Chapter 7:Crack In The Crust

Two weeks passed like a dream.

Luca and Amara found a rhythm—shared shifts in the kitchen, quiet conversations after closing, weekend pizza experiments with Noah. Luca didn’t just fit into their world; he wove himself into it like he’d always been there.

He walked Noah to school once, carrying his backpack like it weighed nothing. He taught Amara how to make her own pasta by hand. He even fixed the broken sink in her kitchen without being asked.

But perfect never lasted forever.

One Wednesday afternoon, the peace cracked.

It started with a knock on the back door of Terra e Fiamma. Amara was peeling carrots when a tall, slender woman in expensive heels walked into the kitchen as if she owned the place.

Her presence was immediate. Icy. Polished.

“Luca,” she called out, scanning the space.

Luca appeared from the pantry, brow furrowed.

“Sofia?” he said, voice hardening.

“I just flew in from Milan,” she said, removing her sunglasses. “We need to talk. Privately.”

Amara tried not to freeze. But she was rooted to the spot. Her hands, now still, gripped the peeler too tight.

Luca looked at Amara, then at Sofia.

“Not now.”

“Now,” Sofia insisted.

He sighed. “Come to the office.”

The door shut behind them, and the hum of the kitchen seemed to vanish. Amara stood in silence, half a carrot in her hand, heart beating too loudly in her ears.

Rosie, who had just arrived with a box of herbs, gave her a sidelong glance. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Amara said quickly. “Fine.”

But she wasn’t. Not really.

Thirty Minutes Later

Luca returned to the kitchen. He looked distracted, jaw tight, tension lining his shoulders.

“She’s gone,” he said. “Sorry about the interruption.”

Amara didn’t say anything.

He stepped closer. “You okay?”

“I don’t know. Should I be?”

He tilted his head. “You’re upset.”

“Should I not be?”

He sighed. “Sofia’s my business partner. Or… she was. We opened restaurants together back in Italy. She helped fund some of my early ventures.”

“Ex-girlfriend?”

His hesitation was all the answer she needed.

“Yes,” he admitted. “But it was over years ago.”

“She flew all the way here from Milan to talk to you now?”

“She’s upset I didn’t consult her before investing in Bellwood Falls. She says I’m going soft.”

Amara let out a sharp laugh. “And are you?”

“I don’t think so. But I’m also not the same man I was five years ago.”

“Did you tell her about me?” she asked, voice quiet.

Luca blinked. “No.”

“Why not?”

Because she doesn’t deserve to be in that part of my life anymore.”

Amara nodded slowly, then stepped back.

“Amara…”

“I need to think,” she said. “About what we’re doing. About where this goes.”

“Don’t let her rattle you,” he pleaded. “This—what we have—it’s real.”

“I know it is,” she said, pain leaking into her voice. “That’s what scares me.”

That Night – At Home

Noah was already in bed when Amara curled up on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

Her mind was tangled.

Images of Sofia. The way Luca had looked at her—like something unfinished had just walked through the door.

Amara wasn’t jealous. She wasn’t.

She was protective.

Of herself. Of Noah. Of this fragile, beautiful thing they were building.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Luca.

“I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to lose you. Can we talk tomorrow?”

She stared at the screen.

He deserved honesty. 

But so did she.

The Next Day

Amara met Luca outside the restaurant. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept. She hadn’t either.

“I’m not mad,” she said.

“I’m relieved,” he replied. “But?”

“But I need to know that your past doesn’t derail your future.”

“It won’t.”

She looked up at him. “You came here to start something new. Is that still true?”

“Yes.”

“And are we part of that?”

Luca stepped forward, took her hands in his. “You and Noah are the only thing that feels real in all this.”

She inhaled sharply, his words sinking in deep.

“I just…” she whispered. “I don’t want to be someone’s escape. I want to be someone’s choice.”

“You’re not an escape,” he said. “You’re the reason I stopped running.”

He kissed her then, gentle and sure, and for a moment, the doubts quieted.

Because sometimes, love wasn't loud or dramatic.

Sometimes, it was the simple decision to stay.