Too Late—Now I’m Married to Your Enemy Chapter 02

Too Late—Now I’m Married to Your Enemy Chapter 02

It was the same excuse he’d used three years ago. The same soft tone. The same open-ended promise. Then he’d acted as if saying those words could wipe all the unpleasantness between us clean, like it was that simple.

A tight, sour ache bloomed in my chest.

His phone lit up again. In the dark of the night, the name on the screen burned like a brand.

He glanced down, his expression shifting slightly, and immediately ordered the driver to pull over.

“We’re only one intersection away from Valentino Manor, can you walk the rest of the way?”

I nodded and said yes.

A light rain was falling. He called the bodyguards at Valentino Manor to bring me an umbrella. I rejected that petty, patronizing gesture of goodwill, and flung the car door open to step out straight away.

Luca didn’t seem the least bit concerned about my state. He didn’t stop me, just let me walk out into the rain.

Before he left, he explained, “Nico’s condition has worsened. I have to get to the hospital right away.”

I walked through the rain. It wasn’t heavy, but it pricked my heart like thousands of tiny needles. The few hundred meters felt like an eternity.

When I got home, I was soaked through. Rain from my wet hair trickled down the bridge of my nose and into my mouth. Salty, bitter.

The house staff spotted my disheveled, dripping state, shocked and concerned. They urged me to draw a hot bath.

I didn’t register a word they said. I sat alone on the couch, numb and disoriented. Only when a chill seeped through my entire body did I finally get ready to take a shower.

When I passed the living room, I stopped in my tracks. We’d turned that once blank wall into a full-length photo wall.

I walked over and studied every single photo carefully. Most were shots of his back or his side profile—pictures I’d taken secretly before we got together.

After we started dating officially, he found out I’d had a crush on him for ages when he went through my camera. My secret was out. I screamed and tried to snatch the camera away to delete the evidence of my secret photos, but he pinned me against the wall and kissed me hard.

He lifted his hand, and a click froze that moment in time, “Actually, I didn’t just start liking you today either.”

I ran a finger gently over the photo. I looked so deliriously happy in it. I tore it off the wall, shredding that old sweetness along with it.

Next to it were our travel photos from all over the world, the sketches he’d drawn of me, and all the ticket stubs I’d thought were worth saving.

In the dim lamplight, they glowed cold, like a sea of silent mockery. The entire wall was full—he’d helped me stick every single one of them up there.

I tore them down one by one, shoving them messily into a garbage bag. Luca came home as the sky was starting to lighten.

I’d fallen asleep curled up on the couch, and he picked me up gently. I jolted awake and wrenched myself out of his arms.

“How’s Nico?”

“Stable. The doctors say he’s fine. It’s going to be hard on Rosa these days, though—Nico needs his mother a lot right now.”

He loosened his tie and spread his arms. Just like he always did, waiting for me to help him take off his coat.

But nothing happened. I just nodded mechanically, “Mm, that’s really tough.”

He had to unbutton his shirt himself, and when he turned around, he spotted the now empty wall and froze for a split second.

“Why did you take all the photos down?” Luca pulled me into his arms, “Still mad at me, hm?”

His warm breath and steady heartbeat brushed my ear—once, that had been the safety I craved more than anything. Now every beat felt like a heavy hammer slamming into my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

When I stayed cold and unresponsive, he said, “Taking them down is not a bad idea. It’s been five years, those old photos have faded. It’s about time we replaced them.”

“Once I get through this busy stretch, I’ll take you to Switzerland to see the northern lights. You’ve always wanted to go, right?”

I didn’t give him any answer, but he thought that little promise was compensation enough. No apology.

Luca let go of me and walked toward the bathroom.

“Luca—” I said, staring at his back, “We should break up.”