Chapter 170
LIVIA-
I was frozen to the spot.
Roman had just confessed he was in love with me. In front of everyone. He loved me. Roman Vale was in love with me. He’d never said it before.
Tears gathered so fast everything blurred around me.
And he had not said it to me first.
He had shouted it at Luca, like the truth had been ripped out of him in a fight instead of confessed in a quiet room the way I had imagined since I was nineteen.
Still, this moment was better. Hearing him shout it like that made it raw and real-no rehearsed lines, just genuine emotion pouring out of him. I love her…my heart ached in a good, soulful way. He loved me. Roman loved me. Despite all the chaos around us-the marriage my father desperately wanted to impose! Luca and Roman’s recent fight, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy because he loved me. This was, undeniably, the best day of my life.
As if he realized what he had done, he finally turned to look my way. Wide-eyed. Blood at his mouth. Green eyes on mine like the rest of the track had fallen away and the only thing left on the planet was my
face.
Luca let go. He looked defeated for some reason as he gathered himself, wiped blood from his lip, and stepped back without another word.
That silence was almost worse than the punching. Charlotte still had a hand on his jacket. I could not look at her long. I could not look at anyone but Roman.
He swallowed hard, a visible tremor passing through his throat as his eyes softened with affection. I could see the love for me unmistakably in his expression; he wasn’t hiding it from me anymore. The warmth in his gaze and the subtle trembling of his lips conveyed emotions words couldn’t fully capture. I couldn’t even begin to describe how happy that realization made me. It felt as though he was finally accepting, it, embracing our connection without trying to pull away from me.
“I love you.” His voice was filled with so much gentleness that I almost fainted from the shock of it, my heart was not ready for a confession from him. “I love you, Olivia.”
I could not hold back anymore. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. Then I let the tears come. He held me like he had been waiting a long time to pull me into his arms again.
His hand settled at my back as he tightened his hold around me.
When we pulled away, Nico was standing behind us eating popcorn.
I frowned.
Where had he even gotten popcorn? Was this entertainment to him?
“High quality stuff,” he said, perfectly calm, as if we were a movie. “When’s the next show? I missed the
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The Mockey Captam’s Unwanted Wife
opening credits. I assume there was a trailer that nobody sent to me.”
arrowed my eyes. “Shut up.”
55 vourne
“I’m very confused though.” Nico gestured to us. “I thought you were in love with Luca here. You asked for his number. You went to a hotel with him and caused the entire scandal that brought me into your mess. I. a humble man with a plane to Monaco, was told I had to marry you because of the scandal. But the whole time you’ve been at it with your brother’s best friend. That is a plot twist. I feel lied to. I feel like a supporting character.”
“I’m guessing your brother doesn’t know about this.” Charlotte said as though putting everything together.
“Oh.” Nico pointed between us. “I see what’s happening here. Secret romance. Brother’s best friend. You wanted Luca’s number to make him jealous and it worked. That’s why Luca had that bruise on his face after the wedding. It is all starting to make sense. Your secret is safe with me as long as you get me out of this marriage.”
Roman’s arm stayed at my waist. I could feel him looking at Nico like he might fight him next if he didn’t shut up.
“That is blackmail,” I said.
“No, I don’t do blackmail,” Nico said. “This is me getting out of the marriage forced upon me because of a scandal I didn’t even create.”
Charlotte glanced at Luca, then at me, something I couldn’t read in her expression.
Luca had gone quiet in a way that did not suit him. It made me wonder if he was telling the truth. Did he really like me? I shook my head. This was Luca, the F-boy. He wouldn’t like a girl like me. Even if he did, I already made it quite clear my heart only belonged to Roman.
“This mess only happened because of Luca.” Nico growled. “Why did I ever become friends with him?”
Luca lifted a hand. “I am right here.”
“I know,” Nico said. “That is the problem. You have been right here a lot lately. Stop being right here.”
I ignored the both of them. Roman loved me. He had shouted it. He had said it again to my face.
Now he was looking down at me.
“We stop the wedding first,” I whispered. “And then we figure out the rest. You don’t have to tell Ethan about us yet. We can wait until we find a way out of this mess first.”
Roman’s fingers tightened at my hip, like he had finally run out of ways to take it back-and for the first time since the interview, I let myself lean into the hold as if the rest of the world might wait one more minute before it started screaming again.
TOME
Mon, Sep TJIMU
The Mockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.