Chapter 9 The Past He Couldn't Ignore
1074 Words
The rain poured steadily over the streets of New York.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the city lights reflected against the wet pavement.
Inside a quiet luxury restaurant downtown, Lorenzo De Luca sat alone at a table near the window.
His posture was calm.
Controlled.
But his mind was anything but calm.
He had spent the entire day trying to focus on work.
Meetings.
Contracts.
Phone calls.
Yet none of it stayed in his mind.
Because every time he tried to concentrate, he kept remembering the voice from the night before.
Victoria.
Six years.
Six years had passed since she had suddenly walked out of his life without explanation.
And now she was back.
His phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Victoria: I’m here.
Lorenzo exhaled slowly and looked toward the restaurant entrance.
Seconds later, the door opened.
And she walked in.
Victoria Hayes looked almost exactly the same.
Tall.
Elegant.
Confident.
Her long blonde hair rested over her shoulders, and her dark red dress drew the attention of several people in the room as she walked inside.
But Victoria ignored them all.
Her eyes were fixed on only one person.
Lorenzo.
When she finally reached his table, she stopped.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Victoria smiled first.
“Hello, Lorenzo.”
His expression remained cold.
“Victoria.”
She sat down across from him without asking.
“I wasn’t sure you would come,” she admitted.
“You said you wanted to talk.”
“Yes.”
“So talk.”
Victoria studied him carefully.
“You’ve changed.”
“People usually do after six years.”
“Not you,” she said softly.
“You still look the same.”
“And you still talk too much.”
She laughed quietly.
“I missed that attitude.”
Lorenzo leaned back in his chair.
“Why are you here?”
Victoria tilted her head slightly.
“Straight to business?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
She folded her hands on the table.
“I came back to New York because of work.”
“What kind of work?”
“My fashion company is opening a new headquarters here.”
Lorenzo nodded slightly.
“I heard about your brand.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive,” she said with a small smile.
“But that’s not the real reason I wanted to see you.”
Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Then what is?”
Victoria hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“I wanted to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because I left things unfinished.”
His voice hardened.
“You left without a word.”
“Yes.”
“You disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“And now you want to pretend nothing happened?”
Victoria’s expression changed slightly.
“No.”
“Then explain.”
For the first time since entering the restaurant, she looked uncertain.
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Lorenzo didn’t react.
“You always had a choice.”
“It wasn’t that simple.”
“It was to me.”
Victoria looked down at the table briefly.
“I thought leaving was the right thing to do.”
“For who?”
“For both of us.”
Lorenzo laughed quietly.
“That’s convenient.”
“Lorenzo—”
“You walked away,” he interrupted.
“Six years ago.”
“And now you expect me to sit here and listen like nothing happened?”
Victoria slowly looked back at him.
Her eyes softened.
“I know I hurt you.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“But I never stopped thinking about you.”
The words hung in the air between them.
Lorenzo remained silent.
Then she said something else.
“I heard you got married.”
His expression hardened slightly.
“Yes.”
“To the bookstore girl.”
Lorenzo’s gaze sharpened immediately.
“Her name is Isabella.”
Victoria smiled faintly.
“You sound defensive.”
“I’m correcting you.”
“I’m just surprised.”
“Why?”
“Because you were never the marrying type.”
Lorenzo didn’t respond.
Victoria leaned back slightly in her chair.
“Is she nice?”
“Yes.”
“Do you love her?”
The question came unexpectedly.
Lorenzo hesitated for half a second.
“Yes.”
Victoria nodded slowly.
“That’s good.”
But something about the way she said it felt strange.
Almost… calculated.
She stood up from the table.
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
Lorenzo frowned slightly.
“You’re leaving?”
“For tonight.”
“Why did you ask to meet then?”
Victoria smiled softly.
“Because I wanted to see if you still hated me.”
“And?”
“You don’t.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
“You’re wrong.”
She stepped closer to the table.
“Am I?”
For a moment, they simply stared at each other.
Then Victoria spoke again, her voice quieter this time.
“Goodnight, Lorenzo.”
Without waiting for a reply, she walked toward the exit.
Lorenzo remained seated.
Watching her leave.
A strange feeling lingered in his chest.
Not love.
Not anger.
Something unresolved.
Meanwhile, at the penthouse…
Isabella sat alone on the couch.
The television played quietly in the background, but she wasn’t paying attention.
Her phone rested in her hands.
She had sent Lorenzo two messages.
Both unread.
That was unusual.
He always replied.
Even if he was busy.
She glanced at the clock.
10:47 PM.
Something didn’t feel right.
Just then, the front door opened.
Lorenzo stepped inside.
Isabella immediately stood up.
“You’re home.”
“Yes.”
“You’re late again.”
“Work.”
She walked closer to him.
“You’ve been working a lot this week.”
“Yes.”
But something in his voice felt distant again.
She studied his face carefully.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated.
Then she asked quietly,
“Did something happen?”
Lorenzo paused for a moment.
Just one moment.
Then he answered.
“No.”
It wasn’t a complete lie.
But it also wasn’t the truth.
And for the first time in their relationship…
Lorenzo De Luca had kept something important from Isabella.
Neither of them realized it yet.
But that small moment of dishonesty would soon become the beginning of something much worse.
- Writer
