Luca

35 - He never loved me

Sofia

The drive home makes me feel like I’m sinking.

Every mile that brings me closer to my father’s house tightens something inside my chest. It’s not right that I’m so scared of the man who helped create me, but I am. Having had two weeks of freedom from Papa, regardless of what Dray put me through, I’ve learned to breathe easier. But now, I’m struggling to pull in a breath!

I know it’s tradition for the bride and groom to sleep separately the night before the wedding. But I wish we didn’t have to. All I want is to stay with Luca, where I’m safe.

God, listen to me. I sound like a pathetic, scared little girl. But that’s exactly how my father makes me feel. I have to remind myself that it’s just one night, and I won’t have to see my father again. He won’t be able to touch me once I’m married to Luca. I’ll have the protection of the Vidal’s, and I’ll be able to breathe easy.

Luca decided he would drive Lorna and me home. I thought Papa would send someone to collect us, but I figured either Luca or the Don had informed him of Luca’s plan. Actually, I was glad Luca wanted to take me back. That way, we could spend a little more time together. Of course, we have a car following us with Luca’s bodyguards inside. Luca doesn’t go anywhere without them. Both cars are bulletproof, which puts my mind at ease, especially since the windows are bulletproof too. At least I know that none of my father’s men will be able to shoot my man while he’s in his car. Not that I think they would, but you never know with men like these.

The sunlight fades behind us, swallowed by the heavy clouds gathering over the Romano estate. I bite the inside of my cheek as the house comes into view, the place I have been a prisoner my whole life. I doubt I’ll see Marchello while I’m here. He never comes home, but at least now I know why. God only knows how Marchello has been fooling our father all these months. Working for Don Vidal behind our father’s back is beyond dangerous. But it just proves how smart my brother is.

By the time Luca pulls up outside the house, my hands are shaking.

He notices. But of course, he does. Luca notices everything.

“You okay?” he asks softly while shifting in his seat so he can look at me.

I nod, even though it’s a lie. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” He sighs while cupping my cheek. “Lorna,” he says, looking at Lorna sitting in the backseat. “If anything happens to Sofia, I want you to call me. No matter what it is. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” she smiles.

“Luca,” I sigh. “We can’t do that. It’s just one night. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

He cups my cheek, stroking his thumb under my eye. “If anything happens to you… If he touches you in any way, I’ll kill him, Sofia. If I see one bruise on your body tomorrow, nothing will save that bastard from what I’ll do to him.”

What Luca just said should have scared me, shouldn’t it?

But it didn’t. It made my heartbeat faster, and my stomach clench. As I look into Luca’s blue eyes, I know that he means what he says. I also know that I love him.

How is that possible after only two weeks of knowing him?

But I do love him. He made it so easy for me to fall in love, and I never want to be without him. I don’t know if Luca will ever love me the same, but I know that he cares about me, and for now, that’s enough.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” I whisper.

Luca smiles while pressing his forehead to mine. “Ditto, beautiful.” I smile right before he kisses me softly. “Don’t forget to have Lorna call me if you need me for anything.”

I nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He lifts away from me, eyes softening. “Tomorrow everything changes.” He says before pulling me into his arms and kissing my head. “Tomorrow, you’ll be my wife, and no one will dare touch you again.”

I hold onto that. I hold onto him for a moment before kissing him once.

Then I step out of the car and walk toward the house that has never been a home with Lorna by my side. We didn’t bring any belongings home because we’ll never be coming back here after tomorrow. Don Vidal agreed that Lorna would come with me when I marry Luca. Luca said that he’d be happy for Lorna to move in with us. I couldn’t help but run into his arms. I’ll admit that I cried because I couldn’t believe Luca would do something so wonderful. But he knows what Lorna means to me. She’s basically my mother, and I don’t want to be without her. When we told Lorna, she couldn’t believe it. She was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth for a moment, but she readily agreed to move in with us. I can’t tell you how relieved I felt at that moment. I wouldn’t be leaving her behind, and I could breathe knowing she would be safe in my new home – our new home.

The moment I open the front door, my father’s voice cuts through the hallway like a blade.

“Sofia. Study. Now.”

My stomach drops. He’s angry, I can feel it. But I haven’t done anything wrong. All I did was walk through the damn door!

Lorna gently takes my arm, worry etched across her face. “Mr. Romano, she just—”

“Go about your business, Lorna. Do not interfere in matters you couldn’t possibly comprehend!” He snaps, dragging me away from her by my arm, and slamming the study door in her face.

The click of the lock echoes like a threat. I swallow hard, trying to calm my racing heart and the tightening in my stomach. It’s not right that I’m so scared of this man, but the fact remains that I am, and I don’t think anything will ever change that.

He turns on me immediately. “What did you learn about Don Vidal?”

I swallow hard. “Nothing. I barely saw him. I couldn’t risk asking anyone about his business. They don’t trust me enough to tell me anything yet.”

His eyes widen — not with surprise, but with anger. “Nothing?” he repeats. “You spent an entire fortnight with them and came back with nothing?”

“I—I tried,” I whisper. I didn’t try because I never even thought about it, which was stupid when I knew Papa would ask me as soon as I returned. “But they were careful, Papa. They didn’t talk business around me.”

He steps closer, his presence suffocating. “Then what the hell did you get up to in that time?”

