The baby?
The words echoed in Elena's mind long after they were spoken.
Her brows slowly drew together, confusion settling deeply into her expression as she stood in the middle of the room. Voices continued around her, overlapping, rising, falling, but none of them made sense.
What baby?
Her gaze shifted from one face to another, searching for answers she could not ask for.
Then it stopped on Luca.
Her eyes lingered on him.
Questioning.
Uncertain.
What are they talking about?
But Luca did not look at her.
He said nothing.
His silence was heavier than any answer.
A cold feeling crept into her chest.
Then suddenly—
A thought struck her.
Sharp.
Unwelcome.
The girl who died…
Her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.
Was she pregnant?
Her breath caught.
Did someone… die in my place?
A strange guilt wrapped around her heart, tightening with every passing second.
She didn't understand why.
But she felt it.
Deeply.
Later that night, the house had grown quieter.
The tension from earlier still lingered in the air, but no one spoke of it anymore.
As if silence could erase what had been said.
Luca appeared beside her without warning.
"Come," he said.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Elena hesitated for a brief moment before following him.
She didn't know where they were going.
But she had no choice.
They walked through long hallways lined with polished floors and dim lights. The house seemed even larger at night, its silence stretching endlessly around them.
Their footsteps echoed softly.
Neither of them spoke.
When they finally stopped, it was in front of a large door.
Luca pushed it open.
"Go in."
Elena stepped inside slowly.
The air in the room felt different.
Personal.
Intimate.
This was not just a room.
It was someone's life.
Her eyes moved carefully across the space.
Then they stopped.
Photographs.
Everywhere.
On the walls.
On the bedside table.
On the shelves.
Luca…
And another woman.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Standing close.
Happy.
Elena's chest tightened.
Her steps slowed.
Her gaze lingered on one photo longer than the others.
The woman.
Soft features.
Gentle smile.
Eyes filled with warmth.
Sarah.
The real one.
The one they believed she was.
Elena's fingers curled slightly.
A bitter thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.
You cheated on your wife…
All men are the same.
Selfish.
Disgusting.
She didn't realize she had let her guard down.
Didn't notice the shift in the room.
Didn't see the way Luca's expression changed.
Until—
Suddenly—
His hand shot forward.
Grabbing her.
His fingers wrapped tightly around her neck.
Elena's body jerked in shock.
Her eyes widened instantly.
Air caught in her throat.
Luca's face was dark.
Fury burned in his eyes.
"How dare you lie to me?" he said, his voice low but shaking.
Elena struggled immediately, her hands grasping at his wrist, trying to loosen his grip.
Her breath came in broken, silent gasps.
"I got a call this morning," Luca continued, his voice rising slightly.
"From the doctor."
"They confirmed everything."
His grip tightened.
"You were never pregnant."
The words hit her like something heavy.
Her movements faltered.
Confusion flooded her expression.
Pregnant?
"I thought…" Luca's voice broke slightly, but his anger didn't fade.
"I thought you were carrying my child."
His jaw clenched.
"You knew what that meant."
"You knew what my grandmother wanted."
His breathing became uneven.
"She was dying."
"And you used that."
"You used her last wish."
"You used her regret."
"All just to trap me into marriage."
Elena shook her head desperately.
Her hands moved quickly, signing in panic.
Trying to explain.
Trying to deny.
But her movements only made him angrier.
"I don't want to see that!" Luca snapped.
His voice echoed in the room.
"You think I don't know what you were doing?"
Her vision began to blur.
Her strength weakened.
And then—
Suddenly—
He let go.
Elena stumbled back slightly, coughing silently as she struggled to breathe.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Before she could recover, Luca grabbed her wrist.
"Come."
His voice was colder now.
Controlled.
He dragged her toward the bathroom.
The lights flicked on.
Water rushed loudly as he turned on the tap.
"You're filthy," he muttered.
"Completely filthy."
Elena froze as the water touched her skin.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"As if washing you will fix anything," Luca said.
His hands moved roughly at first.
Anger still guiding them.
But slowly…
They began to slow.
His grip softened.
His movements hesitated.
Elena looked up at him.
And for the first time…
She saw it clearly.
Not just anger.
Pain.
Deep.
Unspoken pain.
And behind it—
Tears.
Held back with effort.
Her expression softened.
Carefully—
Slowly—
She lifted her hand.
Her fingers touched his face.
Gentle.
Careful.
Like someone soothing a wounded child.
Luca froze.
He didn't move.
Didn't pull away.
He just looked at her.
And something in his eyes shifted.
The anger cracked.
Revealing something raw.
Something broken.
A man who had been hurt.
A man who didn't understand why.
A man who wanted love—
But didn't know how to receive it.
His breathing slowed.
The tension left his shoulders.
Without a word, he lifted her.
Carried her back to the bed.
Carefully.
Like she mattered.
He sat down.
Then slowly lowered himself.
Resting his head on her lap.
Elena stiffened.
Just for a moment.
Then relaxed.
Her hands hovered above his hair.
Unsure.
Then gently—
She began to stroke it.
Soft.
Slow.
Careful.
Luca's breathing became uneven again.
This time, not from anger.
But from something breaking inside him.
"How could you do this to me…" he whispered.
His voice cracked.
"Why would you do this to me?"
Elena said nothing.
She couldn't.
But her hands didn't stop.
Because she understood.
The betrayal.
The confusion.
The pain of losing something that felt real.
Of being replaced.
Of being lied to.
Tears slipped quietly from Luca's eyes.
And in that moment…
Two broken people sat together.
Bound by pain.
Separated by truth.