I stare at my abuela’s house, mentally preparing myself to get out of the car. We decided to tell my family tonight, but I’m terrified my mother will see straight through us — or worse, that she’ll tell Luca about all the ways I’ve badmouthed him throughout the years. How do I explain bringing him home now?
“Valentina,” Luca says, breaking the silence between us. He’s been as quiet as I’ve been on the way here, both of us lost in thought. “Do you remember what you said at my grandmother’s house? You said that you quit because you couldn’t bear to see me with Natalia. Is that truly why you tried to leave me?”
I glance at him in surprise. I thought he’d been quiet because he was thinking about all the work that awaits us when we get home tonight, but it looks like I was mistaken. I run a hand through my hair and look out the window. No, If I’m truly honest with myself, I knew that’s not why he’s been behaving so oddly in the last couple of days, but I’d been in denial. He’s been different since he spoke to Natalia, but somehow, I was too scared to ask him what was on his mind. Part of me fears what his answer would be. I’m trying my hardest to escape the past, but my wounds often still feel fresh. I’m scared he’ll betray me, or that he’ll realize I’m worthless, and he’ll abandon me. I’m scared to ask too many questions, in case I find out something I didn’t want to know. He turned me into a coward, and I hate it. I never wanted to care about him as much as I do.
“Yes,” I admit, heat rushing to my cheeks. We promised we’d communicate, but right now, I wish I’d never agreed to. “It’s true.”
“Then what about the other excuses you gave me?”
“Those are also true,” I tell him. “I do want to have a life of my own. For as long as I can remember, I’ve gone through the motions without truly living, and I’m worried I’ll one day look back at my life and find it empty. But… I’ve felt that way for years, and it was never enough to make me quit.”
Luca smiles then, his eyes twinkling. “Did you ever stop to think about why you acted on impulse when that is entirely out of character for you?”
It was all unwarranted, and not an accurate reflection of who I am. That’s what Natalia told me. Is that what made him rethink my behavior throughout that time? Has he been thinking about her all along? I know that it’s irrational, but I don’t want her to be on his mind at all, not even if it’s merely because something she said made him think of me.
My heart starts to race, and I clear my throat as I glance back at my grandmother’s house. “Um, I think it’s best if we tell my family that we’re dating. If we tell them we got married so abruptly, they’d never believe it,” I tell him, changing the subject.
Luca chuckles and nods. He’s leaning back, one arm on the steering wheel. “It’s your family, Valentina. I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
I stare at him for a moment, surprised. “I never knew you could be this easygoing. For years, you gave me hell, when all along you could’ve been this kind. I feel really wronged, you know?”
He grins at me and reaches for me, his touch gentle as he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “Then let me make it up to you, Valentina. This… this is all reserved for my wife. For you. So take advantage of it all you want. For as long as you want me, I’m yours. I’ll treat you like you’re the single most precious person to me, with one exception.”
I blink in confusion. “What’s the exception?”
He smirks. “I can’t be kind to you when I fuck you, baby.” His eyes darken, and I look away, my heart racing.
“Who says I’ll ever sleep with you?” I ask, my voice trembling. We’ve become more comfortable with each other’s bodies, but each time things get a little too heated at home, I’ve pulled away using work as an excuse. It’s just sex, but somehow, I don’t think I’m ready. I’m already in far deeper than I ever wanted to be. I’m afraid that if I give him my body, he’ll consume me.
Luca chuckles and glances out the window. “It’s cute that you think you’ll be able to resist me for much longer. Before the night is over, I’ll have you begging for my cock, wife.” He looks back at me, his gaze smoldering. “When I close my eyes, I can hear you moaning my name, Valentina. Making you come is a fucking delight, but it isn’t nearly enough. I need to feel your pussy wrapped around my cock.”
My cheeks flush, and he grins. “I won’t ever beg you for anything,” I tell him, indignant.
