Chapter 8%
He had said that when he got bored overseas, he’d step out for a drink or two. He swore he’d never betray her, so Maisie shouldn’t read too much into it.
But the next set of photos left Maisie unable to believe her own eyes.
There was Luca, arms wrapped around a voluptuous woman, walking out of a nightclub, then heading straight to a nearby hotel. What happened next needed no explanation.
There were plenty of photos, all at similar places, but the women Luca held weren’t the same.”
In just twenty–some photos Maisie swiped through, five different women appeared.%
Her hands trembled so badly that she nearly dropped her phone in the car.
Still, she summoned her courage and opened the videos.
Though she had steeled herself, the moment she saw the hotel surveillance footage showing Luca tangled with another woman, she smashed her phone in fury.”
She couldn’t stand being betrayed by her so–called first love.”
She told the driver to step on it.”
As soon as she got home, she silently slipped into the bedroom, only to catch Luca red–handed, flirting on his phone.
She snatched the device away, and reading the lewd, explicit messages, her anger deepened.
“What is this? What the hell are you doing?!”
Luca jumped up, immediately trying to explain, “Maisie, calm down! I was just bored and messing around, that’s all.“E
“Oh, bored? So you chat with other women about booking hotel rooms? About underwear colors? About breast sizes?!“}
“This is actually pretty normal! I never actually went through with anything!“Z
Luca didn’t seem to take Maisie’s fury seriously at all.
He thought, like before, that a few sweet words and some gifts would smooth things over.
He even reached to grab the phone back.
But Maisie roared, “You really didn’t mean it? Or are you just pretending? How many women have you slept with over the years abroad?!”
“Maisie, what are you saying? I’ve always been loyal to you!“}
“Loyal?! How can you say that kind of nonsense with a straight face?!”
Luca could tell something was wrong.”
He quickly asked, “Maisie, did someone say something to you? That person must be trying to drive a wedge between us!”
“We’ve been together for ten years! Don’t you know how much I care about you?“}
He really shouldn’t have said that because Maisie exploded.”
The truth was, in those ten years, they barely saw each other.”
Sometimes, an entire year would pass without a single meeting.
Their relationship had always felt fresh, like a never–ending honeymoon.”
There was simply no time to grow tired of one another.”
But now, undeniable proof of his betrayal surfaced right after my supposed death in that plane crash.}
The double blow crushed Maisie, leaving her utterly helpless.
She couldn’t stop thinking about how, over the past decade, I had cared for her quietly, sacrificing without complaint.” And now, with me gone, she finally broke down in helpless sobs.
“Maisie, there must be some misunderstanding. I… I admit I slipped up abroad, but it was only once or twice, I swear…” “Only once or twice? I can’t even forgive one time! And you’ve been with countless women over the past ten years!“} The more she thought about it, the deeper her disgust grew.
She couldn’t believe someone like her, someone so obsessed with cleanliness, had ever shared a bed with a man like this. Not to mention, she had gone through six abortions for him, and this time, she had even decided to keep the child.” The weight of it all tore her apart emotionally, her mood swinging wildly.”
Luca hurried to soothe her, “Maisie, you’re pregnant. Please don’t let this overwhelm you. I’m sorry, truly.” She cried long and hard, and Luca stayed by her side, offering comfort as her tears slowly eased into quiet.
