balcony, hidden beneath the cover of night. The muffled conversation behind closed doors reached her ears, the faint but unmistakable sounds of Luca’s voice, raised in anger.

There was a thud, a chair scraping against the floor, and then a heated exchange that she strained to hear. His words blurred and sharpened, fluctuating in volume as his family responded with rebuttals and dismissals, but she caught snippets: accusations, demands, words like *disrespect* and *boundaries*. Luca’s voice broke through in full force, his frustration clear, though his exact words escaped her. She held her breath, leaning against the cool railing, trying to balance the anger that flared up in her chest with a flicker of hope. *Could this be it? Would he finally stand up for her, truly?*

It felt like hours before the door to the study creaked open, and heavy footsteps signaled his approach. She took a steadying breath as he appeared, his gaze searching until it landed on her, fierce and unyielding. Without a word, he strode over and took her hand, his grip firm as he pulled her close, one arm wrapping around her waist with a force that was almost possessive.

“We’re leaving,” he said, his voice rough and low, the anger from moments ago still smoldering beneath the surface.

As he led her briskly toward the exit, Amber could hardly keep up with the whirlwind of emotions coursing through her. She could still hear the echoes of his argument from the study, still see the way his family had stared as he defended her. *Was this real?* she wondered. Was this finally the moment he’d chosen her over them?

Her heart ached with the hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d seen through his family’s cruelty at last. That he’d realized, as she’d begged him to, that the people he clung to were tearing her down with every word, every snide look.

Amber hadn’t thought it would come to this, not so soon after everything that had happened at his uncle’s party. But when Luca’s mother called, inviting him to the family’s weekly Sunday lunch with a stark omission of her name, a new wave of hurt struck her. She’d watched Luca’s face twist in anger, his jaw tightening as he listened to his mother’s justification on the other end of the line. The words that followed were harsh and loud, almost uncharacteristic of him, as he defended her, insisted she had every right to be there, that she was his wife and deserved respect.

But by the end, his voice had softened, and the anger that had briefly flared faded from his expression. His arguments grew quiet, his voice barely a murmur as he said, “Fine, but this is the last time.” Amber had clung to the hope that this meant he was finally drawing a line, that he would refuse to go if she wasn’t welcome. But the hollowness in his eyes when he hung up the phone told her otherwise. He turned to her with a pained look that told her everything—he was going to the lunch, and he was going without her.

She had cried and she had shouted, and she had done everything in between to raise a hell, just to sstop him. And at the end…..Amber’s voice cracked as she pleaded with him, her words raw and desperate. “Please, Luca, don’t go. Don’t leave me here alone while they tear us apart,” she begged, clutching at his sleeve as though her grip might keep him there, as though her pain might finally matter to him. Her eyes, red and swollen, searched his face for any sign of hesitation, any flicker of love that would keep him by her side.

But Luca’s gaze softened with the kind of sadness that seemed miles away, a weariness that Amber could feel even through her rage. He reached down, pulling her hands from his sleeve and clasping them in his own as he knelt before her. “Amber, *amore,* listen to me.” His voice was low and earnest, yet it felt rehearsed, practiced. “I know… I know what you’re feeling. I know they’ve made things unbearable for you. And I know I haven’t protected you the way I should have.”

Amber swallowed, struggling to steady her breath as he continued, each word stinging more than the last. “When I married you instead of Carlotta, it was a shock to them—to their pride, their traditions, even their business,” he said, a small, pained smile tugging at his mouth as though he was sharing some tragic joke she would never understand. “And now they’re striking back, trying to punish me, punish us. It’s ego, *tesoro.* I understand you’re hurting, but…” He took a breath, his hands squeezing hers as though that might soften the words he was about to say. “They’re still my family. I can’t just walk away from them.”

His gaze fell to her tear-streaked face, and he brushed a thumb across her cheek with the gentleness that used to make her heart skip. “Be angry, Amber. Be mad at me. You have every right,” he murmured, almost as if he was pleading with her. “Because I know I’m doing an injustice to you, just as I did to them.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over her, mingling with the bitter taste of betrayal in her mouth. His words were there, filling the space between them, but all she felt was the empty silence where her trust in him had once been. Luca reached down, his hand moving tenderly to her swollen belly. “I made this mess, Amber, and I need to clean it up,” he whispered, his voice filled with a certainty that was as cold as it was painful. He pressed his hand gently against her, as though promising something neither of them believed. “When our baby is born, I promise… everything will be all right.”

But as she looked into his eyes, seeing the resolve that had nothing to do with her, Amber knew that he was already slipping away, and nothing would ever truly be all right.

After Luca had stormed off, leaving her too exhausted and hollow to fight anymore, Amber collapsed on the couch, drained of every ounce of resistance. She drifted into a restless sleep, a reprieve from the ache that gnawed at her heart. But her rest was short-lived. Hours later, he was back, creeping in with the same easy smile he always wore, as if nothing had changed, as if her screams and sobs hadn’t left her on the edge of breaking.

He kissed her forehead, his touch warm . Amber had to fight the urge to scream all over again, to yell that he couldn’t just come back and pretend everything was fine. But she swallowed her rage, knowing somehow, painfully, that it would make no difference. Nothing she said or did seemed to change anything.

“Have you had dinner?” he asked, rolling up his shirt sleeves as if he were settling in for a cozy evening.

“Not hungry,” she muttered, eyes shut tight, hoping her dismissal might push him away. She didn’t want to see that hopeful look in his eyes, the one that made her feel guilty for her anger. All she wanted was for him to leave her alone, to let her hold onto her anger without him chipping away at it with another empty gesture.

But he didn’t leave. After a lingering pause, Luca quietly rose from the couch and left the room. Amber thought maybe he’d finally listened, that maybe he was retreating to let her be. But moments later, she heard his voice murmuring on the phone in the hallway, calling up restaurants across town. A faint glimmer of old memories washed over her—how he’d done this once before, years ago, to coax her to eat when she’d lost her appetite. Back then, it had felt like love. Now, it felt like an act.

A parade of delivery men arrived at the door, carrying bags upon bags of food: fragrant mutton biryani, creamy French onion soup, plates of sushi, pizzas, naan, and pasta—an entire feast that seemed to fill every inch of the dining table. Luca busied himself, unwrapping dishes, spreading out bowls, arranging plates, filling the room with the tantalizing scents of spices, herbs, and flavors from around the world. It was enough food to feed a crowd, yet he placed it all in front of her, hoping she’d be tempted.

When he finally looked at her, his eyes were filled with that familiar, frustrating hope, a silent plea that she’d take a bite and ease his worry. Amber could feel his gaze on her, the softness in his eyes, the determination to fix things in his own way. For his peace of mind, not hers.

But all she could feel was the ache of betrayal twisting in her stomach, making it impossible to even think of eating.
And he was once again looking at her like that, now. Along with another pair of identical eyes of Nico following her around. Begging her to taste something.