Chapter 14

Two years ago

Daisy sat on the sofa as Eric entered the room and headed straight for the coffee pot. She didn't look at him or tell them she had already made his coffee as the sounds of the hot liquid hitting the mug filled the silence.

"Where's the sugar?" He asked a few seconds after shuffling through the cabinets.

"Bottom left," Daisy said.

"Do we have milk or cream?"

"In the fridge," Daisy replied. She waited until she heard the fridge door open to continue, "Almond milk is in the bottom and oat milk is at the top. Don't take the creamer, that's full fat milk."

"Thanks," Eric muttered.

Daisy took one of the pillows on the sofa and placed it on her lap. She began to pick at the design when Eric spoke up again.

"Spoon?" He asked.

"Top right," Daisy sighed.

"Thank you," Eric said after a while as he stirred his coffee and took a sip. As he tossed the spoon in the sink, he looked over his shoulder at Daisy and asked, "Have you thought about what I said?"

Daisy nodded, "Yeah."

"And?"

"I called the clinic today," Daisy felt her insides twist. "You're right. We're not ready to be parents. I'm not ready to be a mother."

"I don't want children," Eric said. "I knew that from when I was fourteen. You know how I feel about them."

"I didn't get pregnant on purpose, Eric," Daisy ran a hand through her hair. "Trust me when I say that having a child was not part of my plans either."

"But we're not keeping it, right?" Eric asked. "You made the appointment?"

"Yes," Daisy said. "I made the appointment."

"For when?"

"Next week," Daisy picked up the notepad by her.

"That's a bit far."

"That's the earliest they could schedule me."

"What about in Jersey?" Eric asked to which Daisy narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous."

"Imagine how I feel!"

"You're right," Eric nodded. "I'm sorry."

Daisy wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her legs up. She pulled the blanket over herself as she checked her phone once more for any messages from Gia. Eric lingered in the living room like a fly on the wall before he couldn't stop himself from sitting down and clearing his throat.

"Did you sleep with him?" He asked.

Daisy looked up and sighed, "No. For the hundredth time."

"But you have feelings for him?"

"I did," Daisy said. "Up until yesterday."

"Is there any possibility the baby is his?"

"No!" Daisy clicked her tongue. "Look, I know I fucked up real bad with Luca. It was a huge mistake and I have no excuse for what I did. But this baby is your's, Eric."

"I know, I know," Eric nodded. "I just....I couldn't sleep all of last night just thinking about you and him."

"I'm really sorry," Daisy apologized. "I'm a terrible person. I don't know how I could be so thoughtless."

Eric didn't reply. He sat quietly in his seat fidgeting with his hands and bouncing his knees. Daisy stared at him, wondering what he was thinking as he rubbed the back of his neck once and then twice.

"After the abortion," Daisy began slowly. "Where do we stand?"

"What?" Eric looked up as if he didn't hear Daisy's question.

"Where do we stand?" Daisy asked. "Our relationship. Can you forgive me? Do you want to try again? I mean...I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again."

"No, I want to see you," Eric said, rubbing his jaw as his knees bounced uncontrollably. "I really like you, Dee. And I think you and I have the same vision for the future."

Daisy slowly nodded.

"We're great for one another," Eric continued. "You don't want any marriage commitment or kids and I feel the same way."

"But what about what happened with Luca?" Daisy asked, her chest tightening every time she mentioned that name.

"Do you want to be with him?" Eric asked. "Be honest with me. If he was here right now and told you he was in love with you, would you want to be with him?"

"No," Daisy shook her head.

"Okay," Eric nodded. "That's really important. I needed to know that."

Daisy tucked her tangled hair back once more. Eric's eyes flickered up towards her as he rubbed his knuckles and cleared his throat.

"We're going to start over," he said. "After the abortion, we're going to start brand new. Forget about Luca and everything else."

His words should have alleviated some of the pressure in Daisy's chest. But it didn't happen. She stared at him, trying to understand why he was so anxious.

"Okay," Daisy nodded when she realized Eric was waiting for her to answer. "I would like that very much."

"We're going to leave everything behind and start completely over," Eric said. "It'll be all brand new. From next week, all of this, it'll be the past and we'll forget about it."

Daisy nodded once more, "Okay..."

"Okay, good," Eric cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Now....since we're talking about this and we're about to make a fresh start, I think there's something you should know."

"What?" Daisy's heart pinched.

"The last time I was away for work..." Eric's eyes flickered up towards Daisy.

"When you went to California?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah," Eric nodded. "It was really a two day trip."

"But you were gone for the whole week," Daisy remembered.

