Chapter 10 - The Unspoken Confession By March, the dynamic had shifted. Luca had bought a modest brownstone three blocks from Nia’s apartment—not to force intimacy, but to be a constant, reliable presence. He walked the boys to pre-kindergarten; he picked up groceries; he respected Nia’s space with unfailing discipline.
One evening, after the boys were asleep, they sat on Nia's small iron fire escape, sharing a pot of black coffee under a clear spring sky.
"Why did you really say you didn't love me, Luca?" Nia asked quietly, looking out over the brownstone rooftops. "The truth this time."
Luca stared down at his hands. "Because I hated who I was becoming. My father was dying bankrupt and full of rage, screaming that love was a weakness that ruined men. I felt that darkness pulling me under. I thought if I dragged you into that fight, you would end up hating me. So I gave you a clean wound instead of a lingering poison. I was a coward who mistook callousness for strength."
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Nia listened, the evening breeze stirring the loose strands of her hair. "It took you four years to understand that strength is staying."
"Yes," Luca whispered. "And I will spend the rest of my life proving I'm staying."
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