“He nearly started a war over it.”
Something inside me cracked painfully.
Because despite everything wrong between us… I knew Luca.
And I knew grief would have destroyed whatever humanity remained inside him.
The doctor finally finished.
Luca stood immediately.
“Everyone out.”
The room emptied without argument.
Even Vanessa.
Soon only Luca and I remained inside the massive penthouse.
Thunder rolled softly outside the windows.
New York glittered beneath us.
And suddenly we were alone for the first time in months.
Luca approached slowly.
I noticed the exhaustion in his face now. The strain beneath the composure.
“You thought I was dead?” I asked.
“Yes.”
The single word carried terrifying weight.
I swallowed hard.
“For how long?”
“Until today.”
Six months.
Six months of grief.
No wonder he looked at me like he’d seen a ghost inside the boutique.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Luca laughed once. Bitter.
