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I should’ve known that even she wouldn’t want me once I’m no longer of use to her. Without her grandmother and the care Iprovided for her, she no longer needs me. My eyes fall closed as I plead with myself to snap out of it. “This is Valentina,” I whisper to myself. “You know her better than she knows herself right now. This isn’t her.”
I know that it’s true, and that I should go back to her mother’s house and endure the pain, but I’m scared that if I do, I’ll have to admit that things truly are over for us. When I’m here, I’m in limbo, able to pretend everything is fine. If I go there and face her, she might truly break my heart, and I don’t think I’m ready for that.
If I’m honest with myself, part of me genuinely believed that staying away for a couple of days would make her realize what kind of damage she’s doing to us. I thought she’d come back home, but I should’ve known better. Maybe I should believe her words and accept that the woman I love more than life itself… doesn’t love me back.
I sit up when I hear the sound of the front door closing, my heart racing wildly. “Please,” I whisper, barely holding onto my sanity. Please let it be her.
My heart sinks when my grandmother walks into my living room, five bodyguards behind her. I sigh as I sink back into the sofa, feeling lost. I don’t have the energy to wonder what she’s doing here.
“Luca,” Grandma says as she walks up to me.
I raise my face to look at her, but I don’t have it in me to fake it for her. I’m fucking heartbroken, and I miss my wife.
She sighs, and for a moment, I see hesitation in her expression, but then she steels her spine. “It’s come to my attention that Val and you are in breach of your agreement with me,” she says, her tone firm. “Val moved out weeks ago, and you haven’t been with her in over two weeks. The agreement was a maximum of three consecutive days, Luca. I’m sorry, but I’m cutting you off. All of your assets at The Windsor Bank havebeen frozen, and you’re no longer allowed to set foot on any of the Windsor properties, including this estate. That, of course, includes the houses of all your siblings.”
I stare at my grandmother in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right? My wife isn’t home because she just lost a family member, and you know it.”
Grandma nods and smiles humorlessly. “I didn’t say she had to beherewith you. I said you two have to be together, and you’re not. If she’s grieving at her mother’s house, then that’s where you should’ve been too. I won’t make exceptions for you, Luca. You already went behind my back and married her, and I let it go then. I won’t give you any further chances.”
She nods at one of her bodyguards, and he drops a bag onto my coffee table.
“You have ten minutes to pack your essentials before these men escort you out. I’ll let you take one of your cars, but you’re forbidden from selling it, since it’s Windsor property.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “How could you do this to me, all because I disobeyed one of your ridiculous rules? Is total obedience truly more important to you than my happiness and well-being?” I run a hand through my hair and chuckle humorlessly when she stares at me completely expressionlessly. “You’re making an example of me to ensure my siblings stay in line, huh? Do you truly think Mom and Dad would want this for me? How are you going to live with the knowledge that you’re letting them down in the worst way?”
She sighs. “Eight minutes,” she informs me, completely fucking heartless.
I rise to my feet, fueled by hatred. “I hope something as ridiculous as this is worth losing your grandson over, because I’ll never come back to this damn estate. For the rest of your life, you won’t see me again. I’m done being one of your little puppets.”
“Five minutes,” she replies, a sweet smile on her face. How can she look at me that way, entirely unaffected? Does she even love my siblings and me at all, or are we just tools for her to expand her legacy with?
I sigh as I gather my most precious belongings and a handful of clothes. How did I lose everything in a matter of days? Where did it all go wrong?
Chapter Sixty-Two
Valentina
My bedroom door opens, and hope rushes through me, only for it to vanish the second I see Sierra and Raven. I shouldn’t expect Luca to come back here after the way I pushed him away, but somehow, a small irrational part of me wants him to fight for me even when I make it so hard. It’s unfair, and I don’t want to think or act this way, but it’s like I’m helpless in the face of fear.
The girls smile at me as they sit down on my bed. “How are you feeling?” Sierra asks, while Raven grabs my hand.
I nod. “I’m fine.”
Raven squeezes my hand and shakes her head. “You’re not fine at all, Val. You haven’t been yourself in weeks now. I’m really worried about you. We all are.”
I glance past her to find Ares, Zane, Dion, and Lexington hovering by the door. “What are you all doing here?” I ask, confused. They’ve been taking it in turns lately, each of them coming to see me every few days, but they’ve never come here all at once, together.
Sierra brushes my hair behind my ear gently. “It’s meant to be poker night tonight, and the boys thought they’d find Luca here.”
I frown in confusion. “What do you mean? Isn’t he at home?”
Ares walks into my bedroom, his expression carefully guarded. “Grandma threw him out a few days ago because you two failed to abide by the rules. She forbade him from setting foot on Windsor property, so we haven’t seen him since. Didn’t you receive an email informing you that Grandma is firing you?”
My eyes widen as realization sinks in. We’re only allowed to be away from each other for three consecutive days at most. How could I have forgotten? Have I truly been so self-absorbed that I put everything Luca has worked for at risk?
“Where is he?”
Ares shakes his head. “I don’t know. I thought he was here.”
