Chapter 42: Wanted to marry her
"What were you doing at the telephone booth?" Sara asked, her brow knitting in curiosity as she sipped her boba tea.
"Well..." Luca replied, settling into his chair. He took a slow sip of his latte before answering. "My phone wasn’t working for some reason, and I had to make an urgent call," he told a white lie to her.
The morning sea breeze swept gently past them. It mingled with the warmth of the rising sun, making the moment quietly pleasant. But what truly made it special, Luca thought, was that Sara was here with him.
"So, to get to your special place, we have to ride a scooter?" Luca asked again, seeking confirmation.
"Yes," Sara replied with a small smile.
"Luca, is that you?" a feminine voice called out suddenly.
"Claudia!" Luca exclaimed in surprise, rising quickly from his seat. A warm smile spread across his face as he approached her. They embraced in a friendly hug before stepping back.
"This is my wife, Sara," he introduced, nodding politely.
Sara returned his nod with a gentle smile and stood to extend her hand. "Nice to meet you, Claudia."
Claudia smiled warmly in return, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Nice to meet you too, Sara. I was just on vacation here with some friends. Luca definitely surprised everyone with his sudden marriage. Were you two dating? I honestly thought that wasn’t your thing, Luca." Her tone carried light amusement, and her eyes danced playfully.
"She loved me for a long time," Luca said calmly. "And I agreed to marry her."
Sara frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing at his false explanation.
"Wait," Claudia interrupted, curiosity lacing her voice. "You married Sara because she loves you... but what about you?"
"I love her too," Luca replied simply, with no hesitation.
Sara couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly he lied in front of others. A shadow of doubt flickered across her face.
"But the rumors..." Claudia’s voice lowered slightly. "They say you married because Sara’s company was on the brink of bankruptcy."
Luca chuckled softly with amusement. "Wow, you already know a lot of things," he said with a hint of amusement. "I thought you were simply unaware."
"You’re a hot topic these days," Claudia teased, smirking.
"Don’t believe in rumors," Luca said firmly, turning his gaze toward Sara. "I’ve always wanted to marry her. You know how many hearts I’ve crushed just to be with her." His tone carried both pride and possessiveness.
Sara, however, squinted suspiciously. ’He is so shameless,’ she thought.
"I won’t interrupt you two. Enjoy your honeymoon," Claudia said with a playful smile. "Bye, Sara." She waved lightly and headed toward her table, where her friends awaited her.
Sara left her boba tea unfinished and walked away. Luca quickly rose, abandoning his latte on the table, and followed her.
"What happened?" he asked softly, falling into step beside her and gently taking her hand.
"Why did you lie to her?" Sara muttered. "You seriously love to irritate me."
"It wasn’t entirely a lie," Luca replied calmly, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.
"It was," Sara insisted quietly. "I don’t love you. You could have made it about yourself. Why say that I loved you and that you agreed to marry me?"
Luca paused, meeting her gaze. "Well... you begged me to save you. You went to your knees. We married because you agreed to it."
She pulled her hand away sharply, taking several steps back.
"Just because I shared a few kisses with you doesn’t mean I have feelings for you," she said coldly. "It’s not a big deal to kiss someone these days anyway. We’re returning to Spain tonight. I don’t care if you come with me or not. I’ll go without you."
Turning away, she raised her hand to hail a taxi back to the private beach house.
But before she could step forward, Luca grabbed her hand firmly.
"Sara, don’t make a scene here," she said through clenched teeth. "Your friend might see us and spread even more rumors. My reputation is already in ruins... but yours isn’t."
She yanked her hand free just as a taxi pulled up. Without hesitation, she slid into the back seat, slamming the door behind her.
Then, to her shock, Luca climbed in beside her.
She turned her head away, staring out the window as the driver steered them back toward the beach house.
Once there, Sara walked straight to the bedroom and began packing her luggage.
"I get it, you’re upset... but we don’t have to leave so soon," Luca said softly.
"I’m not enjoying anything here," Sara murmured, folding her clothes and placing them into her trolley bag.
"But you thanked me yesterday... and the day before that too," Luca pressed gently.
"That’s because I was happy then," Sara replied without looking at him, her voice flat.
"My mother ruined your mood this morning. I’m going to confront her," Luca said, stepping closer.
"No," Sara corrected him. "It’s you."
She sank onto the mattress and pulled her phone from her bag, scrolling through her tickets. After a pause, she lifted her head to meet his gaze.
"Do you want to come with me or not?" Sara finally asked.
"I won’t let you go alone," Luca said, sitting beside her with his back turned.
Sara studied him for a moment, then spoke softly, almost to herself. "Maybe... When I start working with you as your assistant, I might develop some liking toward you. Right now, everything feels forced. I want to stay away from that place, but my mind keeps going back there. Remember, I made a mess. I’ll find peace only if I keep myself busy with work."
Luca turned to face her. "I told you I would help you," he said firmly.
"I know," she replied with a thoughtful expression. "But there’s so much I need to sort out. I have to meet people who walked away: my secretary, my once-best friend, and others. The longer I delay, the more complicated it will become."