“N-Nothing. Well, I had to learn the ways of their family.” I blink. “Mrs. Vidal had me learning their family rules most of the time.”

“Did they test you?” He asks.

I nod. “Dray did.”

“And?” he demanded.

“He wasn’t… nice.”

“What did he do to you?”

I hate that he’s enjoying my obvious discomfort. I don’t want to relive what Dray did to me. But if I don’t tell Papa, he’ll think I’m lying about what happened.

I take a deep breath. “He took me to a warehouse,” I swallow. “He held my head under water and made me think he’d drown me. He cut me with his knife, and he forced me to hold a gun to my head. He said if I didn’t shoot myself, then that meant I was lying about being loyal to them.”

Papa nods. He told me to pretend I was loyal. It was the only way to make them trust me, he said.

“And?” He pushes.

“He forced me to my knees,” I continue. “I didn’t know what to do, but I remembered what you said. So, I put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger. Obviously, there were no bullets in the gun. But I thought there were.”

A slow, satisfied smirk spreads across his face. “Good. You deserved it all.”

The words don’t hurt. Not anymore. I’ve heard them too many times to be affected by them now.

“What else?” he presses. “What else did they do to you?”

I hesitate — just for a second — but he sees it.

“Tell me!” He snaps.

“He let me go after that. But not long after, I was in the kitchen helping their cook to make cookies. There was an accident, and Dray…” I swallow. I’m not going to mention Amber because I know Papa will say something vile about her, and I don’t want to hear it. “He grabbed me around the throat and slammed me into the wall. I couldn’t breathe. Then he dragged me out of there and threw me into the Don’s office, smashing my head off the Don’s desk. I was sent to my room, and I had to stay there for a few days.” The last bit is a lie, but if I don’t say something, Papa will force me to tell him every little detail. I don’t have the strength for that.

“Did the Don hurt you?” He asks.

I shake my head. “He threatened me. He said that if I slipped up again, he’d make me sorry in ways I didn’t understand.” Again, that’s a lie. But I know it will please my father.

I was right because he laughs loudly.

“Even Dray Vidal can see you’re a worthless piece of s**t, let alone the Don.”

The words slide off me like water. I’ve built armor over the years — invisible, but thick.

Papa steps toward me, slow and menacing. “You have one month,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “One month to bring me something — anything — on Draven Vidal that I can use to finally end that bastard.”

I step back instinctively. I can’t help shaking with fear. No one in this world could scare me more than my own father does.

“If you don’t,” he continues. “I’ll kill you myself. I don’t care who you’re married to. Nothing will save you from what I’ll do to you.”

My breath hitches. “Papa, please—”

His hand shoots out, wrapping around my throat, not tight enough to choke, but tight enough to remind me he could if he wanted to. “You belong to me,” he snarls. “You will always belong to me. You will always be a Romano. No matter what name you take.”

My pulse pounds in my ears, and I’m scared I’m going to piss myself in fear!

Why does he have to hurt me like this?

What did I ever do to deserve this treatment?

I haven’t been home ten minutes, and he’s already hurting me. God, I hope he doesn’t leave bruises on me!

“You will do as I say,” he hisses. “Or you will die screaming.” He pulls me closer, his mouth to my ear. “I hate you. You know that. Don’t you?” I close my eyes as I swallow hard and nod. “The only reason you’re still alive is that you’re useful. Fail me, and I will have no more use for you. Believe me when I say that no one will miss you should I kill you, Sofia.”

He releases me suddenly, and I stumble back, coughing. I instinctively touch my neck. He reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a small memory stick, holding it up between two fingers.

“You will gather information,” he tells me. “Anything. Documents. Conversations. Files. I don’t care how small. You copy it onto this.”

I nod quickly, desperate to end this. “Okay. I’ll try.”

“You’ll do more than try,” he snaps. “You have one month, Sofia, not a day longer. Do whatever it takes to make Luca fall in love with you. Get him hooked on you to the point that he will tell you anything. Do you understand?”

I nod again. “Yes, Papa.”

He steps close, his breath hot against my ear. “You were the biggest mistake I ever made,” he whispers. “And if you fail me again, I’ll send you somewhere no one will ever find you. I’ll keep you alive long enough to feel every break of your bones before I finally kill you.” Then he shoves me away.

I hit the floor hard, and the breath is knocked from my lungs.

Papa walks out without looking back, the door slamming behind him.

Silence swallows the room. I curl forward, tears spilling onto the wooden floor — not from pain, but from the weight of everything pressing down on me.

But beneath the fear… something else stirs.

Determination.

Tomorrow I’ll marry Luca.

Tomorrow I’ll leave this house forever.

Tomorrow I’ll become part of a family that protects its own.

I wipe my tears with shaking hands and blow out a long breath. No matter what my father wants or expects from me, I will never betray Luca.

I will never betray the Vidals.

I will never help my father destroy the only people who have ever shown me kindness.

I don’t know what Don Vidal is planning.

I don’t know what war is coming. But it’s obvious that the Don knows about my father’s shady dealings. It wouldn’t surprise me if Draven is playing my father the way Papa thinks he’s playing the Don.

But I know one thing with absolute certainty: I will stand with Luca.

I will stand with his family and never let them down.

Not even if it kills me.