He Called Me Ugly. I Became His Biggest Regret. Chapter 06
Marco shook his head: “Nothing. I’m still clean. We did everything before that. She’s hot — she knows what she’s doing. But at the last second, she said it was her first time. Scared. Wanted me to be gentle. Said she wanted a real relationship — same university, same city, dating to marriage.”
“I lost interest. Right there. Everything she was asking for — the future, the commitment, the real thing — I only ever wanted to give all of that to Lucia.”
His men nodded. “Yeah. Rossi — even the name means red. Fire. Pretty to look at, dangerous to keep close. Girls like her and Bianchi? It’s not even a comparison. You can’t marry a fire.”
Marco’s gloomy face finally cracked into a faint smile.
“Yeah. My wife — is, and can only be, Lucia. Her world is so small. It’s basically just me in there. Sweet. Obedient. You could leave her alone for a year and she’d still be waiting. That kind of loyalty — you can’t just buy it with money.”
“Lucia is so innocent. Remember when she visited me in the hospital and saw the hickey Val left on my neck? She actually thought it was a bug bite. I almost laughed in her face. In that moment I felt this surge of protectiveness. Of possessiveness. She’s mine. She’s always been mine. That’s never going to change.”
His friend laughed: “You’re right. Girls like Rossi — you have fun. But you don’t put a ring on it. Girls like Bianchi — those are for keeps. That’s the difference between a fling and a wife.”
“Speaking of — see that orange-haired chick upstairs? Total Rossi type. Flashy hair, probably got tattoos under that jacket. Those girls — you know the type. ‘I smoke, I drink, I have tattoos, but I’m a good girl.’ Yeah, right!”
They spoke low, but I caught every word.
What I felt wasn’t disappointment anymore. It was shock. And rage.
I knew Marco was rotten. I didn’t know he was rotten to this depth.
But at least — I had already learned to cut my losses. Already taken back every
bit of affection. Trust. Hope.
I hoped Valentina could too.
I unblocked her — just long enough to send her the recording. Then I stood. Walked toward Marco’s table. One step at a time.
He shot to his feet. His face cycled through confusion, shock, then a desperate, hungry hope.
“Lucy!! You’re here! When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me? Your new hair — it’s beautiful. I’ve never seen this style on you. It suits you perfectly. All that nonsense before — let’s never say those things again, okay? You look good no matter what. You. How could you not be worthy of me?”
He reached out to touch my hair. I pushed his hand away.
“Touch me again and I’ll make sure you lose it.”
He froze. Disbelief. “Lucy — you’ve changed. How can you talk to me like this? You’ve never talked to me like this. The you right now — you feel like a stranger.”
I looked at him. Coldly.
“That day. Three days before the gala. You called me ugly in front of everyone. From that moment — we were never going to be the same kind of people. You made your choice. With your own hands. You split our roads apart.”
“Seriously?! Our entire childhood — everything we’ve been through — you’re throwing it all away over two words?” His voice went urgent. “I’ve explained so many times. It was just a GAME.”
I fired back: “Just a game? Not a deliberate setup to prove your loyalty to Valentina so she’d sleep with you? You bet my dignity. The Commission’s opinion of me. The most important night of my life — all of it, so you could have your night with her.”
He sucked in a breath. “You — you heard everything we just said?”
“Every word. And I sent the recording to Valentina. I thought she should know exactly what you think of her too.”