"Yeah, some of the guys from work decided we should take a extra few days and make a pit stop at Vegas."

"Oh...." Daisy frowned. Her mind filled with worry wondering where Eric's story was going. "Okay..."

"While we were there, we all had a little too much to drink," Eric said.

"Uh-huh," Daisy nodded.

"And one thing led to another..." Eric began to ramble. "I swear I wanted to tell you earlier. I wanted to tell you as soon as it happened."

"You kissed someone?" Daisy asked.

Eric shook his head.

"You.....slept with someone?" Daisy braced herself.

Eric shook his head once more.

"Eric...." Daisy sat up and asked very calmly. "What did you do?"

"Well, there was this girl at the bar," Eric swallowed. "And we all had a few drinks."

"Yes, I got that part!" Daisy said. "What happened to the girl? Did you sleep with her?"

"No," Eric shook his head. His eyes filled with guilt as he stared back at Daisy sitting on the couch, "I married her."

"What!" Daisy jumped to her feet, throwing down the pillow and blanket she had on her lap. "What do you mean you married her?"

"We were so drunk and it's Vegas!" Eric jumped to his feet too.

"You're married?" Daisy yelled. "You went to California weeks ago! How long have you been married?"

"We're getting the marriage annulled," Eric said. "Nichole and I agree it was a mistake."

"Nichole?" Daisy couldn't keep her voice down. "Oh my god, you're married! Is that why you were so good to me when you got back from California? You took me out on a date every night!"

"Baby, I felt so guilty!" Eric pleaded. "I didn't know how to tell you. I thought maybe after Mexico you would be in a good mood and I could tell yo-"

"Did you sleep with her?" Daisy asked. "After you got married did you sleep with her?"

"Not on that day," Eric said.

"On which day?" Daisy hollered.

"The next day," Eric said. "We both realized what had happened and she came over to my hotel room to apologize and call her lawyer."

"The next day?" Daisy narrowed her eyes. "So when you two were sober?"

"Baby, it was a mistake!" Eric grabbed her hands. "Just like Luca was a mistake."

"I didn't marry him and keep it a secret from you for a whole month, Eric!"

"I'm telling you now," Eric said. "You don't have to feel so guilty about Luca. You know I don't want to be married. My marriage to Nichole means nothing!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Daisy asked. "If it wasn't a big deal, why didn't you tell me as soon as you got back from your trip?"

"Because I messed up by sleeping with her the next day."

"Eric, you sound so fuckin' stupid," Daisy said. "What mistake are you owning up to right now? Being married or sleeping with your wife?"

"Both!" Eric said.

"Oh my god," Daisy placed a hand over her heart and sank down on the edge of the sofa once more. "We moved in together after your trip. I moved in with you!"

"Baby, we're both going to put this behind us and move forward," Eric sat down beside her and took her hand.

"Answer my one question first," Daisy held up her finger.

"Anything," Eric said.

"If you didn't find out about Luca or if nothing happened between Luca and me, would you have told me about Nichole?"

"I wanted to," Eric said.

"Would you have, Eric?" Daisy asked. "That's my question."

"You know I don't like keeping things from you, babe," Eric shook his head. "Remember our first Christmas together? I gave you your gift two days early because I couldn't keep a secret."

"Eric, you sent me to your apartment to sign for the UPS delivery," Daisy reminded him. "I knew what my gift was. But that's not what we're talking about right now."

"Yes, I would have told you!" Eric insisted. "Eventually...after the marriage was annulled."

Daisy shut her eyes and squeezed her hands. The pressure inside of her chest made her want to scream in frustration.

"Would you have told me about Luca if I didn't catch you two together?" Eric asked.

"Yes," Daisy said, opening her eyes. "I would have."

"You're just saying that now because you want me to feel guilty."

"No," Daisy shook her head. "I was going to tell you. As soon as I saw you, I was going to tell you I wanted to break up because it's not fair for me to continue this relationship when I clearly had feelings for someone else."

"You were going to break up with me?" Eric asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"After you cheated on me, you were going to break up with me?" Eric asked.

"Well, at least I'm not married, Eric!" Daisy threw her arms up.

"But I don't want to break up with you," Eric said. "You're amazing. You're my dream girl. You don't want a ring, you don't want kids, you're independent, you're smart."

"I was already questioning this relationship, Eric," Daisy said. "And now....I'm back to square one."

"Don't break up with me," Eric said. "I'm willing to forget about Luca and move past that. We can both forgive each other and move on."

Daisy shook her head, "I..."

"Don't make any decisions right now," Eric said. "Think this through. After next week, after the abortion, we can think clearly again."

