Chapter 5 Six Years of Love
1158 Words
Love rarely arrives all at once.
Sometimes it grows slowly.
Quietly.
Like a story unfolding page by page.
For Lorenzo De Luca and Isabella Hart, love didn’t begin with dramatic confessions or grand gestures.
It began with small moments.
And over six years, those moments became a lifetime of memories.
Year One
The first year of their relationship felt like discovering a new world.
Lorenzo found himself doing things he had never done before.
He walked through bookstores.
He watched old romantic movies Isabella insisted were “classics.”
He even spent entire afternoons sitting in small cafés while she talked excitedly about novels and characters he had never heard of.
One evening, Isabella dragged him into a tiny movie theater.
“We’re watching a romance film,” she announced proudly.
Lorenzo frowned slightly.
“I thought this was supposed to be a comedy.”
“It is.”
“This looks like people crying.”
“That’s part of the comedy.”
Two hours later, Isabella glanced sideways at him.
“Are you crying?”
Lorenzo looked offended.
“No.”
“Your eyes are wet.”
“It’s dust.”
“There was no dust.”
He crossed his arms.
“Stop looking at me.”
She laughed so loudly the people in front of them turned around.
That was the first time Isabella realized something.
Behind Lorenzo’s cold exterior…
There was a man who simply didn’t know how to show his softer side.
But he was trying.
And that mattered to her more than anything.
Year Two
By the second year, Isabella had become an inseparable part of Lorenzo’s life.
He had a busy schedule as the CEO of De Luca Enterprises, constantly traveling for meetings and business deals.
Yet no matter how chaotic his life became, he always found time for her.
Sometimes he surprised her at the bookstore during lunch breaks.
Other times he showed up at her apartment late at night after long business trips.
One night, Isabella opened the door to find him standing there looking exhausted.
“You just came back from London,” she said.
“Yes.”
“You should be sleeping.”
“I wanted to see you first.”
Her heart melted every time he did things like that.
She pulled him inside and made him tea.
“Your life must be exhausting,” she said softly.
“It is.”
“Why do you work so much?”
Lorenzo didn’t answer immediately.
There were many reasons.
Power.
Control.
Protection.
But he simply said,
“Because I have responsibilities.”
Isabella nodded.
Then she wrapped her arms around him.
“Well, you have one responsibility right now.”
“What?”
“To rest.”
Lorenzo rarely listened to anyone.
But when Isabella spoke to him gently like that…
He always did.
Year Three
By the third year, their love had grown deeper than either of them expected.
One winter evening, snow covered the streets of New York.
Isabella dragged Lorenzo outside despite the freezing weather.
“Come on!”
“Isabella, it’s snowing.”
“That’s the point!”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward Central Park.
Soon they were standing in the middle of a quiet path surrounded by falling snow.
Isabella spun around happily.
“This is beautiful.”
Lorenzo watched her carefully.
“You look like a child.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“It should be.”
She suddenly stopped spinning and looked at him.
Snowflakes rested in her hair.
“You know something?” she said softly.
“What?”
“I love you.”
The words hung in the air between them.
For a moment, Lorenzo didn’t move.
Love.
That word had never meant much to him before.
But when he looked at Isabella standing there in the snow, smiling at him like he was the center of her world…
Something inside him shifted.
He stepped closer.
Then he gently held her face in his hands.
“I love you too.”
It was the first time he had ever said those words to anyone.
And he meant them.
Year Four
Their fourth year together felt comfortable and secure.
They had routines.
Sunday mornings were always spent together.
Sometimes they cooked breakfast.
Other times they simply sat on the couch drinking coffee and talking about random things.
One morning Isabella looked at him thoughtfully.
“You know something strange?”
“What?”
“You’re less scary now.”
“Less scary?”
“Yes.”
“Explain.”
“You used to look like you were planning someone’s murder.”
Lorenzo raised an eyebrow.
“And now?”
“Now you look like someone who forgot to buy milk.”
He sighed.
“You’re ruining my reputation.”
She grinned.
“Good.”
Year Five
By the fifth year, Isabella had become the center of Lorenzo’s world.
His closest friend, Matteo, once noticed the change.
“You’ve softened,” Matteo said during a private conversation.
Lorenzo frowned.
“That sounds like criticism.”
“It’s not.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that girl changed you.”
Lorenzo didn’t deny it.
Because Matteo was right.
Isabella had changed him.
She had given him something he never thought he would have.
A normal life.
Or at least something close to it.
Year Six
The sixth year brought something unexpected.
One evening, Lorenzo took Isabella to the rooftop of one of his buildings.
The same place where they had watched the city lights years ago.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
The wind brushed gently against her hair as she admired the skyline.
“This place never gets old,” she said softly.
Lorenzo stood behind her.
For a moment, he simply watched her.
Six years.
Six years of laughter.
Six years of love.
Six years of memories.
He knew something with absolute certainty.
He didn’t want a life without her.
“Isabella.”
She turned around.
“Yes?”
Lorenzo reached into his pocket.
Then he dropped to one knee.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“Lorenzo…”
He opened a small velvet box.
Inside was a diamond ring that sparkled under the city lights.
“Marry me.”
Tears instantly filled Isabella’s eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious.”
Her voice trembled.
“Yes.”
Lorenzo stood up and slipped the ring onto her finger.
Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
For both of them, it felt like the beginning of forever.
But sometimes…
The beginning of forever is only the calm before the storm.
Because just three months after their wedding…
A woman from Lorenzo’s past would return.
And everything they had built over six years…
Would begin to fall apart.
- Writer
