Chapter 22: Breaking Points

The days that followed felt like a storm, a constant push and pull that Anna couldn't quite escape. She tried to keep her distance from Luca, but every time she thought she had a moment to breathe, he was there. Watching her. Waiting.

The mansion, once a place of refuge, now felt like a gilded cage. The silence was suffocating, the tension unbearable. Anna could feel it in every room, in every glance that Luca threw her way. She couldn't stop herself from responding to him, from feeling the heat in her chest every time their paths crossed.

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to fight back against everything he made her feel. But the more she tried to distance herself, the more he pulled her in.

One evening, as she wandered the hallways, trying to make sense of the chaos inside her, she heard a voice—soft, distant. It was Luca's, coming from his study. Curiosity gnawed at her, and before she could think better of it, she found herself standing at the door, listening.

She pressed her ear against the cool wood, her heart pounding in her chest. He was speaking to someone—Marco, perhaps. The words were muffled, but she caught enough to make her stop.

"… she's not ready yet," Luca said, his voice low but sharp.

"Then what the hell are we doing?" Marco's voice was filled with frustration. "You can't keep her in the dark forever. You need to tell her."

"I know," Luca muttered, the sound of something being slammed against a surface. "But I can't risk it."

Anna's heart skipped. What was he hiding? What did he mean by "not ready yet"? The words twisted inside her, each one digging deeper into her mind. She didn't know what to think. Luca was keeping something from her—something big. And that was something she couldn't ignore.

Before she could hear more, she heard footsteps approaching, and in a panic, she stepped back from the door, retreating into the shadows. Her pulse was racing as she tried to calm herself, tried to understand what she had just overheard.

She didn't have long to think about it. Just as she turned to walk away, Luca appeared in front of her, as if he had been waiting for her to eavesdrop.

"You really should learn to knock," he said, his voice steady, but there was a sharpness to it that made her freeze.

"I—I wasn't listening," she stammered, though she knew he wouldn't believe her.

Luca didn't respond at first. Instead, he studied her, his gaze intense, as though he could read every thought in her mind. It was unsettling, the way he could make her feel so exposed with just one look.

"I don't care if you were listening," he said finally, his tone cold. "But don't ever spy on me again."

Anna held her ground, though her stomach churned with a mix of guilt and curiosity. "What were you talking about?"

Luca's jaw clenched, and for a moment, he looked as though he might snap at her. But then, just as quickly, he seemed to relax, taking a step back and letting out a breath.

"It's none of your business," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "Not yet."

The finality in his words stung, but Anna refused to let him shut her out. She wasn't going to let him hide things from her—not anymore.

"I want to know," she said, her voice firm despite the fear creeping into her chest. "I want to know what you're hiding."

Luca's eyes darkened, and he took another step forward. The air around them seemed to crackle, charged with something dangerous.

"I'm not asking you to understand," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But you'll learn soon enough. Everything I'm doing is for a reason, Anna. You'll see that when the time comes."

Anna swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on her. She didn't know if she was ready for whatever he was about to reveal, but she couldn't back down now.

"What's the reason?" she asked, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to sound confident.

Luca stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, his eyes never leaving hers. "Because you're mine," he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "And I protect what's mine."

Anna's breath caught in her throat, the words sinking deep into her. There was no denying it—she was already in too deep. He had her. Completely.

But that didn't mean she was going to stop fighting. Not yet.

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "You don't get to control everything. You don't get to make all the decisions for me."

Luca's lips curled into a slow, mocking smile. "We'll see about that, Anna."

Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving her standing there, shaken and uncertain, with more questions than answers.

Anna stood there for a long time, her thoughts spinning. The power he had over her was undeniable, but she refused to lose herself completely. Whatever Luca's secret was, whatever he was hiding—it didn't matter. She wasn't going to let him break her.

At least, that's what she told herself.