A dengerous Beginning
824 Words
Elara couldn't stop smiling during her walk home.
The cool evening breeze brushed against her skin as she replayed every second of her conversation with Luca.
He remembered her.
Not only had he recognized her, but he had remembered her name.
Most people forgot Elara within minutes of meeting her. Customers came and went every day without noticing her face. Even some of her neighbors barely acknowledged her existence.
But Luca remembered.
The thought made her heart race.
Back in her apartment, she dropped her bag onto the couch and immediately sat at her small kitchen table.
Her phone was already in her hand.
She opened the internet and searched for Luca again.
A tiny voice in the back of her mind told her this was becoming unhealthy.
She ignored it.
There was nothing wrong with wanting to know more about someone.
Especially someone who had saved her life.
At least, that's what she told herself.
Hours passed.
Article after article.
Interview after interview.
She learned about his company, his charity work, and the businesses he owned.
People admired him.
Employees respected him.
Investors trusted him.
Everything she read only made him seem more perfect.
Then she came across another photograph of Luca and Sofia.
The same uncomfortable feeling returned.
The picture showed them leaving a restaurant together.
Sofia was beautiful.
Long blonde hair.
Perfect smile.
Elegant dress.
The kind of woman who belonged beside a man like Luca.
Elara stared at the image longer than she should have.
A sharp ache settled in her chest.
Why her?
Why did she get to be the one standing next to him?
Why did she get to hear his laugh and hold his hand?
Elara quickly closed the page.
The questions remained.
Sleep didn't come easily that night.
Across the city, Luca sat in a private restaurant with Sofia.
Soft music played in the background while candlelight flickered between them.
Sofia smiled as she set down her wine glass.
"You seem distracted."
Luca looked up.
"Do I?"
"Definitely."
He laughed quietly.
"Work."
"That's always your excuse."
She wasn't entirely wrong.
Running Moretti Holdings consumed most of his life.
Meetings.
Investments.
Expansion plans.
There was always another problem waiting to be solved.
But tonight wasn't about work.
Tonight was about Sofia.
The woman who had stayed beside him through years of pressure and success.
The woman he trusted more than anyone.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You should be."
Sofia grinned.
"You're buying dessert."
Luca chuckled.
"Fine."
For the first time all evening, he relaxed.
The conversation shifted to lighter topics.
Vacations.
Movies.
Future plans.
Normal things.
The kind of life Luca secretly wanted beneath all the wealth and responsibility.
As they talked, neither of them noticed someone standing across the street outside the restaurant.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
Elara stood beneath the glow of a streetlamp.
The restaurant's large windows gave her a clear view inside.
She hadn't planned to come here.
Not exactly.
She had simply discovered where Luca liked to eat after reading several online articles.
Curiosity had brought her here.
Nothing more.
At least, that's what she kept telling herself.
From where she stood, she could see him laughing.
Happy.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
With Sofia.
Jealousy twisted painfully inside her.
She hated the feeling.
Hated the way it made her stomach knot.
Hated the way Sofia touched his hand.
Hated the way Luca smiled at her.
That smile should have made Elara happy.
Instead, it made her feel invisible.
A stranger.
An outsider looking through glass at a life she could never have.
Her fingers tightened around her purse.
Why did it hurt so much?
She barely knew him.
Yet seeing him with another woman felt unbearable.
The restaurant door opened.
Elara quickly stepped behind a parked car.
A few moments later, Luca and Sofia exited the building together.
They looked perfect.
Like they belonged in one of those magazines Elara occasionally saw at work.
Sofia wrapped her arm around his.
Luca kissed her forehead.
The sight felt like a knife twisting in Elara's chest.
Without thinking, she pulled out her phone.
The camera clicked.
One photo.
Then another.
Then another.
Her breathing became uneven.
This was wrong.
She knew it was wrong.
But she couldn't stop.
Not when every instinct inside her screamed that she needed to remember this moment.
Needed to keep a piece of him with her.
Across the street, Luca helped Sofia into a waiting car.
A second later, they were gone.
The street became quiet again.
Elara stared at the photos on her phone.
For a long time, she said nothing.
Then a small smile appeared on her lips.
It wasn't a happy smile.
It wasn't a normal smile.
It was something darker.
Something possessive.
Something dangerous.
Because for the first time, Elara wasn't simply thinking about Luca.
She was starting to believe he belonged in her life.
And the more she believed it, the harder it became to let go.
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