MasukLucia's Pov.I woke up with a dizzy head and a stomach that still felt nauseous even though I had taken Fabio's medicine. Outside, the sun was already high.I looked at the clock beside the bed, it was already nine in the morning. My first semester final exam started at ten. I couldn't skip it. I couldn't repeat the year just because I was pregnant."I have to go," I said to myself.I forced myself to shower. Warm water helped a little, but the dizziness was still there. I changed clothes, a loose white shirt and a long black skirt. I didn't want to stand out. I just wanted to finish the exam and go home.Outside my room, Gianna was already waiting. Her face was still a little pale since the accident, but she had returned to duty. Via had been sent back to her original position, and Gianna now accompanied me wherever I went."Madam, are you sure you want to go? Your face is pale," she said."I have to, Gianna. This is the last exam. After this, I can rest."Gianna didn't argue. She he
In the office, Alexandro sat behind his wooden desk. Damien stood near the window, his eyes looking outside toward the neatly arranged garden."Matteo has moved locations," Damien said.Alexandro raised an eyebrow. "Where to?""We don't know for sure yet, but what's clear is that he's no longer in the old place. His hideout is empty. No valuables, no documents, no trace.""So he fled?""It seems so. Maybe he knows we're hunting him. Maybe someone told him, or maybe he's just paranoid."Alexandro was silent. He spun a pen in his hand. His eyes narrowed."At least Lucia is safe for now. Without Matteo, that dark web site wouldn't dare list her name. They're afraid of Matteo, but they're also afraid of you. With Matteo gone, they have no reason to keep her as a target.""Are you sure?""Nothing is one hundred percent, Ale. But for now, your wife is safe."Alexandro sighed. This was good news. But he couldn't feel completely relieved. As long as Matteo was still out there, as long as that
Alexandro sat in his office with his laptop open in front of him. The screen displayed the faces of executives from various countries: Singapore, Japan, Germany, and America. An important meeting about expanding the property business into the European market. Usually, he would be one hundred percent focused. But today, his mind was divided. Because in the bedroom, Lucia was lying weak after vomiting that morning. "Mr. De Luca, shall we move on to the next agenda?" a man's voice came from the screen. Alexandro blinked. "Yes. Continue." He tried to focus. Graphs. Numbers. Profit projections. Market risks. All of it he usually mastered easily. But today, those numbers seemed blurry before his eyes. Because in his ears, the sound of Lucia vomiting still echoed. In his mind, there was still a worry he couldn't ignore. "Sir, are you alright?" asked a woman from Japan. "I'm fine. Continue." The meeting went on for almost two hours. Alexandro occasionally answered, occasionally gave in
The next day, very early in the morning. Lucia woke up with a strange feeling in her stomach. Not the usual nausea, but something so strong, so urgent, like something rising from her stomach to her throat that couldn't be held back. She got out of bed, ran to the bathroom, and fell to her knees in front of the toilet. She vomited not just once, but repeatedly, until her stomach felt empty and her mouth tasted bitter. Tears streamed down her face, not from sadness, but from a bodily reflex she couldn't control. Alexandro woke up to the sound. He sat up on the sofa near the window, startled. His eyes looked for Lucia in the bed, but she wasn't there. The sound of vomiting from the bathroom made him immediately stand and walk quickly toward it. "Lulu, are you okay?" "A-Ale... don't come near me." "What?" "Your smell... I feel sick..." Alexandro stopped at the doorway. He smelled his own arm. There was no odor. He had showered before bed, using the unscented soap Fabio had recommen
Author's PovAlexandro blinked. He lifted his own arm, smelled his armpit, then smelled the back of his hand. No odor. He had just showered before leaving the office. His soap still clung to his skin. Even his cologne was still faintly perceptible, the woody, tobacco scent that Lucia often said calmed her down."I don't smell," he said."You do smell!" Lucia covered her nose with the edge of her shirt. Her face was pale. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, as if she was holding back something rising from her stomach. "Go away, Ale! Don't come near me!"Alexandro stepped back. "But I just showered...""I don't care! I'm going to throw up!"Alexandro stepped back again. Two steps. Three steps. Now he stood near the door, staring at his wife with a confused expression. He didn't understand. Lucia had never complained about his smell before. Even back then, when he came home late at night smelling of sweat and cigarette smoke, Lucia still hugged him. But now, with a body still fragrant from
Lucia cried. Not a quiet, restrained cry, but a sobbing cry that came from deep within her chest. She ran out of the office, down the hallway, into the bedroom, and slammed the door. The sound of her crying was still faintly audible from behind the thick mahogany door.Alexandro stood in the office, the brush still in his hand, the paint palette still on the side table. The painting of the woman in the red dress was still half-finished. Lucia's face on the canvas was still vague, but her body posture was already clear. The body she once hated so much. The body that once made her feel ashamed. The body she once considered the source of all humiliation.Alexandro put down the brush. He sighed. He knew Lucia would be angry. He knew Lucia would be embarrassed. But he never expected his wife to react this strongly. He left the office, walked down the stairs, through the living room, and stopped in front of the bedroom door.He knocked softly."Lulu."No answer. Only the sound of crying was
The priest began to recite the prayer in a steady voice that echoed throughout the church. I stood still beside Alexandro, my hands feeling stiff as I held the bouquet. The scent of lilies was too strong, almost making me dizzy."We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Alexandro De Lu
I showed him everything I had learned from Mira.I sat on his lap, both arms wrapped around his neck. My breath was slow, rhythmic, exactly as Mira taught. "Breathing is the key," she said before. "Proper breathing can make a man lose control."I whispered in his ear. "Where do you want me to start
Three days since Mira came.Three days I learned, about touch, about sound, about movement, about how to make a man want you. And every night, I waited.Alexandro did not come home.Around ten at night, I heard a car in the driveway. My heart pounded wildly.I ran to the window. The black car was p
At nine fifty, I was already sitting in the living room, my heart pounding. The simple house dress I was wearing didn't feel like enough. I twisted the hem of my clothes and waited.Right at ten o'clock, Mira arrived.Today she looked different. Still beautiful, still graceful, but her clothes were







