Todos os capítulos de The Future He Couldn’t Steal: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 7

I ended the call and opened the email about MIT’s orientation for incoming freshmen.I entered my information carefully, though Luca’s voice kept interrupting my thoughts.Bianca doesn’t have anyone else. You have me.My phone rang before I finished the first page.Luca.For a moment, I watched his name flash across the screen. Then I answered.“What was that supposed to mean?” he asked. “You said I’m not going anywhere.”He tried to sound casual, but there was a hint of unease in his voice.“It means you’ve made your decision.”“Elena, don’t do this.”“I thought about us before I gave her that recommendation,” he continued. “With your grades, you can still get into Columbia. And even if you don’t, you could easily get into any other college in New York. We’d still see each other every day.”He made it sound so reasonable.My application could suffer. My plans could change. As long as I remained within reach, what had I really lost?“Bianca doesn’t have those options,” he said. “You do

The class dinner was held in a private room at one of the Morettis’ restaurants.I put on a dress, tucked my phone into my bag, and went to see my friends.The room was already loud when I arrived.Bianca sat beside Luca.She wore a fitted ivory dress and the emerald necklace Luca had offered me outside school.His apology, apparently, had found someone more willing to accept it.Three girls were crowded around her chair.“So Columbia’s basically happening?”Bianca smiled. “We’re still waiting on the final confirmation.”“With Luca helping? I wouldn’t worry.”“Seriously. Most guys barely remember birthdays. Yours gets you into an Ivy.”Luca saw me standing in the doorway.His gaze moved to my face, then briefly to the necklace.He leaned back in his chair and made no move to call me over.He was waiting to see whether I would ask Bianca why she was wearing my necklace. Whether I would demand my seat back.I turned toward the other side of the table instead.Bianca spotted me and called

Bianca was waiting outside the townhouse when Luca got home.She hurried down the steps.“Luca. Thank God.”He stopped beside his car.“They won’t let me inside. Please, you have to help me.”Her eyes were swollen from crying.“And Columbia—what if they take back my offer? You know people. Your father could call someone.”Luca said nothing.Bianca caught his sleeve.“This is Elena’s fault. She already got into MIT. Why did she have to humiliate me?”His expression hardened.“She wanted Columbia.”“Then why did she secretly apply to MIT?”“She wasn’t going to accept the offer.”Bianca’s hand loosened.“She was going to stay here,” he said. “With me.”“But—”“If I hadn’t taken that letter for you, she’d still be here.”Bianca studied his face. Then she stepped closer.“But she’s gone now.”She slid her arms around his waist.“You don’t have to keep thinking about her. I’m here.”Luca went still.“We can go to Columbia together. I won’t fight with you the way she did.”She looked up at hi

Luca never came to see me again after that.At first, I still expected to find him outside another building, holding another gift.I didn’t want him back. I knew we were over. But after years together, I still caught myself searching for his face in a crowd.Eventually, I stopped looking.Fall arrived. I moved into my dorm, registered for classes, and discovered that getting into MIT was considerably easier than keeping up with it.There were nights when I cried over problem sets.There were mornings when I went to class with wet hair and half a bagel in my hand.There were people who knew more than I did and were happy to teach me.I loved it.I heard about Luca from a friend during winter break.Columbia had withdrawn his offer.His father had wanted the family’s lawyers to challenge the decision. Luca had refused.“He’s taking classes somewhere else,” she said. “And working for his father.”“Is he okay?”“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk much anymore.”Bianca had taken a job and was co