Chapter 10 – MORE THAN JUST A CAREGIVER
I stared at the silver rosary dangling from Teresa’s fingers.
“Mrs. Moretti,” I stammered, stepping back from Luca, my face burning red. “I can’t take that. That’s your most precious family heirloom.”
Teresa walked forward slowly, her cane tapping against the tile floor. She took my hand and gently pressed the silver cross into my palm, curling my fingers closed over it.
“My husband gave this to me when he promised to protect me forever,” Teresa said softly. “It belongs to the woman who protects this family. It belongs to you, Hannah.”
I looked up at Luca, completely overwhelmed.
Luca didn’t look away. “Keep it, Hannah. She’s right.”
For the next three months, my life completely transformed. I wasn’t a maid anymore. I was given my own suite on the second floor, right next to Daniel’s. My days were spent taking Teresa to her physical therapy appointments, where her progress was miraculous. Without the poison in her system, her mind was sharp, her laugh was loud, and her smile was perfect.
In the afternoons, I sat with Daniel in the library, helping him with his algebra and history. He stopped having nightmares. He started laughing again. He felt like a little brother to me.
And then there was Luca.
Our dynamic had completely shifted. He no longer treated me like an employee. When he came home from his “business” meetings, the first thing he did was look for me. We started having dinner together, just the four of us, laughing and talking until the candles burned low.
Late one night, in the middle of December, I was in the library reading a book by the fire. The house was quiet.
The door creaked open, and Luca walked in.
He had just returned from a gala downtown. He took off his tuxedo jacket, unbuttoned his collar, and sighed, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
“You’re up late,” he said, walking over to the leather sofa and sitting beside me.
“Just finishing a chapter,” I said, closing the book.
He looked exhausted, but as he looked at me, his eyes softened.
“My mother’s doctors say she’s fully recovered,” Luca said quietly. “And Daniel’s teachers said he’s at the top of his class.”
“They’ve both worked very hard,” I smiled.
Luca set his glass down on the table. He turned his body toward me. The physical distance between us felt incredibly charged, like electricity in the air.
“You know, Hannah,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “When you first stayed, I told myself it was because my mother and son needed you.”
My breath caught in my throat. “And now?”
He slowly reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered on my jawline.
“Now,” he whispered, leaning closer, “I’m starting to realize that the person who needs you the most… is me.”
My heart pounded furiously. I looked into his dark, intense eyes, seeing the vulnerability of a man who had finally let his walls down.
“Luca,” I breathed, using his first name for the first time.
He didn’t hesitate anymore. He leaned in and kissed me.
It wasn’t a hesitant kiss. It was deep, passionate, and filled with months of unspoken longing. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, melting into the heat of his embrace.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless.
Luca rested his forehead against mine.
“I don’t want you to be an employee anymore, Hannah,” he whispered. “I want you to be mine.”
I smiled, tears of pure joy pricking my eyes.
But as I opened my mouth to answer, the library doors flew open.
Daniel stood there, wearing his pajamas, holding a thick, dusty leather-bound book he must have pulled from the attic.
“Dad! Hannah!” Daniel shouted, completely oblivious to what he had just interrupted. “You have to see what I just found inside Mom’s old photo album!”
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