Falling in Love with my Husband

On a Mission

Gemma's chest tightened as she processed Luke’s words, the reality of the situation crashing down on her like a tidal wave. She could barely breathe as the panic set in, her mind racing.

“I thought you said you know where she is,” Gemma challenged, her voice trembling, trying to regain some sense of control.

Luke gave a faint smile, but there was no humor in it, only a cold assurance. “I do. I know on what boat she is... just not sure where exactly on the ocean.”

Gemma's breath caught in her throat. “Boat?” she repeated, feeling the blood drain from her face. “What is she doing on a boat?”

She didn’t want to hear the answer. Her heart was already beating faster, her fear rising at the mere thought. A boat? The ocean?

Luke didn’t immediately respond. He seemed completely unfazed, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Finally, his eyes flicked toward her, his expression as calm as ever. “She’s not hiding on some private vessel, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he explained, as though it was obvious. “She’s on a holiday. Forever. Spending the money I’ve been sending her, living it up, thanks to you.”

Gemma’s chest tightened, the realization hitting her harder than she expected. Gabriella had taken the money—taken the deal—and was now living her life without a care for the consequences. Her own sister, abandoning everything, and for what? A luxury holiday?

“What do you mean, forever?” Gemma’s voice barely above a whisper, the shock of the situation crashing over her. The thought of Gabriella abandoning everything, including her family, to live a life of indulgence made her stomach churn.

Luke shrugged, his expression unreadable. “She’s using the money, Gemma. Every bit of it. She’s gone off on a permanent vacation, enjoying herself on my dime.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Gemma felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.

Luke reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone with a practiced flick of his wrist. His fingers moved swiftly across the screen, and he slid the phone toward her with a small, knowing smirk.

“Her credit card,” he said simply. “There’s a tracking device on it. As long as she uses it, I’ll know exactly where she is. And I can track her down whenever I need to.”

Gemma stared at the phone in disbelief. A tracking device on her credit card? She could hardly wrap her mind around it. Her sister was living a life of luxury at the expense of someone else, and now Luke could track her every move every time she used the card. "That is so dumb. Why put a tracking device on a credit card? You can just see where the transaction took place."

"That is what I meant," Luke chuckled.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt trapped in the middle of a game she didn’t even know the rules of. Gabriella’s recklessness was one thing—but Luke’s control over every detail was something else entirely.

“Is this what she wanted?” Gemma asked, the words barely leaving her lips. “For you to track her like this? To just... take the money and run?”

Luke’s gaze remained cold and calculating as he looked at her. “You’re asking the wrong questions, Gemma,” he said, his tone low and direct. “The question is: do you want to find her or not?”

Gemma’s throat tightened. She didn’t know what to say. Gabriella was on the run, living a life she hadn’t earned, all while leaving her family behind. Luke’s control over the situation was suffocating, and the thought of her sister being tracked like a criminal made her skin crawl.

And yet, here she was—caught between her sister’s actions and Luke’s cold grip, forced to play along, whether she liked it or not.

Gemma’s confusion deepened as she processed Luke's words. If Gabriella was on a boat, why were they heading to the airport? It didn’t add up, and her mind was racing to fill in the gaps.

"I am a bit confused," she said hesitantly, trying to keep the edge of panic out of her voice. "If she is on a boat, why are we going to the airport?"

Luke's eyes flicked to her, a knowing smile curling at the corners of his lips as he kept his hands on the wheel. "We’ll take a helicopter to the boat," he said, his tone light and almost amused.

Gemma’s stomach churned. A helicopter? The words sent a shiver through her. How high up would they be flying? The ocean below them, nothing but endless water and sky—how would she ever survive it? But what really caught her off guard was the way Luke was speaking, almost like he found something amusing about her confusion. As if she should have figured it out already.

He let out a quiet laugh, his eyes flicking toward her again, almost as if he was mocking her.

Gemma didn’t like the sound of that laugh. It felt condescending, like he was laughing at her, not with her. Her blood boiled, her patience wearing thin.

"What’s so funny?" she demanded, her voice sharp, more forceful than she intended. She couldn’t hold back the frustration anymore. "Why are you laughing?"

Luke’s eyes flashed with amusement as he glanced over at her. "I’m just laughing at how easy it was to get you here," he said with a low chuckle, almost as if he was talking to himself. “No wonder Gabriella could get you married off without you even knowing it. You really didn’t see this coming, did you?”

Gemma’s face flushed with anger at the insult, her hands gripping the edge of the seat as she fought to control her emotions. How dare he belittle her like this? How dare he mock her confusion and vulnerability?

"You think it’s funny that I didn’t know about this marriage?" she snapped, her voice trembling with both anger and disbelief. "You think it’s funny that my sister dragged me into this mess without me even realizing what was going on?"

Luke’s smirk didn’t falter. He met her gaze, his eyes hard and calculating. “It’s funny that you didn’t figure it out sooner,” he said, almost pityingly. “Gabriella played you, and you didn’t even realize it. You’re so busy being the good, obedient sister that you didn’t see what was right in front of you.”

His words stung. Gemma’s heart pounded as the realization hit her like a slap to the face. She had been so focused on her sister’s happiness, so eager to keep the peace, that she never stopped to question the larger picture. And now, here she was—caught in the mess Gabriella had created, manipulated by the very man she had married her to.

"You don’t know anything about me," Gemma said, her voice icy now. "And you have no idea what it’s like to be caught in a situation like this."

Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile didn’t falter. "Maybe," he said, his voice soft but with an edge of finality. "But I know enough to get what I want. And you’re going to help me get it."

Gemma clenched her fists, glaring out the window. She didn’t know how, but she was determined to find a way out of this. She couldn’t let him control everything, couldn’t let him laugh at her, couldn’t let him think he’d won.

She’d find a way to stop this. Even if it meant going against everything she thought she knew.