After Returning to the Future, His Love Turned to MadnessChapter 1
The research team often claimed that Rocco Ferrari was utterly, hopelessly in love with me.
I had a rare condition; my body reacted harshly to direct contact, prone to allergies, and conceiving a child was almost impossible. To shield me from any pain, Rocco took every precaution. Whenever we were intimate, he insisted on double protection, refusing to risk my health.
He couldn’t stand the thought of me enduring the agony of IVF treatments, so he made a bold public statement, declaring himself infertile and indifferent to fatherhood. It was his way of protecting me from judgment and speculation.
Rocco had dreams and towering ambitions in research, but he lacked the funds to bring them to life. At the same time, I had my own mission: to gather data from this era.
So, I hid my true identity and became the silent benefactor of his entire team, funding every project and ensuring his vision never faltered.
One afternoon, while delivering lunch to Rocco, I stumbled upon a conversation that froze me in my tracks. His colleagues were laughing, their teasing words piercing the air.
“Rocco, did you lead last night’s virtual meeting while on Avery? Your voice even changed; was it that good?”
Rocco chuckled, giving his colleague a playful nudge, a smug grin spreading across his face.
“Don’t make things up. But, yeah, the feeling without it is incredible.”
Those words crushed me. My chest tightened as my heart crumbled to ash.
Later, with trembling hands, I reached out to my team in the future world.
“I want to go back.”
A familiar voice answered, calm and reassuring.
“Understood. The time-travel ship will await you at the base of Liora Cliff.”
“The scheduled departure is in five days.”
…
Rocco slid his hand beneath Avery’s shirt, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
“Cold hands? Let me take care of that.”
The office heating had been unreliable for days, leaving most of the staff clinging to their hot water bottles. Yet, Rocco seemed to have his own solution, which earned him more than a few envious glances.
“Lucky guy. I wish I had someone to warm my hands like that.”
Avery Conti let out a startled giggle, her cheeks flushing a deep red as she perched comfortably on his lap. She tilted her head back, surrendering to his touch, clearly reveling in the moment.