Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Sutton stood in front of the mirror, making a few last–minute touches to her platinum blonde hair and makeup. She still hadn’t taken out the bright green contact lenses from her earlier photo shoot. They masked the true blue of her eyes.
Luca had called from the airport to let her know he was on his way. She hadn’t seen him in five weeks. Five long weeks. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him until she heard his voice. This had been the longest they’d ever been apart.
He’d sounded tired… but that had never stopped him from coming straight to see her before. Whenever he returned from a trip, he always came to her first. He’d take her in his arms, devour her with a hunger that defied words. They rarely made it to the bedroom.
Sutton glanced down at the pregnancy test on the vanity, the two pink lines still boldly visible. She didn’t know why she’d kept it. Her doctor had already confirmed the result, but maybe part of her needed the reminder. Her life was about to change in a major way. There was no thought of getting rid of the baby. It was a part of the man she loved.
They had never talked about a future. Their passion had always burned too hot to leave room for questions. And yet, he’d been with her longer than he’d ever been with anyone else.
Maybe she was crazy for falling for him. Luca De Santis was known across Europe as a billionaire playboy. He didn’t do commitment. He didn’t do permanence. What would he say when she told him?
She’d found out she was pregnant just two days after he left for Italy. The timing hadn’t made sense at first… she’d had her period before he left, but the doctor had explained that some women still bleed in early pregnancy. Nothing to worry about, he’d said. And now, at three months pregnant, she still hadn’t told Luca.
He had been away for five weeks. She couldn’t do it over the phone. So she’d waited… agonizing day after agonizing day for him to come back so she could tell him to his face.
Would he think she’d done it on purpose? After all, he’d left the responsibility of birth control to her. Pregnancy hadn’t been on the cards for either of them. But she’d missed two pills when she was sick with a stomach virus. That’s all it had taken. Some women struggled to fall pregnant. For her, it had taken one stomach bug—and that was it.
Sutton turned sideways, studying her still–flat stomach. She ran a hand over it–over where their baby lay.
They’d only been together for eleven months. Not long enough to truly know someone. But she loved him. God, she loved him. She’d tried not to show it–kept things light, undemanding, because some part of her knew: ask for too much, and he’d
vanish.
The only thing she’d ever pushed back on was her job. Luca had asked her to travel with him a few times, but she always said no. She had her own career, her own commitments. Her sisters had needed her to make a good living. But now Blair and Keira were both working. They didn’t need her to carry that responsibility anymore.
She’d started modeling in Europe to get as far away as possible from her cousin Laura’s career. Her aunt Viv had always accused her of riding Laura’s coattails, of using the family name to get ahead in the fashion industry. So Sutton became Audrey. She dyed her dark blonde hair platinum, wore green contacts, and ghosted her real identity. Back then, before everything was so traceable, it had been possible.
Even Luca didn’t know her real name. He’d fallen in lust with Audrey, the model. Not Sutton Warner, the nerdy computer girl from the USA. She’d meant to tell him eventually, but the right moment never came. He’d never said he loved her. He wanted her, yes… but anything deeper? So the longer she had been Audrey to him, the harder it had been to tell the truth.
Maybe she had been crazy to fall for him. They lived entirely in the now. She never would have met him if she hadn’t become a model.
Now she was pregnant, and everything was about to change. Whether their relationship survived or not would depend on Luca. A relationship? Who was she kidding?
Their affair had always been low–key. She hadn’t wanted it to get back to anyone back home, and Luca never pushed to go
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16:23 Wed, 18 Jun
Chapter 92
public. Maybe that had meant something. Maybe it hadn’t..
The sound of a key turning in the lock pulled her out of her thoughts. Her heart jumped. She snatched the test off the counter and stuffed it in the tampon box in the vanity drawer, then ran to the door.
As Luca stepped inside and dropped his briefcase, she launched herself into his arms before he could say a word.
She kissed him hard, needing the comfort only he could give.
“Audrey, wait. We need to talk,” Luca said against her mouth.
She didn’t want to talk–she wanted to feel.
“Audrey. Please.”
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“I don’t want to talk,” she whispered. “I need you.” If they talked, she’d have to tell him. And she just wanted this moment. One more night before the truth changed everything.
(+28)
Her fingers curled into his shirt as she pulled him closer, silently pleading with him to give her this. Just this. The warmth of his body, the feel of his arms around her, the illusion that nothing had changed. That she wasn’t carrying a secret that could blow everything apart.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He hesitated, but only for a second. Then his hands were on her back, sliding down to her hips, anchoring her to him. Whatever he had to say could wait. Tonight, she just needed to be his.
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AD
