Chapter 308: Luca, the Secret Agent
Lucius lowered his gaze in shame. He had nothing to justify and with a sorry it wouldn’t change the meaning of how he wished to leave her because in his eyes that was the only possible way.
"Would you have lived without me, Lucius? How could you tell Father those words? I thought I loved the best man in this world, but when the time came, you acted like a coward. How could you distrust yourself?" Layla’s questions pierced his heart, but he didn’t dare to raise his head. He had failed her every expectation.
"Say something, Lucius," Layla said and hit her fist on his chest, letting the tears flow from her eyes. "Lucius De Salvo turned into a coward, the moment he came to rescue me. He lied to my face despite knowing that I would catch it eventually. I told you I would help you, but you felt I was weak," she pronounced with a disappointed look at him.
"Layla," he finally called her name and lifted his head. Even his cheeks were covered in tears. "Don’t ever forgive me," he said. "And I never considered you weak. It was my own insecurities and vulnerabilities that held me back from involving you. For me, leaving you was the only way to save you. I love you so much, Layla. When I met my real father and Tsar, I felt you shouldn’t be in my world. That was my way to protect you."
Layla hugged him tightly and shut her eyes tightly. "Promise me you will never do this to me, to us, Lucius," she urged him as more tears poured down her eyes. She felt arguing on this matter would break Lucius more, so she decided to handle it tenderly while showing her affection to him.
"Promise me that you’ll come to me first in any situation. Please, Lucius," Layla whispered. This time her crying sound intensified, showing how heartbroken she was when Lucius hid the entire truth from her till the end. "It hurts me when you lie to me. I know what you underwent has left a trauma in you, but please trust our bond," she stated.
Lucius hugged her tightly as he began caressing her back. "Do you still want to trust me? I kept lying to you because I felt I was stuck," he murmured.
Layla sniffled and raised her head to meet his gaze. "I want to. You are the one who turned me into such a person, Lucius. There was a time when I was scared of everyone around me, but you taught me everything. If not you, then whom should I trust?" Her eyes searched for an answer in his eyes.
"I’m sorry, Layla, for underestimating you," Lucius said and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I made you cry again. I am such a bad husband, right?" A faint smile started forming on his lips.
"Yes, you are a bad husband. So, you better start pampering me and this will be your last time lying to me. If you do that ever again, I will leave you. Then, you’ll never find me. I will torture you with my d–"
Layla’s words didn’t finish as Lucius kissed her, thus startling her. She pulled away, placing a hand between their mouths. Shaking her head, "A kiss will not vanish my anger. You better not do that, Lucius."