Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruined By Desire : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

The next morning arrived like a death sentence.Valentina woke to the sound of drawers slamming upstairs. She sat up in the guest bed, heart already racing, the memory of last night crashing over her like ice water. Luca’s hands on her hips, his cock buried deep inside her on the kitchen counter, the glass shattering, the desperate, reckless thrusts… and then Sofia standing there, eyes wide with horror.She hadn’t slept after that. Neither had Luca. They had cleaned up the broken glass in silence, avoiding each other’s eyes, the evidence of what they’d done still sticky on Valentina’s thighs.Now the house felt like it was holding its breath.Footsteps pounded down the stairs.Sofia appeared in the living room, dragging a large suitcase behind her. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her face was set in a mask of cold fury.Luca stood by the kitchen island, looking like he hadn’t slept either. He took one step toward her.“Sofia”“Don’t.” Sofia’s voice was sharp as a blade. “Don’t you

Sofia arrived at Mia’s apartment just after noon, suitcase wheels scraping against the concrete like nails on a chalkboard. Mia opened the door without a word, took one look at her best friend’s swollen eyes and trembling hands, and pulled her into a tight hug.No questions. Not yet.Sofia dropped the suitcase in the hallway and collapsed onto Mia’s couch, curling into a ball with her knees to her chest. The tears she had held back during the drive finally came ugly, gasping sobs that shook her entire body.Mia sat beside her, rubbing slow circles on her back.“He chose her,” Sofia choked out between sobs. “Again. I gave them a chance. I went to therapy. I tried. And the first time I left them alone for one night, they were fucking on the kitchen counter like I didn’t even exist.”Mia’s hand stilled for a second, then continued its soothing motion.“I heard everything,” Sofia continued, voice raw. “The glass breaking. The way he told her to be quiet. The way he called her ‘good girl’

Luca hadn’t moved from Sofia’s bedroom in nearly six hours.He sat on the edge of her bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the empty space where her suitcase used to sit. The room still smelled faintly of her vanilla shampoo and the strawberry body lotion she’d used since she was fourteen. Every object felt like a accusation: the stuffed bear she’d refused to throw away even at twenty-one, the stack of notebooks on her desk, the framed photo on the nightstand of the three of them at the beach when she was ten all of them smiling, innocent, whole.He couldn’t stop replaying the moment Sofia had stood in the kitchen doorway, glass slipping from her fingers, eyes wide with horror as she watched him buried deep inside Valentina on the counter.The image burned behind his eyelids.Luca’s hands trembled as he picked up the old photo. His thumb brushed over Sofia’s smiling face. She had been so small then, tucked between him and her mother, laughing at something Valentina had said.His late

The silence in the villa had become a living thing.It pressed against the walls, filled the empty spaces where Sofia’s laughter used to echo, and wrapped itself around Luca and Valentina like a heavy blanket they couldn’t shake off. Hours had passed since Sofia walked out the door with her suitcase. The sun had set, leaving the house in darkness broken only by the faint glow of a single lamp in the living room.Luca sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. His eyes were red and hollow. Valentina sat in the armchair across from him, knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Neither had spoken in nearly an hour.The weight of the decision hung between them like a blade.Finally, Luca broke the silence. His voice was hoarse, raw from crying.“We have to talk about it.”Valentina nodded slowly. She had been dreading this moment since Sofia left.“About whether we should… end this,” she said quietly.Luca looked up at her. The pain in his eyes was

Luca stepped out into the cool night air, closing the front door softly behind him.The villa’s garden was bathed in moonlight, the roses Valentina had pruned weeks ago now blooming in defiant reds and pinks. He walked slowly down the stone path, hands shoved deep into his pockets, breath visible in the chill. Every step felt weighted, like the ground itself was trying to pull him back inside.He needed air. He needed space. He needed to breathe without the crushing guilt that filled every room of the house.But the thought of Sofia wouldn’t leave him.She was only a short drive away at Mia’s apartment. He could get in the car right now. He could go to her, fall to his knees if necessary, and beg her to come home. He could tell her how sorry he was. How he would spend the rest of his life trying to make it right.But Mia’s words echoed in his head like a warning bell.“Don’t come.”She had said it clearly on the phone. Sofia didn’t want to see him. Not tonight. Maybe not for a long ti