Daisy let out a deep sigh. She felt her head spin as her stomach churned and that same nauseating feeling returned to her in full swing.

__________________________

The cliffs of Del Mare were a beautiful nightmare.

You could see the horizon stretch over the sea from one end of the Earth to the other. The sea melted against the sky in a kiss that was always an illusion. Growing up, Luca loved walking to the cliffs with his mother at night to see the waves or the town's lights. It was a beautiful place to be when it wasn't running.

The rain made the roads slippery and dangerous. Luca would never drive in Del Mare in the rain. Nothing good ever happened in the rain in Del Mare. The night his sister was born and his mother died, it was raining. The night Stella drove her car off the cliff, it was also raining. Luca couldn't understand why he was standing at the edge of the cliff in a downpour looking out at the sea when he knew how nothing good could come of it.

Suddenly, as the mud beneath his feet was washed away by the rain water, the headlights of a car appeared behind him. Luca looked over his shoulder, squinting in the bright light and against the beating rain. He couldn't make out anything as the driver began to honk.

"Luca!" Stella rolled down the window and laughed. "Get out of the way!"

"Stella...?" Luca's blood chilled.

He stepped forward and lowered his hands on the front of the car.

"Reverse," he said. "The road isn't safe here. You're off the road."

"Get out of the way, Luca," Stella's long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as her eyes sharpened.

"Stella, stop," Luca ordered. "Go ba-"

"Luca!" Daisy's scream suddenly filled Luca's ears.

His eyes widened as he looked to the passenger side and realized she was in the car. Her fists banging against the glass with tears in her eyes.

"Daisy!" Luca ran to the passenger side in a panic. He grabbed the door handled as Daisy banged on the window from the inside. "Stella, unlock the door!"

"Tell me not to go," Daisy sobbed. "Luca, say something!"

"Don't go," Luca said struggling with the door handle. "Don't go. Don't go!"

"Tell me not to go with him," Daisy placed her hands against the dewy glass.

"Don't go with him," Luca balled his hands into fists and hit the window. "Stella, open the door! Let her go!"

"Please...." the fat tears rolling down Daisy's cheeks stopped Luca's heart as he stared at her helplessly from the outside. "Tell me not to go."

"Don't go," Luca said, moving closer and placing his hand over her against the glass. "Don't go with him. Don't."

"Say something," Daisy begged. "Please."

As Luca tried to unlock the door once more, he heard Stella start the engine. His eyes widened as the wheels slowly began to move forward. The panic in his eyes mirrored Daisy's as she began to beat both of her fists against the glass and scream his name.

"Stella, stop!" Luca yelled. "Stop!"

"Luca!" Daisy cried. "Tell me not to go!"

Stepping back from the car, Luca looked around at the ground until his eyes landed on a large piece of rock. He dove down and grabbed it, letting the jagged pieces dig into his skin as he ran back to the car and tried to break the window.

"Get down," he told Daisy. "Move back."

Daisy couldn't hear him. She continued to beat her fists against the glass, calling out his name over and over in terror.

"Stella, stop!" Luca pulled his arm back and delivered a blow to the window with the rock but nothing happened. "Stella, open the door!"

"Luca...." Daisy's fists lowered as the car began to roll forward.

"No," Luca's eyes widened as he felt his heart disappear. "No, no, no!"

In a flash, Stella stepped on the gas and the wheels began to spin. Luca grabbed the door handle on the passenger side but he was too late. The car jumped forward and drove off the cliff.

"Daisy!"

Luca bolted up in bed in a pool of terror. His chest ached painfully from how fast his heart hammered against his ribs. He looked around at the dark room, not recognizing anything for a second before his mind shook off the nightmare and came to its senses.

Immediately, he pushed the sheets off of himself and grabbed his t-shirt off the floor. Walking into the closet, Luca grabbed a pair of jeans and dressed quickly before grabbing his keys and rushing out of the room.

Carla, who had a habit of staying up late, looked up as Luca hurried past her to the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked. "It's two in the morning."

Luca didn't answer. He pulled the door open and ran down the stairs. Jumping into his car that still smelled like rain and Daisy, Luca pulled out of the parking spot as fast as he could.

The night was clear. The rain had washed away all the colors and sorrows of the city. The city lights shimmered against the wet pavement as Luca drove like a madman until he arrived at the apartment building downtown.

The tightness in his chest didn't budge an inch as he took the elevator up and banged on the apartment door. A few minutes later, the door opened and Eric looked up with concern.

"What the fuck, man?" He asked, still half asleep. "What are you do-"

"Where is she?" Luca asked. His throat was tighter than his chest.

