Chapter 5 The Echos of Secrets

It seemed as if everyone in the room held their breath. Despite the wedding band's efforts to regain their beat, the anguished scream of the dishevelled man "Luca won't stay buried forever!" reverberated louder than the music. Whispers began to circulate, faces shifted, and the glistening reception hall started to seem like an impending explosion.

Even though my insides were toiling with terror and remorse, I pushed my legs to remain firm. Matteo's eyes revealed the tempest raging inside of him, despite his angry face. With a low, menacing voice, he rushed at the guy. "Leave him alone. Now.

The invader was being pushed toward the exit by security, but the guy continued to yell, his words shattered and frantic. "It cannot be kept secret indefinitely! "The truth will be revealed!"

Every word struck me like a blow, and I had to use all of my might to keep from losing it. I hardly noticed Sara's claws digging into my flesh as she continued to hold onto my arm. I concentrated on Matteo and how his body was clenched like a predator about to attack. Moreover, Alessandro Standing a few steps away, he observed the spectacle with a calculating and icy look.

The door slammed behind the guy as he was taken out of sight, leaving an uncomfortable hush in his wake. The joyous mood had been ruined, replaced by a tension that no amount of music or champagne could cover up, yet conversations started to splutter back to life.

I knew I had to remain and maintain appearances, but I was out of breath. The throng was too oppressive, the walls seemed to be closing in, and the chandelier lights were too bright. Without giving it any thought, I ripped out of Sara's hold and ran for the closest exit, my heart pounding in my ears.

I felt the sharp, bracing night air smack me. I staggered to the courtyard's edge, holding on to the stone railing as if it would hold me in place. My eyesight was blurry and my thoughts were racing as the city shimmered around me. Luca. Luca. Luca.

I had battled so hard to put the past behind me and get out of this nightmare. However, the past never remained hidden, did it? Despite your best efforts to conceal it, it always managed to come back.

I turned when a sound came from behind me. While his hands were stuffed into his pockets, Alessandro stood there with a hard, intense gaze that made me feel naked. He remained silent, so we stood there for a while, the city humming around us as if nothing had occurred.

With a calm power in his voice, he eventually murmured, "Anita." "Who is Luca?"

His question caused me great agony, so I closed my eyes. It wasn't a question of idle curiosity. Being able to read between the lines has always been a strength of Alessandro's. He was now staring at me as if I were a problem that he had to solve, one that had just become a lot more difficult.

"It's complicated," I said, repeating the pathetic response I had given Sara. However, Sara wasn't Alessandro. He was not going to overlook me.

He responded firmly, "Don't." "Don't tell me it's complex when a guy leaves you looking like you've seen a ghost after crashing a wedding and screaming about a man called Luca. Anita, this isn't a straightforward miscommunication.

To keep myself together, I pushed my hands to my temples. I pleaded in a broken voice, "Please." "I can't just give a few words to describe it."

As he moved closer, Alessandro's cool mask came off, exposing a raw, almost vulnerable face. He said in a gruff voice, "Then give me more than a few words." "Although I'm now no longer your adversary, I can not guard you if I do not know what I'm up against."

Guard. I was left gasping for air after hearing that term. I hadn't connected that term to someone since, since everything had gone apart. I had learnt to fend for myself since I had discovered that trusting others only resulted in betrayal.

I felt weak and vulnerable because of this city and its ghosts, and I loathed it. Tears pricked my eyes. "Luca" I gulped, the name of a sharp fragment of glass in my throat. "My son was named Luca."

The confession landed between us, shattered and heavy. Alessandro seemed really shocked for the first time since I'd met him, as his eyes expanded. He most likely anticipated the name of a lover, an ex, or a secret lover. But not this.

"Your son?" he repeated, clearly not believing it. He seemed to reach for me with his twitching hands, yet he remained fixed on the place. "Why, why didn't you bring him up at all?"

I turned my head away and stared at the city lights while trying to prevent the dam from bursting. I said in a scarcely audible whisper, "Because he died." "Because talking about it doesn't make the pain go away, and it never truly goes away." It just reopens scars that I am not strong enough to deal with.

The only sound to break the silence between us was the distant buzz of traffic. When Alessandro spoke, his voice was quiet and tinged with an unnamed substance. He exhaled slowly and shudderingly. "I'm sorry," he explained. "I had no idea."

"No one does," I said in a whisper. "That was a simpler approach."

It was easier to act as if I hadn't lost everything. Building barriers around my emotions and keeping others at a distance is easier. However, Matteo knew. In his own perverse manner, he had also suffered while he was there. The specter of Luca's name had reappeared, threatening to destroy the tenuous existence I had attempted to establish.

Alessandro took a step forward, suddenly unhesitating. I didn't flinch away as he reached out this time. He cupped my face with a steady, warm stroke. He continued, "You don't have to face this alone," in a calm, promising voice.

But before I could reply, Matteo came out, his face a whirl of rage and something else, like desperation, as the patio doors sprang open. His hands were clenched at his sides, and the sight of Alessandro caressing me just seemed to make him more enraged.

With a voice that broke the tension, Matteo murmured, "Anita." We must speak. Now.

I took a step back as Alessandro's hand dropped. Between the memories that would not leave me and the two guys, my heart was a jumble of uncertainty and terror. I realized there was no getting out of this talk when Matteo gave me a demanding look.

I answered, my voice more steady than I felt, "All right." "Let us have a conversation."

As a reminder that I wasn't completely helpless, Alessandro remained nearby. But as Matteo moved in closer and met my eyes, I understood that nobody could protect me from the reality that was going to hit me hard.

I had a strong feeling that this encounter would be the turning point in my life.