Luca chuckles and reaches for me, his index finger brushing between my brows and down the bridge of my nose, his movements leisurely. “You will,” he says, pausing on my lips. “First, you’re going to beg me to make you come again, and then you’re going to beg me to fuck you.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he presses his finger against my lips and shakes his head. “For now, we should go in. It looks like we caught someone’s attention.”
Luca pulls his hand away, and I glance through the windshield to find my mother standing by the front door. Her silhouette is illuminated by the porch lights, and she’s clearly trying to look into the dark car as she leans against her walking stick. I pray she isn’t able to see us. Who knows what kind of image Luca and I just presented?
Luca steps out of the car and walks around it to open my door for me, startling me. I don’t think I can get used to this version of him. I thought I knew him better than anyone, but I’m slowly learning there’s a side of him I never knew existed. He offers me his hand, and I take it hesitantly. I’m nervous we’ll mess up somehow, and my mom will see through us. The last time I mentioned Luca was when I told them that I’d quit, after all.
Luca entwines our fingers as he leads me to the front door, and my mother frowns at us. Her gaze drops to our joined hands, and she purses her lips. “Mom,” I say, my voice trembling. “It was somewhat chaotic the last time he came over, with all the medics and the police at our house, so I didn’t have a chance to introduce you.” She stares me down, and the look in her eyes increases my nerves. “This is Luca Windsor, my boyfriend.”
Mom’s eyes widen when she realizes who he is. For years, I’ve mentioned Luca, but she’s never met him before. “Luca?” she repeats. “Your boss?” She looks at him then, and for a moment, it’s almost like recognition flashes through her eyes, but then she grits her teeth, anger drowning it out. I wonder if she’s seen him on the news before, or in any of those gossip magazines she loves. I hope it wasn’t the latter, because the press has been doing all they can to uncover news about Natalia and him, much to my dismay.
Luca lets go of my hand to offer it to her. “It’s good to finally meet you,” he says, a sweet smile on his face. “Valentina has told me so much about you. Please accept my apologies for not properly introducing myself last time. It was a tough situation for all of us, and my priority was ensuring Valentina was okay, and that the team I hired to find and take care of your mother had everything they need.”
Some of the frost in her eyes melts away, but she continues to stare at him, her gaze unnerving. She carries that same expression whenever she talks about my dad.
“Please, come in,” she says reluctantly. Perhaps I should’ve warned her before coming over with him. I thought it would be better to get it over with, but I should’ve thought this through more.
“The medics,” Mom says, “you sent them?”
Luca nods and places his hand on my lower back, as though it’s only natural for him to do so. For years, we physically kept an appropriate distance between us, yet he’s falling into his new role with such ease. Has he always been that good at acting? Somehow, I find it concerning, because I can’t tell if any of it is real.
“Valentina has been incredibly worried about her grandmother, so I thought it would be best to ease her mind in this way. I hope I haven’t overstepped.”
Mom shakes her head and leans onto her walking stick heavily, the way she does when she’s thinking. “Not at all,” she tells him. “We’re very grateful. It’s just that I thought it was Valentina who sent them.” She looks at me then, her gaze filled with accusation. “You never told me anything. Why am I only just finding out that we’ve been shamelessly accepting your boss’s help?”
Mom’s eyes flash with pure dismay, and I lower my gaze. We’ve only just walked in, and this is already going wrong. She looks like she has more to say to me, but instead she leads us into the living room, where Abuela is watching TV.
“Val?” Abuela says.
I walk up to her and hug her tightly, grateful to find her lucid. It breaks my heart when she doesn’t recognize me, and knowing that it’s going to start occurring more often kills me.
“Who is this handsome young man?” Abuela asks, grinning. She blatantly checks Luca out, and I glance back at him to find him looking somewhat flustered, his cheeks a little rosier than usual. My heart starts to race, and I bite back a smile.
He offers her his hand and smiles. “I’m Luca Windsor. It’s so good to meet you, ma’am.”
Abuela chuckles and looks back at me. “Lucifer? Your boss?”
