Luca dragged himself out of bed. Shit.
He looked back at Audrey’s naked body, barely covered by the sheet. She was still asleep.
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He hadn’t meant to sleep with her. He’d come here to end things. Break it off clean. But the second he saw her, touched her -tasted her–he caved. As always. It was like trying to quit smoking. Not that he ever had. But she was addictive.
Maybe that’s why this thing between them had lasted eleven months. The longest he’d ever been with anyone.
He should’ve ended it months ago. Luca had known this was coming–known he had responsibilities he couldn’t outrun forever. He just hadn’t expected them to catch up in the form of his father’s heart attack.
Nick De Santis had pulled through. But it had been close. Too close.
And before the surgery, his father had made him promise. Made him swear that if he survived, Luca would finally fulfill the commitment he’d made sixteen years ago.
The promise that still made Luca’s blood boil.
When Luca was sixteen, his father had agreed to a marriage pact with Marco Rossi–his best friend since childhood. Marco’s daughter, Bella, had been two. A toddler. In Luca’s eyes, she was still a child at eighteen to his thirty–two years.
Luca hadn’t known about the arrangement until years later, when he’d fallen for someone else. That was when his father told him the truth–that his future had already been decided. That love didn’t matter. That duty came first.
The girl, Carly–his first real relationship–dumped him the second she found out. Married another rich fool within months. So much for love.
Audrey would do the same.
She was beautiful. Men would line up for her.
Why did the thought of someone else touching her make him sick?
He wasn’t an idiot. What they had was heat. Chemistry. Not love. She’d move on. Find someone else to scratch the same itch. It wasn’t her fault. They’d only ever been using each other. She’d never come away with him. Her career had always come first. And it’s not like she was out saving lives. She was a fucking model.
Luca rubbed a hand down his face.
This marriage wasn’t his choice, but he’d made a promise. His father wanted him married. Wanted him tied to another powerful Italian family. Rooted in legacy and wealth. Just like theirs.
What choice did he have?
Audrey… he liked her. More than he should. But he didn’t love her. Not in the way that counted. She was perfect mistress material. Not wife material.
She was too wild. Too independent. A model, for fuck’s sake. No family. No connections. She’d come to Europe seven years ago, worked when she wanted, lived on her own terms. He needed someone who understood duty. Legacy. Family. He couldn’t even imagine her giving up modeling to have children. Not yet. Her career was too important to her. His father wanted grandchildren–and soon.
What would she even do at a formal dinner? A charity gala? Could she host diplomats? Entertain politicians? She didn’t understand his life.
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She was sexy as sin, no denying that. And God, that body–he’d seen it on billboards, lingerie campaigns, half–naked in every city from Milan to Madrid.
But that wasn’t the kind of woman he could marry.
And it sure as hell wasn’t the kind of wife his father would ever accept.
Quickly, he dressed. Once he said what needed to be said, he had to leave.
He stepped closer to the bed. “Audrey, we need to talk.”
She stirred, turning toward him, a sleepy smile on her lips. “Come back to bed, Luca. It’s still dark.”
“No. We need to talk.”
“Why are you dressed?” she asked, sitting up and pulling the sheet around her chest. Her platinum hair fell over her bare shoulders.
She was a temptation. And he wished–God, he wished–he could crawl back into bed and pretend none of this mattered. But he’d already crossed a line by sleeping with her again. He wasn’t going to stay long enough to comfort her.
He’d never had trouble ending things before. So why was this so hard?
Maybe because she’d been easy to be with. In all the ways that mattered. Who would’ve guessed—a beautiful model who was actually easy to be around. He had dated his fair share before Audrey. Shallow empty relationships and very short–lived.
“Audrey… it’s over.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You heard me. It’s over.”
“You can’t be serious.” Her voice cracked.
“I’m dead serious.”
“Why now? What did I do?”
“It’s not about anything you did. This was never permanent. I need to get married.”
“I’m open to marriage,” she said softly.
He laughed, even though his chest felt like it was splintering. “Marry you? I can’t marry you.”
“But I love you.”
“Audrey, don’t lie. You don’t love me. And even if you did, it doesn’t matter. I need to marry someone from my background. Someone my father would approve of. You’re a model with no connections. You have nothing to offer.”
He hated himself the second he said it. But maybe if she hated him, it would be easier for both of them.
“I’m being honest. Cruel, maybe–but kind in the long run. I’m already engaged.”
She stared at him, stunned. Eyes glassy, chest rising and falling like she couldn’t breathe.
“What?” she whispered, barely audible.
“You’re a great fuck,” Luca said, biting back the urge to soften the blow. “An incredible mistress. But that’s all you are. I don’t want to marry you.”
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Her tears fell, silent and steady.
He felt the cracks in his armor. If he stayed another second, he’d crumble.
He turned toward the door.
“I need to tell you something,” she said behind him, her voice raw and broken.
Luca stopped. “Audrey.”
“Please. It might change everything.”
“It won’t.”
“Please.”
He turned, jaw clenched. “What?”
“I’m pregnant.”
His face drained of color.
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ossible,” he snapped. “You had your period five days before I left. I know enough about biology to know you n be far enough along to know that yet.”
I haven’t been with anyone else. Only you.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying! The doctor said—”
“The doctor said what? That you sleep around?” His voice rose. “Jesus, Audrey. Just stop. Stop with the lies. You fucking bitch. Who was he?”
“There was no one else,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t want to trap you.”
“You can’t mean what you’re saying.”
“I mean every fucking word. That thing in your belly proves we were never supposed to be together. You’re just like the rest -a slut. You can lie all you want, but that baby isn’t mine.”
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Audrey sat frozen in the silence, staring at the empty space where he’d been. Her stomach twisted. Her hand trembled as she pressed it to her belly.
He thought she’d lied. Thought she’d cheated.
He was going to marry someone else. He was already engaged.
She had hoped–stupidly, blindly–that maybe one day they’d have a future. That he might see her as more than just a body in his bed.
But clearly, he never had.
And now… she was carrying his child.
Alone.
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No–she wasn’t alone.
She had her sisters.
Blair and Keira.
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