Ruined in Vows (Marchetti Family #3)

14. Luca

Chapter 14

Luca

M arching through the lobby of The Palazzo Hotel, I feel even more disoriented and confused than when I walked out of here.

The girl who sparked a live wire and flurry of emotions inside of me, leading me to all

but stalk her, called me by another man's name. Told me that it was my name.

But that can't be right.

Can it?

I shake the thought from my head. No. Surely, she was lying or just has me

confused with my doppelganger… Wasn't she?

The small voice in my head, a whisper of something, telling me that she seemed

so sure, so genuine, spikes even more doubt inside me. Fucking hell. Like I need any more of that.

Punching the button for the elevator, I flinch as the haunted look in her eyes

when she looked at me assaults my memory. How her olive skin had paled as if she had seen a ghost. The way that my chest tightened; heart twisting in discomfort at the fearful, pained look on her stunning face.

A look that should never touch such beauty.

A look that makes me want to question everything.

The elevator doors slide open, snapping me from my reverie and I step inside,

mulling over everything. Of what I think I know, and what I have been told since I woke up. My name is Luca Mancini. Check. I have a wife, Caterina. Check. I co-own this hotel with my best friend, Vincenzo, who also happens to be my wife's brother. Check. There are pictures of me on my wedding day, smiling down happily at Cat. Check. I have seen the fucking marriage certificate. Check. Check.

Blowing out a breath of frustration at this fucked up situation, I lean my head back against the mirrored wall, and close my eyes. With the proof right there, how can I even begin to question Vincenzo or Cat? Sure, I’ve had a niggling voice in my head, but why would they lie to me?

The only logical explanation is that Allegra, as she said her name was, must have

me confused with someone else. Or she was hallucinating and seeing what she wanted to see. Clearly, she has some sort of trauma, and I have heard distress can play tricks on your brain. Maybe she has completely shut down and this is her mind's way of protecting itself. Of coping after the loss of the man she loved.

What other way would there be to explain her story?

The elevator shudders to a stop, the doors sliding open in the next second. I step

outside, pausing when I spot my wife and Vincenzo whispering at the end of the hall. The conversation pauses when their dark gazes settle on me. My eyes narrow in on them, suspicion slithering in my veins at the clear secrecy between them. And I don’t know whether it’s because of the weird encounter I just had with the angel, but I can't help but feel a little paranoid.

My wife plasters on a smile as fake as her tits, shoving past her brother and making

her way toward me with a seductive sway of her hips. “Darling, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you,” she purrs.

Annoyance tightens my jaw. I still haven't forgiven her for what was essentially

sexual assault the other morning. And she damn well fucking knows it.

“Needed some air,” I grunt, bypassing her when she reaches for me and ignoring

the look of hurt mixed with anger on her face.

Vincenzo steps in front of me, blocking my way to my office and the glower on his

face would make most men wither, but not me. After the events of the last hour, I am not in the mood for his or his sister's shit.

“Move,” I grate out, through gritted teeth.

The maniacal look curving his lips, has me pausing. It's like nothing I've ever seen.

Vincenzo is mostly cool, calm, and collected. But right now, he looks like he wants to kill me.

“You better start showing Cat some fucking respect, asshole, before I drain the life from you and bury you where no one will find the body.” The disdain in his voice is evident. And not for the first time I question, how the hell was I ever friends with this motherfucker.

I am questioning it even more now, since my run in with Allegra.

“Noted,” I drawl sarcastically. Pushing past him, I stride to my office.

Heels clicking on the marble floor tells me that my wife is following me. Fury erupts

inside me, threatening to boil over at any second. Why can't she just leave me the fuck alone?

“Luc?” she calls, stepping into my office and closing the door behind her.

“I’m busy, Caterina,” I growl, taking a seat in the leather chair behind my desk.

She sighs, flopping down on a chair in front of me. Just like every other time she

displays crazy behavior, she switches to her other personality, now looking dejected and gloomy. Once again, when it comes to my wife, I don’t know whether it’s real or just another winning performance from her.

“I miss you,” she says softly, leaning across my desk and reaching for my hand. For

some reason, I let her take it. “I know everything is fucked up right now, but please, just try and bring back the Luca I know and love. Dig deep baby, because I know he is in there somewhere and I want him back.” She gently rubs my fingers before interlinking them.

Staring down at where we are joined, I frown when I feel nothing from her touch,

casting my mind back to the feelings that ignited me when I spotted the dark-haired angel. The way my body lit up like a damn firework when she held my hand.

How I felt something.

Everything .

As if Caterina's touch burns me, I pull my hand out of her hold, breaking our

connection. My wife’s face falls, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. For some reason, I can’t bring myself to care about her feelings. Her touch is all wrong, when Allegra’s felt right.

Mulling over Allegra’s words, I remember the pleading in her voice and the way her

blue eyes begged me to believe her.

Currently, I am even more confused. And I am not saying that what Allegra told me is

the truth – how can she have, when my life is apparently right in front of me – but I have more questions than I have answers right now.

And one way or another I need to know.

My head is a mess, but if what she said is in fact true, then there must be a reason as

to why Vincenzo and Caterina are lying to me. I can’t think of any kind of motivation for making me believe a lie like this. It doesn't make sense for someone to go to these lengths to make me believe I am someone else. A headache begins to form behind my eyes, and I shake my head as the questions spin on a loop.

Everything is subjective right now and maybe I am barking up the wrong tree. But the look in her eyes...

My gaze flicks to my wife. She watches me cautiously, as if I am a bomb about to

explode. Neither Caterina nor Vincenzo can find out about my meeting with Allegra.

Which means I need to keep things to myself until I know more.

Find out the truth.

And I will get it.

No matter what the outcome is.

Since the moment I woke up in my bedroom, surrounded by hospital equipment,

things have always felt not quite right. I thought it was my head injury and trying to adjust to my new normal.

Now I’m not so sure.

They say the truth will set you free.

And it’s time to break out of this gilded cage.

For better or worse. I need to know who is lying to me.