Sofia’s pov
I shook my head and a dry chuckle vibrated through my lungs. I couldn’t believe what I was currently listening to. It felt like I was experiencing a really bad dream which is going to follow me into the real world.
“It’s not how it looks?” I echoed in disbelief. The sudden chill that engulfed me made me wrap my arms around my middle the next moment.
Luca remained silent; and then he struggled to look for what to say. It felt like I was currently staring at someone else entirely right now, and the pain that previously settled in my chest hours ago, seems to be currently multiplying in folds.
“It’s not how it looks in any way.” He stated after a few minutes and the lump in my throat only grew bigger, but I made sure to fight past it as I made to speak.
“You told me you didn’t know who she was, Luca.” He whispered, and it was as if saying those words out made a glaring realization dawn over me, that Lola had definitely saw me as nothing but a fool, and that only made the pain in my chest heighten in folds.
“You acted like strangers. You asked her to act like she doesn’t know you around me. You made me look like a gullible fool. Do you know how much I’m currently hurting?”
Luca attempted to close the distance between us but I shook my head and took a step away from him, not wanting to make any sort of contact with him in any way.
“I didn’t… what? I didn’t ask her to do that– wha- what the hell did she– it wasn’t supposed to look like that.” An earnest look on his face as he continued. ” I didn’t mean to make it come off like this, I only did that cause she showed up unannounced on the day of your art exhibition and what happened about a week before that day was nothing but a mistake, you have to believe me, you know I’d never hurt you.”
I stared at him as he spoke, absorbing all his words and trying not to get completely consumed by the pain in my chest, when a particular detail in what he had just said, made me backtrack at once.
I blinked a few times as I spoke. “Wait… did you say a couple of weeks to the day of my art exhibition?”
The confused then shocked look that crossed Luca’s face made my heart drop into my stomach on an exhale.
“Wait, what did you hear from that bitch?” He demanded this time but I was listening, because the ringing sounds in my ear grew in folds at once in realization.
“You slept with her a few weeks before the day of my exhibition?” I demanded in disbelief. Luca appeared shocked, and furious in a way, and a laugh filled with disbelief left my throat.
“This is insane. Here I was thinking it was all a thing in the past and that you lied about not knowing her and all because you have feelings for her or something, not knowing that it’s actually more than that, that you hooked up with her!”
I didn’t realize I was crying until bitterness gathered at the back of my throat once again. I wiped my face with the hem of my sweater paws at once while trying to fully wrap my head around what it was that I had just found out.
Basically, cheated on me.
“You cheated on me.” I pointed out, and it was like saying it out loud when it just dawned on him, telling from the expression on his face right now.
I shook my head and took a step away from him, still reeling in disbelief.
I mean, this would be nothing but a normality for other men. But Luca was different, he was different, he had shown me how different he was from other men, it just can’t be possible that the same Luca would do this to me. But even as that thought crossed my mind, the pain in my throat was reminder of what Luca had done.
Luca attempted to speak after a few seconds but I shook my head and hurriedly began to make my way out of the door, not wanting to be in the same space as he was a moment longer.
“Sofia please, please let me explai– where are you going?” The question echoed around me as I hurriedly shrugged on a pair of pants and sneakers before grabbing my phone and card.
“Away from here.” I responded as I walked past him. His hand shot out and grasped my wrist, but I pulled out of his grip immediately and literally raced down the stairs.
He tried to stop me again but on realizing how adamant I was to leave, he reluctantly released me but made sure to have a word with my guards before the came to start up the car.
Before completely leaving, I made sure to say one last thing to him. “Nothing should happen to Lola.”
And as expected, i bursted into tears as the car pulled out of the compound.
~~~
How I never saw my day taking a full three sixty turn on waking up this morning seems almost comical to me. The thought made me almost giggle through my tears.
A few minutes into the drive, I forced my tears to stop because I knew I had to communicate with my bodyguards, to tell them where it is that I’m heading to by nine p. m.
There was no way I could spend one more moment in that house with Luca, and there’s also no way I’d be heading back home tonight.
Which was why I directed them to drive me to a hotel.
I collected myself completely and refused to feel embarrassed over breaking down in the car when I stepped out of it; the door being held open by Ethan who offered me a polite nod and completely avoided my gaze.
I headed into the hotel and booked myself a room, and didn’t even realize that Ryan had been the one between the two bodyguards who’s currently accompanying me upstairs until we had to get into the elevator.
I remained silent throughout, and was thankful he did the same. Although I could feel his gaze on me throughout.
When he got into the hotel room with me to look around and confirm it was danger free, he should leave right after, but he wanted to stay behind some more, to ensure that I was doing fine.
I refused to reveal anything to him despite how much he tried getting me to talk, but I couldn’t really control the tears at that point, and as they spilled this time, I had someone to comfort me, someone who took me into their arms and held me against their chest as I sobbed.
A huge part of me knew that I should have used this medium to let him know that it’s going to be nothing but platonic friendship between us, but I felt like I could do that later, since it wasn’t like i could actually have a conversation right now, or think about anything other than what’s currently happening to me.
Ryan offered me the comfort I hadn’t realized I needed, and I soaked it all up.