CHAPTER 117: LOST TO THE INTIMACY

Adam wasn’t surprised by his daughter’s silence after revealing the news. He saw the turmoil in her eyes. Seeing her hesitation, he spoke further, "Sara, do you wish to see your mother? I refused to give her your contact information last night when she came to the house."

"I want to see her," Sara replied, her voice surprisingly firm.

Adam clearly didn’t expect her to say this. "Gloria will only manipulate you with her lies, Sara. I advise you to stay away from her," he stated, worry evident in his tone. "But then again, she is your mother."

"I want her to answer me why she abandoned me," Sara clarified the reason behind her decision with a steady gaze. "And why she has suddenly returned after so many years. Since she made the effort to come and see you, I will not make any attempt to approach her. Instead, she should approach me. She needs me; I don’t need her."

Adam knitted his brows together in worry. He personally didn’t wish Sara to see her mother.

The maid came with a tray in her hands and carefully lowered a teacup along with its saucer onto the table beside Adam.

"I won’t take tea, thank you," Adam refused politely and stood up. "I will take my leave then. Luca, take good care of yourself."

Sara pointedly didn’t meet the gaze of her father. Adam pivoted on his heels and walked toward the front door as the house butler smoothly escorted him to his car.

Sara stood up abruptly and rushed out, hurrying after her father. Adam was about to climb into the car’s backseat when Sara’s voice stopped him sharply.

"Did she ask how I was doing? Did she say she missed me?" Sara asked, her gaze fixed on him, filled with a last, desperate bit of hope.

Adam turned back to look deeply into the eyes of his daughter and slowly shook his head. "She simply wanted your phone number," he answered honestly. "If she bothers you with anything, you can always come to me, Sara. And I am again sincerely sorry for everything." With that, Adam settled into the car before it drove off.

"What do you want to do, love?" Luca’s voice fell softly into her ears as he approached her. She tilted her head toward him. "Your mother is here now, so she will definitely try to claim a place in your life. I don’t think she’s here for any good reason."

"I won’t forgive her for leaving me behind," Sara stated, her voice quiet but firm. "Whatever her reason would be, she left a void in me which can’t be filled. She didn’t even ask if I were doing well. A mother asks such a basic question if they meet their child after a long time, right?" Sara asked, looking to Luca for validation of her hurt.

"Hmm, she does," Luca confirmed, pulling her gently into his side.

"Did you have a bath?" Sara suddenly shifted their conversation, focusing on practical matters.

"Not yet. I woke up, freshened up, and came downstairs only to find your father was here," Luca answered smoothly. "Will you help me in the bath? Since I got wounded in the right arm, it still hurts too much to use properly." He began acting slightly helpless in front of her.

"Earlier, you told my father that you were feeling better," Sara squinted her eyes at him, catching the contradiction.

"Well, I can walk, and I can eat," Luca remarked, feigning innocence. "So, yeah, I am better in general."

Sara shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips at his antics. "Let’s go in. I’ll help you," she murmured, giving in.

"What? Really? Will you see me—" Luca began, his eyes lighting up hopefully.

"No!" Sara quickly clarified, stopping him before he could get ahead of himself. "I’ll help you wash your hair only. Don’t expect more from me," she added, making the terms of assistance very clear.

"That’s enough too," Luca said, his grin widening, already satisfied with her concession.

They both reached their bedroom, and Sara, true to her word, locked the door from the inside. She immediately began to help him remove his shirt. Luca’s eyes remained intently on her face as his heart began racing with each of her careful movements. She gently pulled the sleeves free of his arms, mindful of his injured right side.

As she turned to lower the shirt onto the chair nearby, Luca used the distraction to quickly remove his trousers too. Sara, completely unaware of this maneuver, turned back and saw him standing only in his underpants.

"I think I can sit in the bathtub, keeping my right arm outside the water," he suggested, his voice smooth and slightly husky.

"Yes, you can," Sara agreed, maintaining a professional distance and already heading into the washroom.

Luca followed her in and watched as she began filling the large bathtub. She checked the water temperature carefully with her hand before asking Luca to step in. All this time, she deliberately avoided making eye contact with him, instead focusing on locating the shampoo in the cabinet.

Bringing it out, she helped him settle into the tub, then began dampening his hair first with the water faucet. Luca’s eyes remained fixed on hers, and he noticed that her own clothes were starting to get slightly damp from the spray.

His gaze then landed on the pendant he had gifted her, and a satisfied smile carved itself onto his lips. The gentle massage on his head from the foaming shampoo relaxed him completely before Sara washed it all away with the running water from the faucet.

"It’s done," Sara announced, stepping back slightly.

"What about the rest of the body?" Luca asked in a low, teasing tone, watching her expectantly.

"You have your left hand for that," Sara reminded him sternly, refusing to rise to the bait.

As she turned to leave the tub area, he acted swiftly. Luca held her wrist firmly, and the next second, he pulled her with surprising force straight into the large bathtub with him.

The water violently splashed outside as Sara tumbled directly into his arms, her head bumping against his chest. Luca didn’t care about the bandaged wound at that moment; he simply wrapped his arms securely around her, holding her tightly against him.

Sara tilted her head back, glaring up at him, completely soaked. "You made me drench entirely!" Her anger was clear and sharp in her voice.

"Because you still run away from me," Luca whispered, his mouth near her ear, a hint of possessiveness in his tone. "I had to do this to keep you here."

"Let me go. You have even drenched the bandage now," Sara said, trying to stay calm and control her frustration while attempting to disentangle herself.

"Ignore that," Luca insisted, holding her chin gently but firmly, forcing her to look at him. "Do you hate it when I ask you to kiss me, or when I just kiss you?"

"No," Sara refused, shaking her head slightly.

"Then, why do you act like we are strangers when we are in the same room?" Luca asked, his voice softer now, reflecting his genuine confusion and hurt.

"You’re injured, Luca!" Sara explained, arching her brows at him in slight confusion. "I’ve been more worried about your well-being than all of that. How could you even think about anything else in such a situation?"

Luca held her hand and brought it directly to his chest, letting her feel the strong, rapid beating of his heart beneath her palm. "This is exactly what I feel at the moment. Have you still not forgiven me? Are you still hurt because of me?" he asked sincerely, before quickly shifting back to a teasing tone. "And I can get better much faster if you start pampering me properly," he said.

That statement made Sara smile genuinely. "Why are you acting like a child?" she laughed. A moment later, she leaned closer to him and kissed him softly on his lips. "Is that good?"

"No, you know precisely what I desire," Luca stated, his eyes turning dark with longing. He didn’t initiate the kiss this time, waiting deliberately for Sara’s reaction. To his surprise, she turned fully to face him, her chest rising and falling quickly in anticipation, before she kissed him back hard, with undeniable passion.

She licked on his lips the same way he had done many times to her, then continued by nibbling gently on them. Taking a brief pause, she again peered into his eyes, her expression mischievous. "Was that enough?"

"No," Luca refused immediately, his voice husky.

"You’re—" she couldn’t finish the thought as his lips found hers again, cutting her off. He grasped the back of her head, tilting it perfectly to deepen the kiss. His left arm drew her even closer, so close that she felt his hard manhood pressing against her stomach beneath the water. A soft moan escaped her mouth, followed instantly by another, lost to the intimacy of the moment.