Luca's POV

I could still remember the look of utter shock in her face when I told her that I might love her. She had said, letting the shock in the beautiful lens of her hazel brown eyes do all the talking.

And then I had asked, “Do you think you might love me too, Allison?”

Her response had been a swift “No” this time, and that single word, for reasons I still can't fathom, even as I dropped down the stairs this morning, seemed to crush my soul.

She had turned her back to me ...