Luca’s Inferno by Karima Sa’ad Usman

30 A Shock Emma. I cried so much that I couldn’t breathe. On our way to Celio, I had several panic attacks, and Gerald had

to stop the car to calin me down.

“Take me back to Ashfield!” I protested, and Gerald could not say anything. He felt sorry for me. I never

knew I could feel this hurt in my life, but here I was, hurting, deep to my soul. It felt like part of my soul

had been taken from me. It felt like hell. I had never experienced this level of pain before. A pain that had

an impossible cure: Luca. All the emotions rushed through me like fire, and I wailed.

“How dare you, Luca. How dare you do this to us? How dare you say I can’t handle your lifestyle?” I

screamed to no one precisely. He had broken both our hearts. I swallowed my pride and pleaded with

him not to do this, but he did. Did he have a knack for suffering? I hugged myself and wailed all the way

to Celio.

When I entered my father’s house in Celio, I went straight to my room and did not say a word to anyone.

I locked the door, sat on the floor and wept.

I refused to come out of my room, and after three days of starving myself, Tevin broke the door to get to

me. I did not know I could go that long without food, but I did. Tevin and Bruce refused to fix the lock, and

Gilbert was responsible for ensuring I ate properly. I was lifeless.

Heather came to visit, and we sat and stared at each other most of the time. I could not get over him.

“I will talk to Aldo, Emma. I am sure he would get some sense into Luca.” She said, and I shook my head

numbly and slowly. There was no use. The Luca I knew had said goodbye and closed his heart. He was

probably going ahead with courting Teressa. It really didn’t matter. It was a contract, and he had

terminated it before the due date.

THREE WEEKS LATER.

I was beginning to accept was had happened to me. Tomas had tried to see me several times, but my

mother blocked him. She said she did not want him in our lives. They knew the Gibsons made Don

Marcelo want to hold on to us by all means. My mother protected us and made a public show of it so

everyone would know I was not interested in Tomas. I knew Tomas was vindictive, but I did not care what

he would do. I doubted if I would ever open my heart for love again

“Hey,” Kyle said, letting himself into my room. He had visited with his wife, Leana. They were both young

and looked cute together. I was happy for my brother but envious at the same time. Why didn’t the

goddess tie me to an omega like me? Why did I have to experience heartbreak from two powerful men?

The higher I went, the more painful the fall. Kyle had said ‘Hey’, and all that was on my mind was Luca. I

was in a trans, wondering what he was doing and who he was with. I wondered how he was managing

his anger and who was taking care of him. I was tempted to call him just to hear his voice, but I fought

against it every time. I knew he wanted a clean break, and I had to be tough enough to give that to him.

“Emma, you do not look well; you need to see a doctor and then a shrink. You have been through a lot.

First Tomas and now Luca. You need help, Emma,” Kyle said, and I smiled at him. I knew I was losing it.

I knew I was acting crazy, but I also knew I was normal; it was hard

to get by with a broken heart and half your soul.

Leana joined her husband to plead with me for a general check-up at least, so I would know that my

health was okay. I agreed to go in a few days so they could leave me alone. Kyle promised to come and

pick me up to make sure I kept my promise, and I did not care. I cursed that stupid vacation Luca and I

went on. If it weren’t for that vacation, no one would have buried a bullet in me and made him panic the

way he did. Convincing him to let us remain together would have been easier, but he had to see me

almost die. He had to tend to my wolf and imagine how terrible things would have gone. It was only

normal for him to panic and let me go. He did not want to realise his nightmare, but now I was living a

nightmare, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Kyle came to pick me up as he promised and drove me to the hospital. Everyone there knew my story

and pitied me. It wasn’t easy being married to the big boss. I did not know if it was pity or mockery, but I

did not care. Nothing could hurt more than what Luca did. I did not want to see Declan in my dreams

again, even though he was my only comfort, because I needed to close Luca’s chapter badly. “Welcome,

Mrs Alessandro,” Doctor Faye Nikolas said to me. I arched my eyebrow, seeing it as a form of mockery.

“It is Ms Wyatt,” I corrected her, and she smiled and looked down at the paper in her hand.

She looked at Kyle, and he nodded and told her it was okay. I knew I looked like a mad woman.

“Apart from your malnourishment, you are absolutely fine.” the doctor said, and I wanted to get up and

leave. “Please feed well and seek therapy for the sake of your baby, Ms Wyatt,” she said, but I was

suddenly stuck to the seat. How could I be pregnant? I was on birth control.

“That can’t be right. I am on birth control,” I argued, and the doctor smiled.

“These things happen. Contraceptives aren’t always effective. Besides, you might have missed some of

your doses,” she said, and I remembered the day we arrived at the Island. I had spewed that nonsense

about us remaining together and me being his mistress. I had gotten home drunk and missed my pills. I

also missed my pills the day we partied because Kyle was leaving. Fuck! fuck! fuck! What was I going to

do? I was actually planning on leaving Celio soon. How the fuck was I going to leave without any money

or a job? Who will hire a pregnant woman? I did not know how to feel.

“Is there a problem, Ms Wyatt?” The doctor asked, and tears streamed down my eyes. They were tears

of pain and frustration. I cursed at fate and what it had done to me. I must have really fucked up big time

in my past life for life to deal me a shitty hand like this. “I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant,” I said, afraid,

with a low voice, and they were all silent. Tears began to stream down my face because I did not know

what to do. “Calm down, Emma. Please be calm.” Kyle said, but how could I? Luca would be mad if he

found out. He will hate me, and I will be that bitch that tried to trap a man with a baby. “There are options.

The pregnancy is just four weeks. You could abort..” The doctor offered, and Kyle shut her up.

“The baby is wanted, Doctor Faye. There will be no abortion,” he told her sternly, and she nodded in

response.

“Come on,” Kyle said, and I felt like a zombie. I just got up like a child and followed him. We walked out

of the hospital and got into his car. My tears were flowing; I did not know how to feel. I had a piece of

Luca, but was it right? “Emma, you are going to be alright. Luca might have ended the marriage, but you

have five men in your life that would care for you. I am sure Tevin, Bruce, Gilbert and father would be

thrilled. There was no doubt that you and Luca were in love. The circumstances did not favour your

relationship. See this as a blessing. You can give all the love you feel for him to his baby.” He said, and I

did not say a word. I was numb about it. This was too much to bear.