Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 91 - Chapitre 100

Sutton stood in front of the mirror, making a few last-minute touches to her platinum blonde hair and makeup. She still hadn’t taken out the bright green contact lenses from her earlier photo shoot. They masked the true blue of her eyes. Luca had called from the airport to let her know he was on his way. She hadn’t seen him in five weeks. Five long weeks. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him until she heard his voice. This had been the longest they’d ever been apart. He’d sounded tired… but that had never stopped him from coming straight to see her before. Whenever he returned from a trip, he always came to her first. He’d take her in his arms, devour her with a hunger that defied words. They rarely made it to the bedroom. Sutton glanced down at the pregnancy test on the vanity, the two pink lines still boldly visible. She didn’t know why she’d kept it. Her doctor had already confirmed the result, but maybe part of her needed the reminder. Her life was about to change

She waited a week.Seven days of silence.She hadn’t planned to wait that long. She’d told herself she’d give him two days. Three, tops. Enough time to cool down, breathe, process what she’d told him. That’s what people did when they were scared. They pulled away. They panicked. But then they came back.Luca would realize that she had never cheated on him and come to his senses.She told herself that every morning. Whispered it like a prayer while she stared at her phone, thumb hovering over his contact. Every time it buzzed, her stomach flipped. Every time it didn’t, something inside her cracked.She left messages. One voicemail.“Please call me.”He never did. He ignored her calls and voicemail.By day five, her hope had started rotting. It didn’t crumble—it curdled. Turned bitter. Sour. Something she didn’t recognize. She told herself she wouldn’t call again. That if he wanted to talk, he’d talk. That she had dignity. That she wasn’t going to beg. She couldn’t do that to herself af

Luca jumped out of the car before Edward had even brought it to a complete stop.He didn’t wait for Edward to get out and open his door. Just moved. Fast. The doorman barely got a word out before Luca stormed past him, face tight.“I’m fine,” he snapped, not stopping.The elevator couldn’t come fast enough. He hit the call button four times before it lit up. Inside, he jabbed the number eight like force could make the lift rise faster. He held his breath. He knew he had a lot to make up for. Just stared at the numbers as they climbed.The doors finally opened on her floor.He stepped out, crossed the hall, and started pounding on the door.“Audrey!” he called. “It’s Luca. Open the door. We need to talk.”Nothing.He knocked harder. “Sweetheart. Let me in. I have some news.”He waited. Silence. His chest felt tight. She had called him yesterday. She had left voicemails. She was just angry. Just punishing him. She hadn’t really left—“Hey!” a voice snapped behind him.Luca turned as a s

Luca already hated himself before he stepped into the room.The weight in his chest had nothing to do with having to face his father and more to do with not being able to find Audrey.Nick De Santis was seated behind the desk, a glass of something dark in his hand. Of course. Antonio, his younger brother by eight years, stood off to the side, leaned casually against the wall like he wasn’t waiting for the floor to crack open.Luca didn’t sit.“You wanted to speak,” Nick said, not looking at him.Not a question. A statement.“Yeah,” Luca said, eyeing the whiskey. “Should you be drinking that after heart surgery?”“I only have one life, Luca, and I will live it to the fullest. If that means I will join your mamma in heaven a little sooner, then so be it.”Luca let that settle for a moment before saying what needed saying. Before he was done, Luca was sure his father would need that drink.“I’m not marrying her.”There. Said it.His father blinked slowly, like the words hadn’t landed yet

Sutton shifted uncomfortably in her chair, trying to find a position that didn’t make her back ache. Over six months pregnant, and the reception desk at Cyber10 had become her own personal torture chamber.The hard chair. The hours of sitting. The condescending smiles from executives who didn’t know she’d been accepted into MIT but had turned it down to support her younger sisters. Instead, she’d gone into modeling—a job she’d hated with a fiery passion. But it had paid their tuition. Got them through university. She still earned her computer science degree, even if she had to do it part time. And she could run circles around half the company’s coding team with one hand tied behind her back.She rubbed her lower back, wincing as the baby landed a solid kick to her ribs. The doctor had warned her about desk jobs while pregnant, but warnings didn’t pay rent or build a safety net. She was doing this alone. Luca hadn’t wanted her or the baby.At least she had her sisters. Keira and Blair