Chapter 11: “The Place He Left Behind”

Tayla’s POV

The penthouse no longer felt like home.

It felt like a museum.

A collection of memories frozen in time.

Every room reminded me of Damian.

The couch where we’d spent movie nights together.

The dining table where Noah used to climb onto his father’s lap and steal food from his plate.

The kitchen where Damian would pretend he could cook, only to set off the smoke alarm and make Noah laugh until he cried.

Every corner held a memory.

And every memory hurt.

I stood in our bedroom staring at his side of the bed.

Untouched.

Cold.

Empty.

The sheets still smelled faintly like him.

I hated that I noticed.

I hated that part of me still missed him.

Because every day brought new questions.

New doubts.

New reasons to wonder whether the man I loved had ever truly been honest with me.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

I already knew who it was.

Luca.

These days he came so often that the sound no longer surprised me.

That realization made me uncomfortable.

Yet somehow…

I still opened the door.

Luca stood there holding a paper bag.

“Breakfast.”

I forced a smile.

“You really need to stop doing that.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Doing what?”

“Taking care of us.”

Something flickered in his eyes.

Gone too quickly for me to understand.

“I made a promise to my brother.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

My stomach tightened.

Because lately, Luca seemed to be keeping Damian’s promises better than Damian himself.

The thought made me feel guilty immediately.

An hour later Noah sat happily at the table eating pancakes.

For the first time in weeks, he looked genuinely excited about something.

“Uncle Luca said he’ll take me to the aquarium!”

I looked up.

Luca smiled.

“If that’s okay with you.”

Noah’s hopeful eyes immediately found mine.

My heart softened.

The poor child needed something normal.

Something happy.

Something that didn’t involve lawyers, prison visits, or whispered conversations.

“Okay.”

Noah practically jumped out of his chair.

“Really?”

I laughed.

“Really.”

The grin that spread across his face made the decision worth it.

For a moment, things almost felt normal.

Almost.

Then Noah ran off to grab his backpack.

And suddenly I was alone with Luca.

The silence stretched between us.

Comfortable.

Dangerously comfortable.

“You look better today.”

I laughed softly.

“No, I don’t.”

“You do.”

His gaze lingered.

Not inappropriate.

Not obvious.

Yet something about it made my pulse quicken.

I looked away first.

That afternoon, after Noah disappeared into the aquarium gift shop with Luca, I finally had a moment to myself.

I wandered through the exhibits.

Families surrounded me.

Couples held hands.

Children laughed.

Life continued.

As if my world hadn’t fallen apart.

As if my marriage wasn’t crumbling.

As if my husband wasn’t sitting behind bars.

The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I found myself standing in front of a massive glass tank.

Fish drifted silently through blue water.

Free.

Meanwhile Damian sat trapped inside concrete walls.

The image hit me unexpectedly.

For a brief moment…

I missed him.

Not the mystery.

Not the secrets.

Not the lies.

Just him.

The man who kissed my forehead every morning.

The man who knew exactly how I liked my coffee.

The man who always held my hand when I was scared.

A lump formed in my throat.

Because despite everything…

I still loved him.

That was the hardest part.

Loving someone while no longer knowing who they were.

Across the city…

Damian sat in a prison visitation room.

His lawyer slid another file across the table.

Damian barely looked up.

“What now?”

The lawyer’s expression remained grim.

“We found another witness.”

Damian’s attention sharpened instantly.

“What did they say?”

The lawyer hesitated.

And Damian immediately knew he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Luca has been visiting Tayla almost daily.”

Damian’s jaw tightened.

“I know that already.”

“It gets worse.”

A cold feeling settled in Damian’s stomach.

The lawyer continued.

“Several people believe they’re together.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Damian slowly leaned back.

For a moment he couldn’t breathe.

Not because he believed Tayla would betray him.

But because he understood what Luca was doing.

Building a narrative.

Creating a story.

Positioning himself as the hero.

And Damian as the villain.

The realization filled him with helpless rage.

Because Luca wasn’t stealing his company.

Or his money.

Or his freedom.

He was stealing his family.

That evening rain poured heavily against the penthouse windows.

Noah had fallen asleep almost immediately after returning home.

Exhausted from the aquarium.

I stood in the kitchen washing dishes when the doorbell rang again.

Luca.

Of course.

I opened the door.

“Did Noah have fun?”

His smile appeared instantly.

“He spent fifty dollars on stuffed sharks.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

A real laugh.

The first one in days.

Luca noticed.

His smile softened.

“There she is.”

The words caught me off guard.

“What?”

“That laugh.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“I haven’t heard it in a while.”

Something shifted inside me.

Not attraction.

Not yet.

Something more dangerous.

Comfort.

The kind of comfort lonely people cling to.

I stepped aside.

“Come in.”

Luca entered.

The rain continued outside.

The city lights reflected through the glass.

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then Luca glanced toward Noah’s room.

“He’s a good kid.”

My heart immediately softened.

“He gets that from Damian.”

The moment the words left my mouth, silence filled the room.

Luca looked away.

And suddenly I regretted saying it.

Because mentioning Damian felt different now.

Like mentioning a ghost.

Someone who still existed but no longer felt reachable.

Luca finally spoke.

“Do you ever wonder if he would’ve done the same for you?”

I froze.

“What?”

His gaze remained fixed on the rain.

“Nothing.”

“No.”

I stepped forward.

“What did you mean?”

Luca sighed heavily.

The sound carried sadness.

Regret.

Maybe even resentment.

“I just wonder…”

He paused.

Choosing his words carefully.

Dangerously carefully.

“If Damian trusted you enough to tell you the truth.”

The question landed like a knife.

Because deep down…

I had been asking myself the same thing.

And for the first time…

I didn’t have an answer.