Chapter 2 - Splintered Reflections The aftermath in the private lounge downstairs was quiet and brutal. Julianna did not scream; she demanded truth. Luca sat on a leather sofa, his head in his hands, loosening the black tie until his throat could draw air.
"You knew her," Julianna stated, standing by the panoramic window. Her engagement ring, purchased barely three months prior, caught the glare of the street traffic below.
"She was my past," Luca said, voice hoarse. "Before the firm, before everything. When my father was dying and the family company was falling apart, I thought cutting away everything gentle in my life was the only way to survive. I thought I was sparing her from the bankruptcy and the cruelty of my family."
"And you left her carrying your children," Julianna said. There was no jealousy in her tone, only cold clarity. "A man who sacrifices love to play the martyr is dangerous, Luca. Because when reality catches up, you ruin everyone standing near you." She unclasped the diamond bracelet he had gifted her and set it on the marble table. "Take time to look at who you are. Because right now, I don't recognize you."
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