Chapter 21: Bianca’s request
The moonlight shimmered against the dark glass of the terrace window. Alessia stood silently, her arms folded tight across her chest as the wind toyed with her hair. She had been standing there for nearly an hour now—waiting, thinking, breaking.
The cold wrapped around her like a cruel whisper.
She hadn’t wanted to cry.
But the truth had burned its way into her—Bianca’s announcement, the smugness in her voice, the timing of it all. The seed of doubt now bloomed with cruel thorns inside Alessia’s chest.
Behind her, the door creaked open.
"Alessia," Luca Morano’s voice came soft, almost hesitant. She didn’t turn.
He stepped forward, closing the door behind him, his footsteps slow on the polished tiles. "You’ve been out here for too long. It’s cold."
Her fingers clenched the fabric of her dress. "Cold is all I feel lately, Luca."
His breath caught.
"Alessia, don’t do this," he said, inching closer. "Not when you know the truth in my eyes."
She finally turned to face him. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her jaw trembling. "Then tell me, Luca. What is the truth? That she’s carrying your child? That I’m just a convenience? A warm bed while your past keeps crawling into our present?"
"No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "You’re not a convenience. You are my beginning... and everything after."
He closed the space between them, lifting her hands to his lips. "You are my bride. My woman. The one my heart chose before my mind could understand why."
Tears slipped down her cheeks as he leaned closer. "I married you, Alessia Morano, for better or worse. And this... this is the worse. But I’m still here. I’m still choosing you."
She fell into his arms, her body trembling against his chest. "Then tell me, Luca," she whispered. "What if the child is yours?"
He sighed against her hair. "We wait nine months. And if it is mine... then we’ll face it together. But until then, let’s not let that woman ruin what we have."
Alessia pulled back to look at him, eyes swollen with emotion. "And what if it is yours?"
Luca brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then I’ll take responsibility. But it won’t change the woman I want to fall asleep beside every night. It won’t change who I want to grow old with."
She searched his eyes, desperately needing to believe him. And there it was—honesty, sorrow, love, all tangled in his stormy gaze.
He smiled faintly. "But between you and me, I don’t think it’s mine. Let’s leave it that way for now."
*****
The next morning, Luca moved Alessia into a new apartment—a quiet sanctuary nestled in the heart of the estate. It had high ceilings, marble floors, and windows that welcomed the morning sun. Alessia felt like she could finally breathe again.
He had built this for her—for them.
The bedroom was warm and airy, the walls painted soft cream, the bed large enough for dreams to stretch. There were little details only a man in love would consider—the lavender sheets she once mentioned she loved, a kitchen stocked with her favorite tea, bookshelves filled with her poetry collection.
And Alessia, for the first time in weeks, smiled without pain.
Until Bianca moved in.
She took the entire guest apartment just beside theirs, her luggage rolling in like an omen. She said it was for her "safety"—that she needed to be close in case the baby came early. But Alessia could feel it—Bianca wasn’t here for safety. She was here to monitor. To poison.
To win.
The first few days were awkward but tolerable. Alessia stayed within the main house, and Luca didn’t go near Bianca’s apartment.
But Bianca... she didn’t stay away.
She floated into their space like a ghost that refused to be exorcised. And the more she smiled, the more Alessia’s heart shattered.
*****
It happened on a Saturday morning.
Alessia and Luca had slept in, tangled in warm sheets and softer laughter. The morning sun poured into the room like honey. Luca had just thrown a pillow at her for teasing him about his messy hair. She shrieked, ducking under the blanket.
"Come here, you menace," Luca growled playfully, pulling the covers off her.
"No!" she laughed. "You’re not getting a rematch. You lost fair and square!"
"Oh, we’ll see about that."
He tackled her into the pillows, laughter echoing off the walls as they rolled together, wrapped in joy.
But then the bedroom door burst open.
Alessia froze.
Bianca stood there in a silk robe that left little to the imagination, her expression tight with feigned pain.
"I need a foot massage," she said, holding her stomach like she was about to collapse. "It’s the baby. My ankles are swollen."
Alessia sat upright, the laughter dying in her throat. Her face drained of color.
Luca hesitated, his body still leaning over Alessia.
"Please," Bianca said dramatically. "I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious."
Alessia turned to Luca, her eyes pleading. "Don’t go."
He looked torn. "It’s only for today," he whispered to her. "Just today, my queen. I promise."
Alessia’s eyes brimmed with tears. "But... you touch me like I’m the only woman in the world. And now you’ll go pamper her like you pamper me?"
Luca’s jaw clenched. "I’ll be quick. I swear."
He pulled away.
The warmth in the bed faded.
And so did Alessia’s heart.
***
The living room was quiet—too quiet—except for the soft murmur of Bianca’s smug giggles.
Alessia stood behind the hallway wall, hidden but close enough to hear. She watched as Luca sat on the edge of the couch, his hands moving stiffly across Bianca’s ankles.
Bianca moaned exaggeratedly. "Mmm... I forgot how good your hands are."
Luca’s eyes didn’t leave her legs, but his expression was blank.
Still, Alessia’s chest cracked with every passing second. Each touch Luca gave Bianca, no matter how forced, stabbed at her.
Then Bianca threw her head back and laughed loudly. "You’re being so gentle. Almost like you’re flirting with me again."
Alessia’s fists clenched.
She stepped back, ready to storm off—but she froze when she heard Bianca’s voice drop low.
"You know what I really need tonight, Luca?"
Silence.
Bianca’s voice sharpened. "I need sex. At least it’s important for a pregnant woman, right?, i’m not even feeling too well, Luca.... "