The Billionaire's Woman: Diane & Luca

Diane

"Br—Break up?" Tears stung my eyes, and my throat went dry as I fought to get the words out of my mouth.

This was the restaurant where Luca and I had our first date. He'd asked me to be his girlfriend in this same restaurant four years ago. He'd promised that the next time we dined here, it was going to be with my proposal ring.

I was expecting a ring, not… whatever this was.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, letting out a bitter laugh.

It had to be a joke. It was definitely a joke.

"Luca, I'm not in the mood for your games.”

"I wish it were a joke, Diane, but I'm sorry…I really am,” he responded solemnly, avoiding my eyes.

Each syllable of his words felt like a deep cut to my heart while I tried to comprehend the reason for his sudden decision.

I wanted to say something, anything, but I was too shocked to find the right words. It seemed like my brain had stopped working for a minute.

My fingers gripped the hem of my dress unconsciously. "Why?" I asked him in a low, raspy whisper.

This time he looked at me, and I could see sadness written all over his face.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to break up with me. So, why was he doing it?

My eyes followed his eyes as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. His jaw clenched and his fingers drummed against the envelope—once, twice—before pushing it towards me.

"I got an offer to work with globally recognized hoteliers,” he said, gesturing to the white paper, “and I…I feel like our relationship would be a distraction for me"

My shoulders slumped even lower. “A distraction?”

I was a distraction?

Again, I tried to say something, but it felt like I had a lump in my throat that prevented me from saying anything. I sat there, allowing the tears to fall down my cheeks, ruining my makeup.

Confusion clouded my mind.

“Luca…Baby, please. You can't just throw away everything we've been building for the past four years,” I pleaded with shaky voice as I held his hands.

I felt his hands tremble in mine confirming that he didn't want this.

“Luca, you don't want do this,” my lips quivered. “You were supposed to propose to me tonight, not… break up. You promised.”

A part of me couldn't believe I was doing this. I was begging a man not to leave me—begging to hold on to the love I’d blossomed in the gardens of my heart for the last four years.

He looked at me for a moment that seemed like a lifetime, not bothering to hide the sadness and regret in them.

Just as I was starting to get hopeful, the emotions vanished from his eyes, and he pulled his hands out of mine.

“I’m sorry, Diane. I wish there was another way,” he said, his voice dropping.

I shook my head. “But there are other ways, Luca,” my voice was starting to rise as I continued pleading, hot tears uncontrollably flowing down my cheeks. “We always found a way, and we will do it again. Is it the distance? I can move. I can work around your schedule. Is it me? I’ll fix my mistake… just… please.”

For a split second, his eyes glistened, and I thought— I prayed— he was going to take it back.

But his next words broke me.

“My mind is made up, Diane. You need to move on.”

My chest twisted in a knot, rising and falling heavily.

Breathing became so hard. It felt like my lungs were being crushed under the weight of something I couldn't quite place my hands on.

The restaurant felt hot despite the cold air blowing from the AC. I fanned my face with my hands. I avoided Luca’s gaze, my eyes taking in our surroundings to see that our table had become the center of attention.

An older couple beside us whispered, and looked away quickly when I met their gaze.

I felt so embarrassed. Had he brought me here to humiliate me?

I needed to get out of here, else I would suffocate.

Without another thought, I stood, picked my purse and headed towards the restaurant exit, ignoring the curious, pitiful stares of the people in the room.

I thought I heard Luca calling my name, but I didn't bother looking back. This felt like a dream—no, a nightmare— but the more I pinched my skin trying to wake myself, the more I dove deeper into the nightmare.

The cold air hit me as I stumbled out of the restaurant.

I leaned against the wall of the restaurant, holding my purse tightly to my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

My four year relationship had just gone down the drain because I was a distraction?

I was a distraction?!

“No…this can’t be real,” I whispered to myself, my voice trembling.

I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve, but the tears wouldn’t stop running. They poured down my cheeks, smearing my mascara. I knew I should’ve called a cab, but my legs seemed to have gotten minds of their own, carrying me to the sidewalk.

I wandered aimlessly, my heels clicking against the wet pavement. The air smelled like rain, but I barely noticed as my head spinned with thoughts.

None of what had just happened in there made any sense to me.

I barely noticed the rain drizzling until it started falling heavily, soaking me to the bone. I didn’t know how long I'd been walking or even where I was going, but I kept walking.

I didn’t even realize I had wandered onto the highway until I heard the horn blaring loudly through the fog in my mind. I looked up, and for a moment, I couldn’t move.

A car was moving towards me, fast. Its headlights were blinding, but I couldn’t get myself to move, it seemed like my body was rooted to the spot. My legs refused to move and panic rose in my chest as the sharp, deafening screech of the tires cut through the air.

I stood in front of the car, a part of me imagining that this was all a dream; maybe I would wake up and everything would go back to the way they were.

If only I could just close my eyes—and I did just that.

The impact came faster and harder than I could’ve imagined. I flew into the air, sharp pain shooting through my body and consuming me as I hit the ground.

My purse slipped from my hands, splashing into a puddle nearby. I felt the cold, wet pavement around my cheeks, and the world blurred around me, spinning in slow motion.

I could hear voices yelling in panic, but they sounded so distant and so far away, like they were coming from the other side of the world. My vision blurred, and the headlight above me flickered like stars.

Through my blurry vision, I could make out a man coming down from the car and rushing to my side. I lifted my head, blinking the rain water away from my eyes to get a clearer look at the man.

“Luca?” I called, my voice weak and distant, even in my ears.

But when he carried me in his arms, he didn’t feel or smell like Luca.

And everything went blank.