Adrian walked closer, carefully taking her hand out of respect. Without a word of warning, Matteo’s mother wrapped her arms around Adrian and pulled him into a warm embrace.
When she finally pulled back, she gently took his arm and guided him over to the couch, sitting him down right beside her.
Adrian sat rigid on the cushions, his mind spinning in absolute confusion as he stared at her, a deeply bewildered look filling his face.
Charles noticed the intense tension between them and quietly stepped away, leaving the two of them completely alone in the spacious living room so they could talk in private.
Adrian had no idea what to say, so he just sat there, waiting for her to speak first.
Matteo’s mother let out a soft sigh, remaining silent for a brief mont before she finally broke the quiet. "I never knew I would see you this soon," she said. "I’m genuinely glad to et you in person."
Adrian’s throat felt dry, and he found himself unable to form words.
Seeing his silence, Matteo’s mother looked at him gently and asked, "How is he doing?"
Adrian tried to play dumb, acting as though he didn’t understand who she was referring to. "I... I don’t understand, ma’am."
Matteo’s mother smiled warmly, shaking her head. "Of course you do. You know I’m asking about Matteo."
Adrian swallowed hard, keeping his posture stiff. "He’s doing fine," he replied quietly. But unable to hold back his confusion any longer, he looked at her carefully and asked, "How do you know about my relationship with Matteo?"
Matteo’s mother let out a soft sigh. "I know everything about him, Adrian," she said gently. "In fact... I know that the two of you aren’t on good terms right now."
Adrian’s eyes widened slightly. "How? Did Maxwell... or Mark tell you?"
Matteo’s mother shook her head. "No. Matteo himself told all about you."
"How?" Adrian asked, completely stunned. "I thought you two were not in contact and that you hadn’t spoken to him all this ti."
Matteo’s mother looked at him, her expression turning deeply serious. "You are right, we haven’t spoken face-to-face. But here is the truth."
Her voice slowly lowered, softening into the raw, aching tone of a mother carrying the heavy weight of the past. "It’s not that I despise Matteo. He is my son, and there is no way I could ever truly turn my back on him. I am telling you this because I want to help clarify whatever is broken between the two of you. If this is the only thing I can do for him as his mother right now, then I will do it."
She looked out the window, a bittersweet smile touching her lips as she went back in ti.
"When Matteo was young, he was a solitary child. He always went his separate way, silent and guarded. He never knew how to explain himself or defend his actions when he was in the wrong, but he would always apologize. He couldn’t lie, Adrian. When he tried, his entire body would shake while he spoke. Back then, you would never have thought he would beco the man he is now. He was a good boy, so determined, so confident, and full of life. I loved him so fiercely for that."
Her smile faded, replaced by a sudden, painful sorrow. She looked directly into Adrian’s eyes, her voice trembling softly.
"Until one day, everything changed. That day... I felt like the ground should just open up and swallow whole. I couldn’t comprehend what my son had done. Even after everything, he was still my boy. I stayed by his side. I talked to him as his mother, I begged him, and he promised he would stop. But after that promise... things only beca worse."
A tear slipped down her cheek, carrying the quiet grief of a mother who had watched her child slowly lose himself. "I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore. I couldn’t even look at him. My heart was completely broken seeing what Matteo had beco. I won’t say I didn’t see it coming, not with who their father was... but I never imagined Matteo would reach a point where the entire city started calling him a devil. As a mother, what joy is there in that?"
She let out a shaky, painful breath, wiping her damp cheek. "So, after I divorced their father and relocated abroad, I cut ties. I didn’t want to speak to him. Not out of hatred, Adrian... but because looking at him just brought back a sadness I couldn’t survive."
A heavy silence filled the space between them. Adrian sat frozen, the weight of her words pressing against his chest.
"Matteo tried to reach at first," she continued. "He would call, he would send ssages, begging for forgiveness, telling how sorry he was. I read every single one of them. But I never responded. He kept trying for a while, until one day, the calls stopped. He didn’t reach out for a long ti."
She swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she pulled out her phone.
"Then, out of nowhere, he sent a ssage. He wrote: ’Mom, I’m trying to believe now that you have forgotten about . But I don’t want you to forget . So, from now on, I will use this chat as a diary. Since I won’t get an answer from you, it’s better to keep my secrets where I know they will never get a response.’"
She looked up at Adrian, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "And that’s exactly what he did. For all these years, he wrote to as if he were writing in a private diary. He poured out all his pain, his secrets, his shadows. I read every word, but not once did I reply."
She unlocked the screen, scrolling through an endless wall of texts. "He wrote to when he discovered his sexuality. He told he preferred to be with a man rather than a woman." He said, "I know you will be disappointed, Mom, because that’s not what we talked about years ago. But don’t worry, I will find a beautiful man who is worth bringing ho to you one day. I hope when I find him, you will like him."
She shook her head gently. "I gave no reply. But that’s not where I’m going with this. Let’s get into why I am so glad to have t you today, Adrian."
She slid the phone across the table toward him. "This was sent almost three years ago. I want you to read it. It is a lot, but if you look closely, you will understand everything."
Mom, I t this man today.(Attached Photo)
I ca to a restaurant to discuss business with my friend. He is beautiful, Mom. Exactly like the man I have dread of having as my partner in the future. I took a picture of him without him knowing. He was so focused on his food. I didn’t approach him. I guess I just appreciated how good-looking he was from afar.
Adrian stared at the attached blurry photo. It was him, taken two and a half years ago, sitting alone at the corner of a restaurant.
As he continued scrolling, a wave of shock washed over him. Matteo had seen him so many tis before they officially t. Adrian used to work for one of Matteo’s associates, and during those monts, Matteo would quietly watch him from a distance without ever approaching.
At first, it had only been distant admiration... random coincidences that kept placing them in the sa cafés, the sa restaurants, the sa places, until those coincidences slowly, turned into Matteo intentionally following his shadow.
Mom, I saw that man again. He’s an artist and he’s so talented at his work.
Mom, today I saw that man again. He works around powerful people, so he should be living comfortably, but why doesn’t he have his own car?
He was sitting at the pickup point, waiting for his ride tonight and he looked so sad. It even seed like he was crying.
I don’t know what he’s going through, but why would soone cry in public at night? I couldn’t just ignore it, Mom.
For once, I decided to be kind. I walked up to him myself and gave him my handkerchief. He took it, but I don’t think he was very grateful. He just accepted it, got into his ride when it arrived, and left without even looking back or saying thank you.
Adrian’s eyes turned bloodshot. A sharp sting pricked behind his eyelids, but he forced himself to hold back the tears. If he started crying now, his vision would blur, and he desperately needed to read every single word.
He scrolled further.
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