My eyes widen, and I clear my throat awkwardly. “Luca,” I correct her. “It’s Luca.” For a woman who has been struggling with her memory lately, she’s very on point with her remarks today. How could she possibly remember that I have him saved as Lucifer in my phone? I’d better change that before Luca finds out.
Abuela looks between the two of us, and Luca wraps an arm around my shoulder, a questioning look in his eyes as he turns toward me. There’s no way he missed her Lucifer comment, and I’d better come up with a valid explanation. I clear my throat awkwardly and force a smile. “Abuelita, Luca… he is my boyfriend.”
She bursts out laughing and shakes her head. “I knew it,” she tells me. “Every time you called him the devil himself and cursed him, there was something more behind it. I’m surprised it took so long.”
Luca leans into me, his nose brushing past my ear. “The devil himself?” he whispers, and my cheeks flush instantly as remorse washes over me.
My mother places a tray with four cups of Café de Olla on the table and sits down next to Abuela, her expression aloof. She crosses her arms and motions to the sofa adjacent to her. “Sit.”
Luca follows my lead, his expression serene despite my mother’s obvious and sudden rudeness.
“How long have you two been dating?”
Luca grabs my hand and entwines our fingers, his downcast gaze a sign that he’ll let me take the lead.
“We only started dating very recently, but like Abuela said, it was inevitable. We realized we wanted to be together shortly after I quit my job.”
Mom starts to tap her foot, her face betraying her anger. “You. You’re engaged, aren’t you? What exactly is it that you’re trying to do? Are you trying to turn my daughter into your mistress?”
I should’ve realized this is what her concern would be. Perhaps it would’ve been better to admit we got married. That would put these worries at ease, but it’s too late to communicate that to Luca now, especially since I’ve already introduced him as my boyfriend.
Luca tenses and tightens his grip on my hand. “It wasn’t my choice or desire to get engaged, and that engagement has since been broken. Please rest assured. I will not be marrying that woman.”
Mom huffs and rolls her eyes. “How long are you going to string my daughter along with that story? It’s always the same tale, isn’t it? You’ll promise to leave your fiancée or wife, but you won’t. And if you do leave your fiancée, you’ll end up going back to her.”
I know Luca well enough to know when he’s getting angry, despite his carefully blank face. He glances at me for a moment, and I shoot him a reassuring smile.
“Mom, I’ve known Luca for eight years, and I promise you that he isn’t like that. His engagement really was broken. It just hasn’t been reported yet by the media.”
“I’m against this,” she tells me. “What are you thinking, Val? End this relationship immediately. This will impact your work and everything you’ve built. People will start to question whether you slept your way up, and in the end, he’ll want someone who has more to offer. He’s blinded by passion, but it’ll wear off, and he’ll abandon you. End it now, before you lose everything you worked for. You never should have gone to work for that family at all. I knew something like this would happen. Do you really believe you can overcome the differences between you? You can’t. You should have known better, Valentina.”
I start to tremble, unsure how to refute her words. I knew this conversation wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t expect her to act this way in front of Luca.
He wraps his arm around me and looks at my mother. “Ma’am,” he says, his tone polite. “First of all, I’d like to apologize for lying to you. The truth is that I married your daughter. She told you we were dating because she thought it would be difficult for you to accept us eloping, but it is what it is. Valentina is my wife. I agree that us being together would impact her work, and yes, the engagement that was forced upon me further complicates matters, but ultimately it comes down to one thing. I love your daughter, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, no matter the trials we might face.”
Abuela gasps, and then she chuckles. “Good for you, mi niña,” she says, her eyes sparkling. “It has been eight years. There is no need to wait longer. It’s good that you got married.”
Luca grins at her in gratitude, but my mother stares at us in shock and dismay.
“How could you do this?” she asks me, her voice soft. I stare down at my lap, unsure what to say. “You will regret this, Valentina.”
Mom rises to her feet and grabs her walking stick, her face in obvious pain as she walks out of the room. I stare after her, my heart aching. How is it that once again, she left me feeling the same way she always does? Lonely and bitter.
