Chapter 33: Shadow of himself
Luca woke up the next morning feeling like a man drowning in silence.
The air in Bianca’s room was stale, Cold and heavy.
He blinked, trying to clear the fog from his head, then sat up slowly.
The thin bedsheet fell from his chest.
His boxers was wet and squeezed.
Bianca lay beside him with her back turned, pretending to sleep, but her smile betrayed her.
She stood by the edge of the bed, her towel clutched tightly against her damp skin, her eyes blazing with a storm she could no longer contain.
"Was I not beautiful enough for you, Luca?" she asked, voice cracking under the weight of her frustration.
"Before you married her, I was your favorite—your escape.
You used to call me your sweetest sin... aside from the other side chicks, at least."
Her lips curled with bitterness, it was the hurt in her voice that struck the room silent.
"But since your wedding, you’ve treated me like filth, Like I disgust you. What does Alessia have that I don’t?"..... Her voice was so loud, her breath was caught in the back of her throat. "Tell me what she has that I lack."
Luca’s eyes narrowed, as he let the silence weigh heavy between them.
Then he stood, calm yet cold, the tension rippling off him like a tidal wave just before the crash.
"My heart," he said firmly. "That’s what she has, that you don’t have and may never have..... "
Bianca felt sharp pain cut through her chest, as though slapped.
Luca took a step closer, his voice low but unwavering. "Alessia captured my soul. She’s not just someone I desire—she’s all I ever needed. There’s a difference between my past and my present, Bianca. You were my lust. She is my love."
He let that sink in before adding, "Please, stay away from me. Don’t humiliate yourself further."
The burn of rejection be little bianca’s pride, and something in her snapped.
Out of desperate jealousy, she turned and took two angry strides.....
But her foot caught on the edge of the rug, and she stumbled.
The towel slipped.
Luca’s eyes widened and he immediately turned away, averting his gaze as Bianca stood there, completely naked before him.
She said nothing and just stormed off toward the bathroom with purposeful steps, leaving the towel on the floor.
Luca ran a hand through his hair, his voice low and filled with finality as he muttered to himself, "This has to stop, soonest"....
Luca didn’t care about her fall.
He stood and reached for his shirt.
Every second in that room felt like big betrayal echoing in his bones.
He didn’t even touch her.
But the shame still clung to his skin like sin.
He buttoned his shirt and ran a hand through his damp hair.
He needed air. And her—Alessia.
He walked out, taking the hallway steps two at a time.
When he reached her room, his chest tightened.
The door... it was open.
He paused.
She never left it open last night.
Something wasn’t right.
He pushed it wide...
Then screamed.
"Alessia....."
She was lying on the cold floor, motionless.
Her lips pale. Her long hair sprawled across the floor like a broken halo.
"NO.... Alessia" he yelled, dropping to his knees and pulling her into his arms. "My Baby, wake up. Please, wake up"....
He shook her gently. Nothing.
"FREDO!" he shouted.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway.
The guards and maids came running. Everyone froze at the sight of their Madam—unconscious and cold in the arms of a frantic Luca Morano.
"Get the car" Luca shouted again.
Fredo dashed out as the guards cleared the way.
Luca carried Alessia like she was made of glass, her head resting against his chest, his heartbeat wild.
They raced out.
Rain began to fall.
Thunder cracked across the sky like a warning.
Fredo opened the car door, and Luca climbed in with Alessia still in his arms.
"Drive," he ordered.
The tires screamed as they sped toward the hospital.
*******
Bianca stood at the window of her apartment, sipping tea like a queen watching a fallen rival.
She had seen it all—the panic, the drama, the tears that almost form in Luca’s eyes.
And she smiled.
"So... one of her old tricks, huh?" she muttered.
"Trying to faint just to win him back?"...
She laughed, low and wicked. "You must be getting desperate, Alessia."
Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned and opened her wardrobe.
Hidden beneath her clothes was a small golden key.
The one she had stolen from Alessia’s jewelry box few days ago.
The key to Luca’s private chamber.
She had waited for the right moment, and now it was here.
She dressed quickly in black leggings and a fitted shirt, tying her hair into a bun. She moved like a shadow through the hallways, avoiding the staff still shaken from Alessia’s collapse.
She reached the door of Luca’s private chamber and slid in the key.
Click.
And she was in.....