"She doesn't want to see you," Eric said, ready to close the door.

Luca placed his hand against the door and pushed it open. He stepped inside and asked once more.

"Where is she?"

"Look, you can't be here right now," Eric said. "Daisy and I are fine. We worked it out. She's sleeping. You need to leav-"

Not giving a damn about what Eric had to say, Luca let go of the door and walked into the apartment. He scanned the place as Eric protested from behind him, threatening to call the police. Luca barely heard what the guy had to say as he headed for the bedroom.

"You can't go in there!" Eric said, following him.

Luca pushed the door open. He held his breath to steady himself for the punch in the gut that would come from seeing Daisy in another man's bed. But to his surprise, she wasn't there.

"Where the fuck is she?" Luca looked back at Eric. When he noticed the stubborn look in the guy's eyes and realized he wasn't going to be of much help, Luca impatiently pulled out his gun and held it up to Eric's head.

"Where is she?" He asked, enunciating each word.

Eric began to tremble. But it was for completely different reasons then why Luca's hand trembled. The rage inside of Luca pushed him to place his finger against the trigger, ready to pull if Eric didn't start talking.

"Tell me where she is," Luca said through his teeth.

Eric pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to be brave. But his eyes betrayed him as they flickered towards the guest bedroom.

Luca followed his gaze to the closed door at the end of the hall. He lowered his gun and turned in that direction.

"She doesn't want to see you," Eric said. "She's over you."

Luca grabbed the door knob and slowly turned it. In the dim light, his eyes landed on the figure asleep on the bed and his heart jumped into his throat. Air filled his lungs for the first time since he had driven off the other day. Seeing Daisy laying on her side with a pillow crushed to her chest eased the ache in Luca's system. He stepped forward and closed the door behind him. Putting his gun away, he quietly walked over to the bed and kneeled beside it.

Daisy was fast asleep. Her lashes were lowered against her cheeks. Her hair laid out behind her like a veil. She looked lovely, like a sleeping angel. Completely different from how Luca had seen her in his dream just minutes ago.

Raising his hand, Luca brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek, hoping some of the colors would stain him. She was warm and real under his touch and it made Luca feel things he didn't know he was still capable of feeling.

"Daisy," Luca whispered her name as he began to gently stroke her cheek with his thumb.

"Hm?" Daisy answered, still fast asleep.

"Amore," Luca tried again, tenderly. "Svegliati." (Love....wake up)

"Hmm," Daisy's brows knit together as her lips pushed up. Luca couldn't stop the smile upon seeing how delicate she looked.

"Babe," Luca moved a little closer. "Wake up."

Letting out a deep sigh, Daisy frowned as she tried to throw her hand over her eyes. Luca stopped her as he moved a hand into her hair and scratched the back of her head.

"Let's go," he whispered. "Come on...we have to go."

Very slowly, Daisy's eyes began to flutter open. She blinked once and then twice as she tried to see clearly at who was in front of her. The little light from the dehumidifier in her room provided just enough glow for her to be able to make out Luca's face.

"Hi, baby," Luca took her hand and placed a kiss upon it.

"Luca?" Daisy questioned, her voice coated with sleep.

"Yeah," Luca nodded.

"Wh...." Daisy felt her tummy churn. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you," Luca said.

"What?" Daisy asked in confusion. She was still trying to fight off her sleep as Luca's words surrounded her.

"We're leaving," Luca said. "I'm taking you with me."

Daisy stared at him for a few seconds with her brows furrowed and her lips set in a deep frown. Luca continued to rub his thumb over her cheek as she slowly unwrapped herself from slumber. Her eyes grew more alert as she pulled her hand out and wrapped her fingers around Luca's wrist.

"Don't touch me," Daisy said, pushing Luca's hand away.

Luca's heart stopped. Daisy pushed away from him on the bed and sat up, her breathing changing rapidly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked. "Where's Eric?"

"I'm out here!" Eric called from the other side of the door.

Daisy's eyes moved to the locked door, "Eric!"

"Daisy," Luca tried to stop her as she hurried out of bed and ran towards the door. He caught her arm and pulled her back as she whirled around and shoved him with all her might.

"Get away from me!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Luca said, pulling her back towards him. "I'm fucked up. I'm here now."

Daisy looked as if she was going to be sick. Her face paled as she began to sway.

"You're sorry?" She asked in shock.

"I am," Luca said. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Luca, you need to leave," Daisy said. "Now. Right now."

"Not without you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Daisy said. "I don't want to go anywhere with you."

"That's not true," Luca said. "You told me to sto-"

"You're too late," Daisy shook her head. "It's too late now."

