The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(100)

He pulls up on the curb and opens his arms for me. “Come here,” he says, his voice soft. Dion pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly, and just like that, I fall apart. “For the last nine years, you’ve been my baby sister, Val,” he says, his grip tight. “Just like Sierra is, and just like Raven. Nothing will ever change that, okay? You don’t need to try so hard to be loved. You’re worthy of it just as you are, and we do, we all love you. I can see you battling demons you’ll never tell me about, so this is as much as I can do for you, sweetheart. Know that you have four big brothers and two crazy sisters who will always support you, no matter what. We’re all here for you, so stop acting like it’s you against the world, all right? Stop pushing us all away, and stop being so scared you’ll lose us. It won’t happen. I promise.”

I pull away from him, and he gently dries my tears, a hint of worry in his eyes. “Now, tell me that this is going to be our little secret, because if Luca finds out that I made his wife cry, I’m not sure I’ll live to see another day. The way my brother loves you is no joke.”

I smile through my tears and nod. It’s hard for me to believe sometimes, but Dion is right. I’m loved beyond reason, even on days that are hard.

Especially by my husband.

I’m not sure how I’ll earn his forgiveness for everything I said to him, but I see it now. This life isn’t worth living without him.





Chapter Sixty-Three





Valentina

I’m trembling as I stare at Luca’s hotel room door, my thoughts reeling. I don’t know what to say to him, and I’m scared he doesn’t want to see me. Something this significant happened, and he didn’t even reach out to me. Did I push him away too far? Does he think I’m too much? Too broken. Too insecure. Far too much work.

Even now, insecurity claws at me, trying its best to convince me I’m not good enough, that there’s no way I can help him, and that I’ll only be a burden to him.

We don’t need you to do anything for us, and you don’t need to make yourself useful. You just need to be yourself.

Dion’s words resound through my mind, throwing me a lifeline when self-doubt tries to drown out every positive thought. Would it truly be enough for me to be myself? “Please,” I whisper, willing myself to be a little stronger, to fight a little harder. Luca stood by me for weeks without a single complaint. I’m not hurting any less than I was then, but how could I claim to love him if I can’t do this much? If he pushes me away and tells me he doesn’t want to see me, then I’d deserve that. But he deserves my best effort, no matter what.

I knock on his door and wait, my heart in my throat. I haven’t felt like myself in weeks, but even less so right now. It took me years to become stronger and more independent, yet here I stand, a broken person, about to face the man that built me up brick by brick.

Self-hatred, shame, and doubt nearly consume me, but my love for him keeps me standing here, even when it feels like the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

The door opens, and my heart skips a beat when I see my husband standing in front of me, his hair disheveled, and my favorite gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his torso bare. I’ve missed him more than I even realized, and the way he’s looking at me makes me hope he feels the same way.

“Valentina,” he murmurs, shocked. “What are you doing here?”

Nerves keep me captive, but I decide to stand my ground. I force a smile and rush past him, scared he’ll close the door on me and deprive me of a chance to say what I have to.

I turn back to face him when I hear the door fall closed, and he walks toward me hesitantly, his expression guarded. Luca’s eyes slowly roam over my body, taking in the red dress I’m wearing. For a moment, I’m certain I see pain flash through his eyes, but then he sighs and smiles at me. It’s been a really long time since I last saw him smile at me that way — it’s the smile he reserves for everyone but me. Distant. Polite. Fake.

“You look good,” he says, his voice soft. “It looks like you’re feeling better. I’m glad.”

He stares at me for a moment, and then he shakes his head slightly as he tears his gaze off me. Even when I told him we should end things, it didn’t feel as final as it does right now. What have I done?

I’m shaking as I walk toward him, desperation dictating my every move. I’m willing to lose every part of myself, but not if that means I lose him, too.

I pause in front of him, and Luca looks down at me, his expression unreadable. It’s been so long since I stood in front of him without him instantly pulling me into his arms, and it hurts. It kills me to know that I did this to us.

“Forgive me,” I whisper. My eyes fill with tears, and I ball my hands into fists, my nails digging into my skin roughly. “Please forgive me, Luca. I didn’t mean a thing I said. And I—”

It only takes him a split second to pull me into his arms, and the moment he wraps me in his embrace, I burst into tears. A soft sob tears through my throat despite my best attempts to choke it back, and Luca tightens his grip on me.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” he tells me, his words rushed, as though he can’t bear to hear me cry. “Nothing at all, baby.”

I bury my face against his chest and hold on to him tightly, never wanting to let go again.