When Luca returned to the bedroom, the space felt oddly quiet. He glanced around, the bed neatly made, the curtains swaying slightly with the night breeze, but Sara was nowhere to be seen.
He checked the washroom first, then the balcony, but both were empty. A frown creased his forehead as unease settled in his chest. Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, he dialed her number, only to hear the faint ringtone echoing from somewhere inside the room. Her phone lay on the dresser.
"Where did she go?" Luca muttered, a note of worry creeping into his voice. He hurried out of the room and began searching through the mansion, checking the corridors, lounge, and library, but she was nowhere to be found.
Fifteen long minutes passed before a maid mentioned seeing Sara heading toward the garden. Without hesitation, Luca strode outside, where the path was lit with lamp shades. And there she was walking slowly among the roses, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Sara!" Luca called out. She turned, startled, as he jogged up to her.
"Why are you here?" he asked, slightly out of breath. "I’ve been searching the entire mansion for you."
"Why do you even care about me, Luca?" Sara’s voice trembled. "Do you know what I found out today? Diego is going to be the heir of the Falcone family. And Frida, she’s been declared the new director."
She gave a bitter, broken laugh. "I’m not jealous of them. I can’t be. Dad married their mother; they have every right to what they’re getting. But what about me?" Her voice cracked, the pain she’d been holding back finally spilling through.
"My mother abandoned me, and now... my father has done the same. He could’ve scolded me, blamed me, even hated me for my mistakes. I would’ve accepted that." Her gaze fell to the ground, her hands tightening into fists. "But to just make me feel like I never belonged to that family at all? That’s cruel."
Her words came softer now. "Everything I did for him... I did with pride. And when I finally needed him, he wasn’t there. He just... left me."
Then, taking a deep breath, Sara wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Am I really that unwanted?"
"You’re not unwanted," Luca said softly. "Don’t think like that."
"Then why is all of this happening to me?" she whispered. "It feels like everything I ever believed about my childhood was a lie. My father never truly cared for me, Luca. And that... that hurts more than anything." Her throat tightened as she continued, "My heart never broke like this, not even when I found out Asher cheated on me, or when you asked me to marry you under a contract. This pain is different. It feels like... like I’ve lost everything. Like I’m suddenly all alone."
Luca took a slow breath, his gaze softening as he reached out and gently took her hands in his.
"Sara," he began, "I’ve told you before that you have your own name, your own worth. More than you realize. Yes, you did everything to please your father, but maybe this is life’s way of teaching you something. You don’t have to live for anyone else anymore. Do what you feel is right, for yourself." He paused as he caressed her hands gently.
"And your father... He was wrong. Even if he remarried and has other children, he shouldn’t have stripped you of what’s yours. No father should make his daughter feel like she doesn’t belong."
Sara nodded faintly, a quiet determination flickering in her eyes. "I’ll prove to him how wrong he was to abandon me," she said, meeting Luca’s gaze with resolve.
"Of course, you will," Luca replied. "But you have to stay strong, Sara. There will be days when it all feels too heavy. But don’t let those thoughts take over. You’re stronger than you think."
"Hm," she murmured, pulling her hands gently from his. Her tone shifted as she drew in a slow breath. "Your parents know everything about us now," she said. "So, I guess we don’t have to pretend anymore."
"That doesn’t change the fact that you’re my wife," Luca said.
"Only because of business reasons," Sara corrected.
Luca exhaled slowly, his gaze softening. "I like you, Sara. I always have." He paused, as if weighing each word. "I’m sorry for lying to you, not just recently, but all those years ago too. I don’t want this marriage to stay just a deal between us."
Her eyes flickered, caught between disbelief and hesitation.
"I knew I’d hurt you before," he went on, "so I was sure you’d never agree to marry me if I asked you honestly. That’s why I turned it into a contract." He gave a faint, regretful smile. "But there was another reason. Because of my connections, the mafia ties, I thought you were the one woman who could handle it. Someone who wouldn’t expect love... and I told myself I didn’t need it either."
He drew a breath, the honesty was visible in his voice now. "But I was wrong. I forgot how impossible it is not to want you to love me back. Not just now... but forever. Yes, I always was jealous that you were with Asher. That bastard never deserved you. I should have protected you from him, but the distance between us was so huge that I didn’t know how to even approach you. Then, suddenly you came to me and I knew you would. I decided to turn everything in my favor and... decided for this contract marriage."
Sara gazed into his eyes as if studying the truth in them and finding the sincerity.
"I won’t love you back easily. You’ve broken my heart badly," Sara stated.
"What do I have to do then?"
"I already answered that question a few days ago," Sara replied. "You knew about my ex, yet you never came to inform me. You are a jerk too. You did wrong to me from the beginning."