"No," Luca's jaw tensed. "It's not. You're here, I'm here and we're going to be together."

"Together?" Daisy's eyes watered. "Do you hear yourself? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Just come with me," Luca begged. "Everything will be okay."

"Nothing will ever be okay," Daisy said, pushing his hands off of her. "Leave, please."

"I'm not leaving without you," Luca dismissed the idea as if it was out of the question.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you!" Daisy said. "I'm staying here with Eric. We're going to work it out."

"Work what out?" Luca felt his anger flare in the dark.

"Something, anything!" Daisy said, placing a hand over her belly. "Please, just go. You're too late."

"Don't say that," Luca shook his head. "Please, don't say that."

"I can't stand to look at you right now," Daisy stepped back. "I begged you. I begged you to say something. You didn't!"

"I fucked up."

"You did," Daisy said. "And life doesn't give second chances."

Luca flinched from Daisy's words. He took a step towards her as she backed away immediately.

"Eric!" Daisy turned and unlocked the door.

Luca saw red as she ran into the guy's arms and buried her face in his chest. His hands balled into fists as he thought of all the ways he could enjoy wiping the smudged look off his face.

"Daisy," Luca shifted his attention. "We can talk about this. I'll do whatever you want. Just please come with me."

"No," Daisy shook her head. "You're too late."

"Why do you keep saying that!" Luca growled. "Look at me!"

"Hey!" Eric held out his hand. "Stop yelling. She's pr-"

Before Eric could finish, Daisy felt the content of her stomach push into her mouth. She gagged as she placed her hand over her lips and turned towards the bathroom. Eric and Luca ran after her as she fell to the floor in front of the toilet and began to vomit.

At the sight of it all, Eric gagged himself and stepped back. Luca pushed him aside as he sank down beside Daisy and pulled her hair back. His hand began to rub her back as he looked back at the other guy.

"Get her some water," he ordered.

"No," Daisy pushed Luca's hand away. Her eyes stung with heat as she felt another wave of nausea come over her. She leaned forward and threw up once again as Luca placed his hand over her forehead to keep her from hitting the back of the toilet seat.

"Water," Eric said, coming back in with a bottle and some napkins.

Daisy raised her hand and flushed the toilet. She sat back on her legs as Luca opened the water bottle for her and handed it to her.

"What did she have for dinner?" He asked as Daisy rinsed her mouth and spat out the water in the toilet.

"Just some soup and a cheese sandwich," Eric shrugged.

"Was the cheese expired?" Luca asked, his eyes grilling Eric. "What about the bread?"

"I don't think this is food pois-" Eric began but Daisy looked up at him and shook her head. Luca followed Eric's eyes to Daisy.

"I'm fine," she said.

"You're not fine," Luca said. "I'm taking you with me. Carla's at home. She can take a look at you. You can stay with Gia-"

"Luca," Daisy stopped him. "I'm not going with you. You left me when I wanted you to stay. You can't just come back in the middle of the night and expect me to leave everything for you and follow you out the door."

Luca looked at her as if he already knew she would be saying those words. Daisy felt her heart twist as he sat before her with his eyes full of heartbreak and a hint of fear. She had never seen him like that. A part of her, a big part of her, wanted to know where that fear was coming from. Why had he shown up in the middle of the night as if he was scared she might disappear by morning?

But as Daisy sat, feeling her stomach churn once more, she knew she had bigger things to worry about then what Luca Silvano was fearful of. She shook her head once more and removed Luca's hand from her.

"I don't ever want to see you again," she said. "Leave me alone."

"I can't," Luca said.

"You can," Daisy said. "You showed me you could."

The pain that seized Luca's heart was enough to squeeze all the blood out of him like a sponge. As Daisy got off the floor and walked away, he felt the shattered pieces of himself rattle inside his chest. She walked into the guest bedroom and locked the door, leaving Eric and Luca out in the hall.

Luca stood before the door for several minutes before turning on his heels and walking out of the apartment. He was a ghost of himself as he got in his car and drove back home. His thoughts were scattered as if a hurricane had run through his life and turned everything upside down. He felt as if he couldn't breath as he drove closer and closer to the home where there was another mess waiting for him. His father.

Angelo's sudden visit to New York was like a dark looming shadow over Luca's head. The man was insane and completely out of his mind. Luca worried for his sister's safety, wondering if he should send her and Daisy away from where until he figured out how to handle Angelo. But as Luca parked and entered the house, Carla's frightened eyes poured water all over those plans.

"Gia's gone," she said. "She ran away."   

Oh what a big wonderful mess I made lol