The Real Mafia Heiress They Left Behind Chapter 08

The Real Mafia Heiress They Left Behind Chapter 08

Luca couldn’t remember how he’d made it back to his apartment in Georgetown.

He locked himself inside and didn’t step outside for three straight days.

Mrs. Anderson’s furious accusations echoed endlessly in his mind, along with the note Serena had left

behind.

“Luca is the best person in the world…”

The words haunted him like a curse, replaying over and over until he could barely breathe.

Once, he had been her safe place.

But somewhere along the way, he’d taken everything that once belonged to Serena and handed it to Ivy

instead.

His mind drifted back to the night before the beach trip.

He had watched Serena lose her spot on the vacation without saying a word.

He had watched her suitcase get wheeled away and given to Ivy.

He had seen the disappointment in Serena’s eyes.

And still, in his usual calm, rational voice, he’d told her, “Be mature about this.”

He had assumed she was just throwing another little tantrum.

He had believed that once he came home, all it would take was a few soft words and she’d forgive him like

she always had.

Because Serena had always been so gentle.

So patient.

So easy to comfort.

What he’d forgotten was that even the kindest heart could only be pierced so many times before it stopped

beating

Luca shot upright from the couch.

He grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

Calling in every favor his family could offer, he finally tracked down the final destination of Serena’s flight.

England.

He booked the earliest flight available and raced to the airport like a man possessed.

Sitting in the departure lounge, he clutched the little pink jewelry box so tightly his palms were soaked with

sweat.

He told himself that the moment he saw Serena again, he’d drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness.

He would tell her the truth.

That she’d always been the woman he loved.

That Ivy had never been anything more than a younger sister who needed looking after.

He would spend the rest of his life giving Serena every ounce of the love and attention she’d been denied.

But after more than a dozen exhausting hours in the air, he found himself standing on the unfamiliar campus

of Cambridge.

Only then did reality hit him.

The world was enormous.

And he had absolutely no idea where Serena was.

He didn’t have her phone number.

He didn’t know what she was studying.

He didn’t even know which dorm she lived in.

For three days, he wandered the campus like a lost soul, stopping anyone who would listen.

“Have you seen a freshman named Serena Moretti?”

No one knew.

On the fourth day, he stopped in front of a campus bulletin board.

A photograph caught his eye.

It was from the freshman welcome ceremony.

The caption identified the student speaker.

Serena.

She stood beneath the stage lights in a perfectly tailored business suit.

Her smile was confident.

Her eyes sparkled with life.

It was a version of her he’d never seen back at the Moretti estate.

She had never shined like that in front of him.

Luca stood frozen before the bulletin board.

Unable to look away.

Only then did he realize the truth.

After leaving him…

After escaping that suffocating house…

Serena hadn’t fallen apart.

She had become the brightest version of herself.

His trembling hand slowly reached toward her face in the photograph.

But just before his fingertips touched the glass…

He stopped.

Did he deserve even that?

No.

He didn’t.

He had been the one who buried her in the dirt.

What right did he have to reach for her light now?

His knees finally gave out beneath him.

He crouched on the ground, covering his face with both hands as muffled sobs escaped through his fingers.

Back at the airport, the departure board had announced the flight to England.

That had been the beginning.

Now, all he had left was the cheap seashell necklace he’d bought for her at the beach.

He squeezed it so hard that his fingernails cut into his palm.

Blood seeped through his fingers.

At last…

He understood.

Some mistakes could never be undone.

Some choices destroyed an entire lifetime.

His Serena…

Was gone forever.