What We Left Unsaid

Chapter 5

AFTER Sofia had fallen asleep in Luca's arms, they carried her to the villa's guest room. Naia tucked her daughter in, kissing her forehead, while Luca watched silently from the doorway. His heart felt full and broken all at once. He wanted this life—he had always wanted a family—but the years of unspoken truths loomed between him and Naia.

Later, outside by the firepit, they sat in awkward silence.

The stars were out, scattered across the dark sky like tiny diamonds, while the flames of the bonfire flickered between Luca and Naia. The crackling of the wood was the only sound breaking the tension that hung in the air, thick and heavy. Both of them sat in silence, Naia wrapped in her own thoughts, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. Luca, on the other hand, sat with his arms folded, his body tense, staring into the fire as if searching for answers in its chaotic dance.

For the first time in a long time, they were alone together, with no Sofia to fill the gaps, no distractions to hide behind. The quiet was suffocating.

After what felt like an eternity, Luca finally spoke. "You know, I imagined a thousand scenarios of us meeting again one day," he started, his voice low but shaking with barely controlled emotion. "But none of them were like this."

Naia bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. She had also thought about this moment countless times, but now that it was here, all the rehearsed words she'd planned seemed useless.

"What did you imagine?" she asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

Luca let out a bitter laugh, still staring at the fire. "I don't know. That maybe we'd laugh, maybe we'd talk like old friends again. Maybe there'd be some awkward moments, but... nothing like this."

Naia swallowed, her throat dry. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Luca's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her flinch. There was a storm of emotions swirling in his gaze—confusion, frustration, but mostly, anger. "Then how was it supposed to be, Naia?" His voice was sharp now, barely contained. "Because right now, I'm sitting here with this feeling in my gut, like I missed out on the most important thing in my life."

Naia's heart sank, the weight of his words hitting her like a punch. "Luca, I—"

"No, let me talk." He cut her off, his voice rising with frustration, as if he could no longer hold back. "I need to get this out." He paused, jaw clenched, fists tightly balled on his lap. "For years, I've been trying to figure out why you just... disappeared. And now, I see Sofia and I know—" He stopped, his breath hitching as the reality hit him once more. His voice cracked, but it was laced with fury. "I know she's mine."

Naia blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. She had always feared this moment, the confrontation she'd spent years avoiding. "Luca, I was scared."

"Scared?" He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, his voice rough with disbelief. "Of what, Naia? Of me? Of what I would think?"

Naia shook her head, her voice trembling. "Of ruining your life."

Luca recoiled, anger flashing in his eyes. "Ruining my life? Naia, how could Sofia ever be something that ruins my life? If anything, you ruined mine by keeping her from me!" His voice was louder now, his anger burning through the air like the fire between them.

Naia winced at the harshness of his words, but deep down, she knew he was right. "You were getting promoted," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Your dreams were coming true. You were finally getting what you wanted. How could I... how could I take that away from you?"

Luca let out a harsh, almost mocking laugh. "Take that away from me?" His voice was incredulous, rising in pitch with disbelief. "Naia, you didn't even give me the chance to decide! You didn't trust me enough to handle it. You made the decision for me! And for ten years, I've been walking around with no clue that I had a daughter—a whole daughter out there who's been growing up without me."

Naia's tears finally spilled over, her hands trembling as she tried to explain herself. "I thought I was doing what was best for you. You've always wanted so much more out of life, and I... I didn't want to be the one holding you back."

Luca's eyes blazed with a mix of fury and heartbreak. "More out of life?" His voice cracked, shaking with emotion. "Naia, I wanted a family. I wanted you! I never told you because I didn't think you felt the same way, but I dreamed of having kids... with you. But you never trusted me enough to tell me any of this."

Naia's heart shattered at his confession. She had always assumed he saw her as just a friend, never realizing the depth of his feelings. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. "I didn't know."

Luca let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. "Of course you didn't. You never asked, did you? You just... decided. You disappeared, made the decision for both of us, and left me out in the cold. Do you have any idea what it's like to find out that the life you thought you had, the life you wanted, was taken from you without your say?"

Naia stared at the ground, unable to meet his gaze, the weight of her guilt pressing down on her chest. "I thought I was protecting you."

"Protecting me?" Luca nearly spat the words, his voice cutting through her like shards of glass. "Protecting me from what? From the best thing that ever could have happened to me? You robbed me of everything, Naia. You robbed me of seeing Sofia's first steps, her first words. You took away the chance for me to be a father from the beginning. And you didn't even trust me enough to tell me the truth."

Naia's lip trembled, her tears now flowing freely. "I thought you would hate me."

"Hate you?" Luca's voice dropped, but the pain was still raw in his words. "I could never hate you, Naia. But right now, I don't know what to feel. I feel like I lost ten years of my life—ten years with my daughter, ten years with you—because you didn't trust me. How am I supposed to forgive that?"

Naia's sobs broke the silence, her body shaking with the weight of everything that had been left unsaid for so long. "I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears. "I'm so, so sorry."

But Luca didn't respond. He just stood there, fists clenched, his heart torn between the love he still had for her and the overwhelming sense of betrayal that wouldn't let him breathe. He stared into the flames, his anger simmering beneath the surface, unable to let go but unable to forgive.

The fire crackled between them, the flames reflecting the raw, burning emotions neither of them could control. Luca's jaw tightened, and with a deep breath, he finally whispered, "I should have been there, Naia. I should have been there for you, for Sofia. But you didn't give me the chance."

Naia sobbed, her voice small and broken. "I know... I know."

The silence that followed was deafening, the gulf between them now wider than ever.