The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

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Amber’s heart broke, a thousand tiny pieces scattering as she looked at her son’s tear–streaked face. She could feel Luca’s frustration mounting, the tension between them growing thicker by the second.

“You are home, Nico,” Luca insisted, his voice tight with emotion. “L’Italia è anche casa tua.” But the boy wouldn’t look at him. He wouldn’t even peek from behind his mother. Amber could see it–the rejection cut deep into Luca, his jaw clenched as he stood up, the hurt in his eyes quickly transforming into something else.

Anger.

Luca’s gaze shifted to her, and she knew what was coming. His fury, always simmering just below the surface, exploded. “So, this is what you wanted, huh?” he hissed, his words sharp as knives. “You’ve poisoned him against me. He won’t even look at me. Is that what you

wanted, Amber? For my son to hate me?”

The accusation was like a slap to the face. Amber recoiled, feeling the venom in his voice seep into her skin. The icy look he gave her sent

a shiver down her spine.

“I didn’t-” she started, her voice trembling.

But Luca was relentless. “Congratulations. It looks like you’ve succeeded. He hates me. Just like you wanted.”

Amber could feel the weight of his hatred pressing down on her, suffocating her. She could have snapped back, could have unleashed her own anger at him like she had done so many times in the past. But that wasn’t why she was here. She couldn’t risk a fight with him–not

now, not when Nico needed him.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay calm. “On the contrary, Luc. I’m here because I want Nico to know his father better. You

barely visited him in the last year, and-”

“And whose fault is that?” Luca snapped, stepping closer, his towering presence making her feel small. “You took him halfway around the

world. You took him from me!”

Amber held Nico tighter, feeling the warmth of his little body pressed against her as he sobbed into her shoulder, his fingers gripping her blouse as though the fabric was the only thing tethering him to safety. His cries grew louder with each passing moment, breaking her heart into smaller pieces. Amber’s arms trembled slightly as she rocked him gently, doing her best to soothe him, but nothing was working. His breath came in heavy, ragged bursts, each tear seeming to weigh more heavily on her than the last.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay,” she whispered into his ear, her voice shaky but as calm as she could make it. She ran her hand gently through his soft hair, trying to calm him, though she could feel his tension radiating through her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Luca’s posture change. The sharp, biting anger in his expression faltered as he looked down at his son. The cold edge that had gripped him seemed to melt away for just a moment, revealing a flicker of something much more

vulnerable beneath the surface. Regret, perhaps. Maybe guilt.

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Chapter 73

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“I’m sorry, piccolino,” Luca murmured, his voice so low that Amber almost didn’t catch it. He stepped forward and crouched down, gently

pressing his lips to Nico’s forehead, a soft kiss filled with a sadness he couldn’t hide. His face, usually so composed and stoic, softened as

his eyes lingered on his son, guilt etched deep into his features.

Amber didn’t miss the way his fingers trembled ever so slightly as he reached out to touch Nico’s arm, almost as though he feared his

own son’s rejection. But Nico, exhausted and overwhelmed, whimpered softly before surrendering to the exhaustion that had been chasing

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