LucaValencia had hired himself a wife.
That could be the only reason why Luca was marrying someone so sweet and innocent like Vivian.
But clearly, they had been both wrong, Angelo thought.
Their discussion at Luca’s office was brief but productive, with both men’s decisive attitudes making quick work of the plans for their upcoming charity project.
“You must bring Eula and Vivian over to our place one time,” Angelo murmured as he stood to leave. “My Lane would love to meet with them again.”
“I might just take you up on that,” Luca answered with a twist of his lips. “It has just occurred to me that I’ve been monopolizing her too much and that I haven’t taken her anywhere in the three months we’ve been together. I do not wish anyone to think that I am embarrassed of her or such.”
Angelo clapped a hand over his cousin’s back. “You’re not doing anything wrong. It’s entirely normal, for newlyweds and for a couple clearly in love with each other.”
About to speak, Luca remained silent instead, with the younger man’s words making him feel numb inside.
As Angelo walked to the door, he missed the way Luca’s jaw hardened as he continued, “I’m ashamed to admit that for one second, I really thought you hired yourself a wife but I only have to look at you now – you’re definitely no different from me. You’ve lost your heart to your woman, and I’m glad it’s someone like Vivian.”
When Angelo left, Luca slowly walked back to his desk. Taking his seat, he swung around to face the window, staring sightlessly at the sky as his cousin’s words rang in his mind.
You’ve lost your heart to your woman.
He closed his eyes, but it was no use. He tried to think of Vivian, his wife, but all he could see was her—
Maria.
The other woman who first had his heart.
His hands clenched.
Angelo was…wrong.
He was not in love.
And he could and would prove it this very day.
Chapter Twelve
The moment Vivian entered her husband’s office, she knew that something was wrong, like her instincts were stirred by impending danger and she began having a sick feeling in her stomach.
She had been standing by the door for five minutes, and not once had he looked up. He might think he was fooling her into thinking he hadn’t noticed her arrival, but he wasn’t. She knew he knew she was there, just as she knew he was purposely ignoring her.
Vivian just wished she knew why.
Every day of her marriage, there wasn’t a moment that she had regretted, not a moment that she had wished for something to change. But if she could have that wish today, Vivian thought, then it was to never have left Luca’s side. She didn’t know what had happened, but her guts were telling her that either Angelo had told him something or Luca had learned something from his cousin – and whatever it was, this was the result.
Maybe, if she had been there, things would have been different.
Maybe.
Still, Vivian didn’t really blame Angelo for this change. This, she thought sickly, was inevitable, no matter how she hard she tried to subconsciously convince herself otherwise. Taking a deep breath, she said finally, “If you’re busy, we can always postpone this.” She was already turning towards the door as she spoke, hoping she could escape so she would have time to just think about what she should say or do next.
“Hold on.”
Fudge. Double fudge. Triple fudge.
She reluctantly let go of the half-turned knob between her fingers, and when she turned around, it was like looking at a stranger.
A too-cold, too-beautiful stranger who had a too-perfect smile of apology on his lips as he came gracefully to his feet—-
She watched him cross the room, thinking bleakly, This isn’t the man I’ve been married to for three months.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you sooner, cara.”
She almost flinched at the last word but caught herself in time. She had always loved hearing Luca call her that, but now that didn’t feel right either. It felt…forced.
He laid a hand at the small of her back. “Shall we go?”
She forced herself to smile. “Okay.”
Inside the limousine, she busied herself texting on her phone while he made one call after another, even though in reality she knew they were both pretending. He had never spent so much time on the phone while he was in the car with her, and now it was as if he just had to make a call to every manager on his phone book.
Her vision began to blur, but she blinked them back furiously. It’s not the end of forever yet, she told herself fiercely.
It wasn’t over until it really was over, and this wasn’t it.
It wasn’t.
The moment she saw where they were eating, she hated the sight of it, and the sick feeling in her stomach got worse.