Chapter 78

Chapter Seventy Eight

Third Person POV.

Amber’s heart pounded in her chest as she took small, cautious bites of the food in front of her. Each morsel felt heavier with each passing moment, her anxiety mounting. She glanced at the variety of dishes spread out on the table, amazed at the effort Sofia had put into preparing this meal. But she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by it all.

Sofia observed Amber’s hesitance. “Is something wrong, dear? Is the food not to your liking?” she

asked.

Amber quickly shook her head. “No, everything is delicious, Nonna. Thank you so much for preparing

all this.”

Sofia’s frown deepened. She knew the polite smile was hiding Amber’s unease. She had seen it many times before, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Amber wasn’t a fan of Italian food.

Leaning closer to Amber, Richard’s voice was filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

He had known for a while now that Amber wasn’t a big eater and that she struggled with food, but he had given her space to address it as she saw fit. He had feared mentioning it might add to her discomfort, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or break their rule to not pry without her

permission.

Amber forced a smile and nodded. “I’m fine, Richard. I was just a bit overwhelmed with all the food.

But really, it’s all very delicious.

Sofia’s gaze shifted between Amber and Richard, sensing the underlying tension. She cleared her throat

breaking the quietness at the table. “Amber, my dear, there’s no need for you to force yourself. If

else. You also don’t need to feel obliged to

the food doesn’t suit your palate, we can make

eat everything. Just take what you can.”

Amber’s face flushed with embarrassment. “No, really, Nonna, I appreciate the effort, and I assure

you, the food is wonderful. It really is. I’m just not a big eater”

As the conversation continued around her, Amber’s anxiety grew. She didn’t want to be the center of

attention or make Sofia feel bad. She knew her relationship with food was complicated and a constant

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Oucter Seventy Eight

struggle, but pushing aside her fears, she mustered the strength to take a spoonful of the risotto and swallow it, hoping to aleviate some of the tension in the room.

Sofa noticed the unease lingering in Amber’s eyes, her heart aching for the young woman. But sending that now was not the time to pry, she shifted the conversation. “Amber, my dear, I’m glad you’re enjoying your food. So tell me. Pietro, how long do you two plan on staying for your honeymoon? I do hope you intend on staying for a long time and enjoying your break”

Richard knew his grandmother’s tendencies to criticize and nitpick his decisions, so he swifty thought of a response that would stop her from finding anything wrong with how long they planned c staying.

“We plan to stay for about a week, Nonna, Richard replied. “But we also have plans to visit other countries during our honeymoon.”

Sofia raised an eyebrow. “Other countries? Where, specifically?”

Richard’s mind raced, searching for a plausible answer. “We haven’t decided on all the destinations yet, but Greece and France are possibilities.” he lied, wishing his grandmother would just let it

Sofia would seem satisfied with his response, and fortunately for Richard, she would stop acking him

questions about their honeymoon.

“I know this question may come as a surprise to you both, but just out of curiosity, do you two plan on having children?” Sofia asked suddenly, and because of how shocked she was to hear such a

question, Amber almost choked on her food.

Richard immediately passed a glass of water to Amber, and while she was gulping down water to calm herself, Sofia stared back and forth at them wondering why her question had been such a huge sho

“Im sorry, dear, but was my question that shocking? I mean, I’m only acking a newly married couple if they intend on having children or not. You don’t have to be so nervous! Sofa retorted.

“I already told you before that children are a big no for me, Nonna. I have no intention of having

kids” Richard replied, and Amber turned to him with a surprised look on her face.

She didn’t expect him to mention that he didn’t want to have children, and even though the knew that their relationship wasn’t real and that they weren’t going to be having children together, hearing

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Chapter Seventy Eight

him talk about children being a no made her want to counter him just for the fun of it.

“Are you being serious, babe? You don’t want kids?” she asked, catching Richard off guard.

“So, you two didn’t discuss such an important subject before getting married? What are you both, idiots?” Sofia hissed, unable to fathom why such an important subject hadn’t been discussed a long

time ago.

Richard, who suddenly felt comered, didn’t know what to say or how to react without seeming too shocked. “Do you want kids?” he asked Amber, trying to play along with her so his nonna didn’t find

his reaction too weird.

“I mean, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have little Richard and little Amber running around the house. If we have a daughter and she comes out looking like you, she’d be absolutely breathtaking.” Amber responded, and Richard choked.

He choked so badly that he didn’t stop coughing for a minute straight while trying not to show that he was in total shock. Amber, wearing an amused grin, now passed a glass of water to him, telling him to take it easy and not cough his lungs out just because she mentioned having kids.

Sofia watched them both with a disapproving look on her face, shaking her head at how ridiculous both

her grandson and granddaughter–in–law were.

“So, are you having kids or not? Let me know if I’ll be lucky enough to meet great–grandchildren from

Pietro,” she said.

“You already have a great–grandchild from Bianca, Nonna. Don’t depend on me to give you one too,”

Richard responded.

Amber scoffed jokingly. “Honey, you and I are going to have to talk about this when we get home. I

don’t agree with you,” she teased, and Richard remained mute.

“You know what? You both need to hurry up with lunch so you can get out of my house. You’re both making me want to hit you, and I’m already too old to be stressed, she hissed, getting up from where she was seated and shaking her head as she headed back to her room.

“What was that about?” Richard asked as he and Amber walked back to the car.

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“What are you talking about?” she replied.

“Little Richard and little Amber? Does that ring a bell?” he reminded her, and Amber chuckled.

“I did mean it when I said a daughter who looked like you would be breathtaking, but since we both

know that won’t be happening between us, there’s no need for you to be bothered.”

“It’s not like you find me attractive enough to do anything with me,” she added with a pout, aiming

to make him uncomfortable while at the same time confirming if he was attracted to her or not.

“Do you want me to be?” he asked.

Amber smirked. “That’s entirely up to you, Romero. The ball is in your court; it has been for a while

now, and you can either choose to shoot or… miss your timing.”

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