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Chapter Twenty-Two
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2026-11-08 03:31:41
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The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-Six
Avery’s POVMy heart was beating so hard against my chest that I could feel it in my throat. I slowed my pace as I approached Elisa’s street, my breathing coming out in heavy, uneven bursts. Sweat had gathered along my hairline and the back of my neck, and my running shirt clung uncomfortably to my skin. My legs were beginning to ache, particularly around my calves, but I kept walking, allowing my body a few minutes to recover from the jog.I checked the time on my phone. It was a little after eight.I had been running for almost forty minutes, longer than I initially intended. But I needed it. I needed something to occupy my mind, something that required enough concentration to keep me from thinking about everything else. It hadn’t worked entirely, of course.Luca still managed to find his way into my thoughts, usually when I was least prepared for it. Sometimes it was his face I remembered. Other times, it was the announcement, the photographs of him and Gianna, or the uncomfortabl
The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-Five
Luca’s POVIt was a little after three when I finally decided to call Gianna. I had spent most of the afternoon reviewing documents and responding to emails, but my attention kept drifting towards the phone sitting beside my laptop. Avery hadn’t contacted me, and I wasn’t expecting her to. Still, I needed to do something about the situation with Gianna.My father’s announcement had turned an arrangement that had existed for months into a public commitment. The wedding preparations were already underway, and avoiding them wouldn’t make them disappear. If I was going to go through with this, there were certain things Gianna needed to understand before we got any further.I picked up my phone and dialled her number.She answered after the second ring. “Luca. What a pleasant surprise.”“I want to discuss the wedding arrangements. Are you available this evening?”There was a brief silence. “Of course. Is everything alright?”“We need to talk.”“That sounds rather serious.”“It is.”She lau
The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-Four
Luca’s POVThe apartment felt different without Avery. I had spent most of the previous night pretending otherwise, occupying myself with work I could have easily left until morning, checking security reports that Marco had already reviewed and pouring myself a drink I barely touched. It was easier than sitting in the living room and looking at the empty space on the sofa where she had been sitting before she left.She had sent me a message. She was safe, she was with Elisa, and she needed some time.I had read it several times before replying. I wanted to call her. I wanted to know whether she had eaten, whether she was crying, whether she had managed to sleep. I wanted to hear her voice and tell her that I was sorry, although I wasn’t entirely sure which part of the evening I was apologising for. The announcement? The photograph? The fact that my father had made a decision about my future in front of half of Venice? All of it, maybe. But she had asked for time, and I wasn’t going to
The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-Three
Avery’s POVBy the time I reached the narrow street leading to Elisa’s apartment, I had cried enough to give myself a headache. And everything was pissing me off.The restaurants were beginning to fill, their outdoor tables occupied by couples leaning towards each other over glasses of wine. A few tourists stood near the canal, taking photographs of the buildings as though they had never seen anything quite so magnificent. Somewhere behind me, a street musician was playing a familiar Italian melody, and the warm glow from the shop windows spilled onto the pavement. Life was going on while my heart felt like it would stop beating at any moment.People were laughing, talking, making plans for dinner, and walking home with shopping bags swinging from their hands. Nobody seemed to know that two months from now, the man I loved was supposed to marry another woman.I tightened my coat around myself and kept walking.Getting out of Luca’s apartment had been easier than I expected. I had noti
The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-Two
Avery’s POVI read it once. And again, and again. The words didn’t change. My fingers moved without me being aware of moving them, tapping the article open, and the photograph loaded beneath the headline.Luca stood beneath the warm lights of Palazzo Contarini, dressed in a dark suit that fitted him perfectly. His shoulders were straight, his expression composed, his dark hair neatly arranged. He looked every bit the man Venice expected him to be. And Gianna stood beside him.Her raven-black hair fell over one shoulder in smooth waves, and the dress she wore seemed to have been made specifically for the room she stood in. She looked beautiful in the effortless, expensive way of a woman who had spent her entire life knowing where she belonged. Her hand was linked through Luca’s arm. They looked like they belonged together.I hated that thought the moment it crossed my mind, but it was there all the same.My hands shook as I kept scrolling. I could feel my heart breaking and each breath
The Price of Forever Chapter Twenty-One
Avery’s POVThe music playing from my phone had reached the third song before I realized I had been staring at the same crossword clue for almost ten minutes.Five letters. A feeling of contentment.I tapped the end of my pen against my bottom lip, squinting at the little squares as though the answer might appear if I looked hard enough.Bliss. Of course.I filled in the letters, satisfied with myself, then leaned back against the sofa and stretched my legs beneath the soft blanket draped over them. My tea had gone lukewarm on the coffee table, and the evening light slipping through the tall windows had turned the streets outside into a long ribbon of gold and blue.It was a quiet evening. A good one, actually.Luca was at the family event his father had insisted he attend, and I had the apartment to myself. Michelle had sent me a message earlier asking whether I had survived Glyn’s latest attempt to make me question every decision I had ever made with my body. I had responded with a
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