Only Layla

Chapter 43 | Truth

My phone kept ringing in my ear until Elisia's line finally went dead. Once again. I didn't expect her to answer. Like the last two weeks have been.

Two weeks.

We couldn't even attend Alex's service. Solely based on the fact that it was too risky. With James almost losing his life we couldn't afford for that to happen to anyone else. No one knew who was in charge now after my father. Maybe I should've known. But I had no clue.

My phone beeped with a text from Sergio. A brief telling that they have been in Vegas. At least one person thought to keep me updated.

I shook my head, setting my phone down on my side desk. I sunk further into the bed, watching the sun slowly go down from my spot. I glanced at the time and realized I've been sitting here for hours. Doing nothing.

Damnit.

I told myself I wouldn't do this again.

But I had no energy to do anything else.

The silence in the room never helped the ache in me either. Luca was gone all the time. The attacks on all his properties needed his full attention, but that thought never eased the heaviness on my chest. Even when he was home he ignored me half the time. There were two reasons why I thought he was ignoring me, one, he didn't want to tell me the truth. And two, he didn't want to tell me the truth about his own feelings.

Or maybe there was something on the USB about me that made him change his mind. That he really didn't want to marry me. What could have possibly been that bad though? That made him think less of me?

I jumped when my phone suddenly rang, but it wasn't the two people I needed to talk to. It was Luca. I contemplated picking it up. But the few times he had called in the week and I didn't pick up he was upset with me when he got home. He still showed me that he cared, but it felt like less everyday.

I sighed as I picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Why haven't you eaten today?" he asked. It was loud wherever he was. Male voices were in the background.

"I haven't been hungry," I mumbled, mad that Gino was telling Luca this stuff.

I told Luca the half truth. I wasn't that hungry, that and the fact that nothing ever seemed good to me. Once the smell of food hit my nose I was nauseous instantly.

"Layla, do I need to go home?" My eyes watered and it wasn't the fact that he had asked that, it was his voice.

God, I missed him.

"No."

I bit my lip to keep from the tears falling. The ache in my chest got even heavier.

"Layla-"

"Just stop, Luca. Don't act like you care. All you do is confuse me," I snapped at him. But I was anything but mad. I was-

Exhausted.

An overwhelming sense of sadness washed over me.

It got quiet in the background on the other end. Like he stepped away from the noise. I blinked so many times so I didn't cry. I couldn't. I was stronger than that. Just because Luca didn't want to admit his feelings to me didn't mean I would put up with it.

"How?" He asked.

I sighed, rubbing the spot above my heart because it felt like it was cracking and falling into pieces everywhere.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." I hung up.

But that was a goddamn lie. All I wanted was him.

My phone rang again with his name.

I didn't pick it up though. Even when he called five more times.

Five.

He called five times before it stopped.

I heard Gino's footsteps in the hallway and I jumped off the bed to close the door, but I was too late. He kept the door open with his foot before I could slam it. He shook his head at me and tried to hand me his phone with Luca's name on it.

"I don't want to talk to him," I mumbled, trying to close the door again but Gino kept it open.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," he told Luca as he stared at me.

I heard Italian on the other end, he sounded pissed.

Gino shook his head and mouthed to me, thanks a lot.

I gave him an apologetic look.

"Luca, she looks fine. I mean a little pale, but she's in one piece. Although she could use a little weight on her. But that's it." Gino told him. I narrowed my eyes on him.

Did he just say that I could use a little weight?

I almost wanted to laugh but it never came out. And I had to lean against the door because I was too weak to stand on my own.

Gino sighed before looking at me. His gaze went to my hands clutching the door like it would save me from passing out.

"Okay," he mumbled into the phone before he hung up.

"He's coming home," he told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Layla, you really don't look good. Just eat before he gets here and make it easy on yourself," he told me softly.

"I'm fine." I told him.

He pushed off the door, "alright. But I warned you."

He walked away and I stayed standing there. Until I turned around and went into the closet. I was tired of this. Luca needs to trust me. I know he does, he let me see his scars and told me about his mother and his past which I know is hard to talk about. He's shown me a side of him he doesn't show anyone. But he doesn't trust us. Or maybe he doesn't trust his love for me.

He could love you.

My mothers words rang in my ear.

Until he admitted it to me and stopped ignoring me. I wasn't staying in this room with him. I don't care how difficult it would be for me.

I took my clothes into the guest bedroom along with my books and a couple plants. When I went back to grab a couple more things I had to stop in the middle of the hallway. Fuck. I leaned against the wall and rubbed at my eyes. The hollowness in my chest expanded.

The last time I felt like this, where the world felt like it was tipping and crumbling was when Elisia left me. That's when my anxiety got bad. When the world felt like it was so hard to breathe in. When I'd fight the thoughts off until it exhausted me. When I felt so goddamn sad all the time.