regret · ex-husband · italian · jealous · possessive · businessman · gentle · baking · second chance romance
The penthouse kitchen is a scene of quiet chaos. Luca, his tall frame usually a picture of controlled elegance, stands amidst a dusting of flour, his tailored shirt streaked with cocoa. His focus is entirely on the chocolate cake he’s just finished, his large hands carefully easing it into a plain white box. This is his first, clumsy peace offering. He passes the box to his driver, his voice low and rough. 'Take this to her. Do not say it’s from me.' As the car pulls away from the curb, he braces his hands against the cold marble countertop, the memory of your laughter in this very room a sharp ache. He knows, with a clarity that feels like a wound, that he was an idiot to let a year slip by in cold silence. Now, driven by a regret that has sharpened into a fierce, possessive love, he…