"Mother, are you sure you aren't gonna invite the whole Rockford?" Luca questioned, staring skeptically at the three shopping carts that he, his mother and Skylar, each with one, rolled towards the sales counter. Frankly, they'd bought too many things for a party for three.His mother gave him an evasive look and shrugged. Then she engaged looks with Skylar, and they shared a conspiratorial chuckle. Luca's guts twisted, and he realized he shouldn't have trusted his mother. When it came to issues like this, the woman barely did what she was told.After issuing him the ultimatum that he wasn't going to work, his mother had pleaded with Skylar to stay with her, and his girlfriend with a telling look his way, decided that she could call in sick since she didn't have much pressing issues to tend to. Despite both his mother and Skylar knowing how to drive, the former still insisted that he chauffeur them.He'd never known that driving could be so tiring after spending six whole hours, taki

The following day was a Saturday, which Luca would've loved because it always meant he and Skylar could revel in each other late into the morning. Not so today, when he found his thoughts such a chaotic mess. He tried. He really tried not to think of the text he'd read on Skykar's phone yesterday even as they had sex, but the keywords prevailed until his mind was racing with agitation. Love. 12:00. Satisfaction.12:00pm.He found himself waiting apprehensively for that time, his heart twitching and feeding his apprehension as the hours flew by excruciatingly slowly. If Skylar noticed something was a bit off about him, she didn't say much apart from ask him just once if he was okay. As for his mum, she was too caught up with preparations for his birthday that she probably didn't notice anything.Meanwhile he planned his strategy. When the time came, he would just ask Skylar to let him accompany her to wherever she was going. There was no way she would refuse if she had nothing to hid

Luca thought he'd always known the meaning of betrayal. Now sitting in the taxi with the memory of Skylar and that man replaying in his mind like a video footage, he realized how wrong he'd been.His chest felt like a thousand weights were trampling on it with the sole intent of leaving him broken. God, he'd known something like this would hurt, but he'd never expected Skylar's betrayal to cut so deeply.He couldn't believe he'd missed all the signs. Of course he'd been so caught in in her that he'd lost his senses and his perception. Obviously, she'd always took him for a fool. That was the only reason she could dare to lie when he'd seen everything all so clearly.“Mister?” The snapping of a finger snapped him to reality. He turned to look at the cab driver. “I said we're already at the address you gave me.”It was then Luca realized the car had already stopped. Pulling his wallet from his pocket, he tossed some dollar notes at the man, not caring whether it was too much payment as h

“Dude, are you sure you want another bottle? Haven't you had too much?”Luca glared at the barman, then blinked so that his somewhat hazy vision could clear. “I've only had three bottles. Besides, what's your business? You aren't paying my liquor.”The guy shook his head, seemingly in resignation and turned away from the counter. Ten seconds later, he placed Luca's fourth bottle of tequila in front of him.“Aren't you Luca Knight?” He suddenly asked as he uncapped his bottle.Luca grabbed the cold bottle, then blinked when his shoulders felt too weighted down to shrug. “Yeah, so?”“Man, you're drank shitless and you don't even have a bodyguard. A man like you should know that's dangerous.” He looked shocked. “Will you mind your fucking business? I'm just buying drinks from you. You are not my friend.” Luca bit out sharply, not caring that he was being rude.The man raised his hands, seemingly in surrender. “Fine, I was only trying to help.”He turned to attend to another person at the

Luca stepped under the shower spray, feeling the warm water as it pelted and cascaded down his body. He stood there just like that for about a minute, soaking the water and the steam before reaching out to grab the soap on a bar.Almost right after he'd picked the soap, a poignant pang of nostalgia hit right at home as he remembered all the times he and Skylar had danced to the passion in the showers. To think he'd thought all those times it was total and sole surrender on her part.Not knowing she'd been having other guys behind his back.He expected everything with her and about her to disgust him. Instead, he found himself hardening with want. God, he still wanted her badly despite what she'd done to him. What a mess.Grimacing, Luca hurried through his shower and then dried up. He would just go get some sleep since his head was still aching, even though it was now a bit benign.“Where have you been since last night?”His mother's voice startled him as soon as he stepped out of the