The room was cold, filled with the scent of leather, power, and secrets.
She stepped to the bookshelf and pushed it slightly. Behind it, a steel drawer.
Locked.. Digital.
The screen blinked.
Password: "Your Most Loved.
Bianca smirked. "Let’s start with the obvious."
She typed in: Lauretta.
Luca’s mother.
And it showed....
"ACCESS DENIED".
Her smirk dropped a bit. "Seriously?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Let’s try the silly one."
She typed: Alessia.
ACCESS GRANTED.
The drawer unlocked.
Bianca blinked in disbelief.
Then laughed.
"Poor, stupid boy," she said. "Using your wife’s name as your key password."
Inside the drawer were thick folders.
Stamped with bold black labels:
Morano Estates
Morano Holdings
Lands of Sicily
Legacy Deeds
Family Trust
........,.
She opened them one by one, flipping through with greedy eyes. Properties. Codes. Signatures.
Everything needed to transfer ownership.
Everything needed to destroy Luca from the inside.
Bianca’s hands shook with excitement.
But as she stuffed the papers into a hidden compartment in her purse, a noise startled her.
"Who’s there?" a deep voice echoed.
She froze.
It was a guard.
The heavy sound of the boots got closer.
She hide behind the curtain.
The guard peeped inside.
There was nothing.
He lingered and then walked away.
Bianca didn’t move for five full minutes.
Then, with her heart still pounding, she slipped out, from the back way.
Smiling like a fox with blood on its mouth.
*******
At the Hospital
luca sat beside Alessia’s hospital bed, his hands shaking as he brushed hair from her forehead.
Machines beeped. Monitors blinked. Doctors whispered outside the room.
But Luca only heard the sound of his heart breaking.
"She didn’t eat," the doctor said earlier. "Didn’t sleep, Stress, Malnourished, and finally her body had to gIve up."
He buried his face in his hands.
All of this...
All of this was my fault.
"I didn’t touch her, Alessia," he said silently..... "Alessia, i swear I didn’t... I couldn’t."
His voice cracked.
"I was angry and hurt. But even then, you were all I thought of.... Even when I kissed her, my heart was calling for you."
He gripped her hand tighter.
"Wake up, baby. Please and I feel my brother Donato’s in danger. I need you. I can’t do this alone."
She didn’t move.
But a tear escaped her closed eye.
He saw it.
His chest heaved.
"You’re still in there," he said. "I’ll wait. I’ll fix this. I swear on everything I am....."
He was interrupted as Fredo stepped in. "Sir, the police... they want to question you."
"About what?"
"They got a call... someone reported a break-in. In your private chamber."
Luca stood, eyes wide. "What?"
He stormed out, fire in his veins.....
*****
In Virenkai.....
Donato limped through the endless woods, one hand pressed to his ribs, the other clutching a sharp stick.
The pain was dull now, but the confusion still roared.
He didn’t know if he was dead, alive, cursed, or dreaming.
He just kept walking.
Eventually, he stumbled upon a clearing.
There were people..... And it was a camp.
Tents, laughter,and smoke rising from small fires.
He smiled with relief and approached quietly.
There, near the edge, an old man was whittling wood.
"Hey sir," Donato called out, going closer. "Hey, sir, please, I need your help."
The old man didn’t move.
He didn’t flinch.
Neither did he even look up.
Donato walked right up to him. "Can’t you hear me? Please sir...."
He waved a hand in front of the man’s face.
But there was nothing.
Donato’s heart dropped.
"...Does that mean I’m... not really here?".....
He backed away, confused.
Then he saw a young girl running across the field.
She waved in his direction.
His heart lifted with joy and hope...
He quickly waved back, relieved.
But then... a nother boy ran from behind him and hugged the girl.
It became clear that she was never waving at Donato.
He was indeed invisible.
His chest tightened with cold dread.
Then...
A young boy approached him.
He is around twelve years of age.
Wearing a blue cap and holding a wooden sword.
Walked up to him.
The boy blinked at him.
"You look weird," the boy said. "Are you also here for Camp Firestorm?"
Donato’s eyes widened.
He took a step forward.
"You... can see me?"
The boy tilted his head. "Yeah... why wouldn’t I?"
Donato froze.
Everything around him slowed.
Even the air stopped moving.
For the first time since waking in the forest, Donato felt seen.
That he rejoiced within his heart....