couldn't do it to you.
It felt like time had stopped and doubled in on itself. Luca sat with his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. His knuckles were white. His breathing was shallow. The walls were starting to get to him, but he hadn’t moved in over an hour.Neither had Roman, posted at the door like a guard. Keira was in a chair beside him, hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles cracked every time she shifted. Blair sat quietly nearby, staring at the tiled floor, her expression unreadable. Antonio and Bella sat together talking softly.Someone coughed down the hall. Footsteps.Then the door opened.A doctor in a white coat stepped gently into the room, her ID badge tucked against her chest.“Mr. De Santis?”They all looked up at once.Luca stood abruptly, his body jerking to attention, and so did Antonio.“I’m Dr. Smith,” the woman said. “Cardiology.” She said to them both.Everyone in the room held his or her breath.“Your father pulled through.”Luca exhaled. Hard. Shoulders slumped for the fir
The surgical waiting room was quiet again now, save for the occasional shuffle of a nurse’s sneakers passing by the open door. Keira was curled in a chair, cradling a cup of coffee. Luca figured it would be stone cold by now. Blair sat cross-legged by the window, thumbing through a magazine on her lap, but the way she wasn’t spending any time on each page, he doubted she was even reading it.Roman sat beside her, his hand rubbing up and down her back as he checked his watch again.Luca’s phone buzzed in his lap.Nick De Santis’s name showed on the screen. Luca stared at it for a beat, thumb hesitating above the screen.Of all the moments for his father to call!For one brief second, he thought about letting it ring out, telling himself he would call back later. After Sutton woke up. After he saw the baby. After he knew they would both be okay.But it wasn’t just Sutton lying unconscious in recovery. He still hadn’t been allowed to see her.It was also Nick’s grandson in that NICU.And
Sutton drifted between layers of dim sound and raw pain. It was too much. It was like her body no longer belonged to her. It throbbed. It pulsed. It ached in strange places. Hands touched her everywhere… her stomach, her face, her arms. The back of her head. Voices moved over her like waves. She didn’t even know if she could answer if they asked her any questions.“BP’s dropping… get fluids going, now!”“The OB team is on their way.”“She’s around twenty-eight weeks? Okay, prep for fetal distress protocol and call neonatal. Possible placental abruption on impact.”The ER was manic. So much noise, so much rapid motion.She felt herself slipping again… but then… a voice.Deeper than the rest. “Where is she? Where is Sutton Warner?”It penetrated the darkness in her head. Luca.“I’m here,” he said. His hand found hers. It was warm. His lips touched her hairline. “I’m here, Sutton. I’ve got you, okay? I’ve got you. Just stay awake. Please, baby.”She tried to blink. Her eyes wouldn’t coop
It was almost six when Sutton walked out of Cyber10 that afternoon. She’d stayed later than she meant to, tinkering with firewall patches before locking her machine. Her body was already objecting to the long day in her chair; her lower back was aching. Her breasts made a silent bid for escape. It had been a good day. HR had sent an email around to all staff letting them know Sutton had taken the role.She felt one part pride, two parts absolute terror.The air outside was a little chilly as she made her way over to David. He was in his usual spot across the street, leaning against the gleaming black car. He waved to her in welcome.“Long day?” he asked as she approached.“Long week,” she said, adjusting the bag strap that was cutting into her shoulder. “But it’s finally done. I just accepted a new role at work. So it should be interesting over the next few weeks. But I have to say after this week, I’m glad it’s Friday and the only thing I have to worry about this weekend is getting ou
Sutton had been wide awake since 5:17 a.m., and not from baby kicks this time.She just couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts had been spinning. So she had laid there until it was time to get up, thinking about Luca and the baby. His offer of marriage and the job offer. When the light spread across the room and climbed halfway up the door, she got out of bed for work… it was Friday at least.She took a shower and got dressed, calling the car service as she finished off breakfast.In the car on the way to the office, she messaged Jake:Sutton: Do you feel like lunch today?Jake: Sure… Everything ok?Sutton: Yes, I just need to talk to someone I trust who isn’t family.Jake: Okay, I’m glad you feel you can come to me.By noon, they were seated at a little spot a few blocks from the office, an old-style café. It was great because it wasn’t too noisy. Sutton had eaten here before; the food was good, and they had the best sourdough. It was also within walking distance of the office.Jake ordered a
The restaurant Luca chose wasn’t dramatic or flashy. It wasn’t the tower-high, jacket-required kind of place that would attract the media outside laying in wait to snap photos of the rich and famous. Instead, it was tucked behind a narrow street off the main drag. The tables were decorated with candles in mason jars, rough wooden booths, and soft Italian music that played gently in the background. Sutton appreciated it.She appreciated even more that Luca didn’t try to play the part of the seducer. He didn’t touch her hand across the table, didn’t lean in too close. He just sat across from her, one hand resting beside his wineglass and the other occasionally touching his lip as he watched her.She pushed spaghetti around her plate, not sure why she couldn’t make herself eat more. She wasn’t nauseous. She was just... anxious.“Do you not like it?” Luca asked gently.She looked up. “No—I mean, it’s good. I think I’m just... my mind. Call it pregnancy brain.”He nodded but didn’t press.