CASEY
It was silent.
Luca had his back to me while I sat motionless on the bed, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say. The silence stretched until it wrapped around my throat like a noose. I couldn't take it anymore.
So I tried to make a joke.
"I guess the cat's out of the bag," I said, attempting a laugh that sounded more like a nervous cough.
That's when he turned.
"Get dressed," he said, voice flat.
He didn't look at me. Didn't blink.
"I already called your driver. He'll be here by the time you're ready. He'll take you back home."
I stared at him.
That… that wasn't what I was expecting him to say. It felt final. Like a door closing. Like a sentence being handed down.
Like he was agreeing with his father. What about all those promises? All those nights where he told me none of that mattered, that he didn't care what his father thought, what the world thought?
Where did all of those words go?
