[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 159: You Didn’t Love Him Enough

He counted the days he had not spoken to Matteo and the weeks he had spent pushing him away. For the first time, a faint guilt settled in his chest as he felt bad about it.

In that moment, a desperate urge to reach out to Matteo flared up inside him.

But before he could act on it, Matteo’s mother spoke gently, interrupting his thoughts. She asked Adrian not to mention any of this to Matteo. She made it clear that she would deeply appreciate it if he kept their meeting a secret, especially that she had shown him Matteo’s private diary entries.

Adrian fell silent, his mind racing. If he couldn’t mention this conversation, how was he even supposed to text Matteo out of the blue? Besides, a stubborn piece of his pride whispered a reminder: Matteo was the one who had lied and manipulated him. If Adrian reached out first without a clear reason, wouldn’t he look too easy? Wouldn’t it look like he was giving in?

He needed another way to confirm it. Adrian decided he would go straight home and search through his house. Maybe he could still find the jacket, the umbrella, or even the handkerchief. It wasn’t that he doubted Matteo’s mother, but a part of him desperately needed to see the proof with his own eyes.

He needed to find Matteo’s engraved name on those things, to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that everything he had just read was real.

But then another thought struck him: even if he found the proof and confirmed everything, how was he supposed to act around Matteo? His mother had explicitly forbidden him from revealing their meeting.

Adrian didn’t want Matteo to think he was only turning back to him because he had uncovered a hidden truth; he wanted their connection to be organic, not forced by a confession from his past.

Frustrated and overwhelmed, Adrian dragged a shaky hand through his hair, letting out a bitter, exhausted sigh. Why couldn’t Matteo have just told him all of this himself when Adrian had been desperately asking for the truth? Why did he have to keep everything buried so deep inside him?

Now, caught between his growing guilt, Matteo’s hidden feelings, his mother’s heartbreaking truth, and his own lingering love, Adrian sat staring at the table, completely lost on what he was supposed to do next.

When Charles finally returned to the living room, Adrian couldn’t bring himself to say a word. A single thought entirely consumed his mind: how could things be fixed between him and Matteo, especially since Matteo hadn’t contacted him in days?

After a few moments, Adrian and Charles respectfully said their goodbyes. As they prepared to go, Adrian promised Matteo’s mother that he would come around to visit her again, noting that they still had a lot to talk about, but for that moment, he needed to leave.

They walked out to the car and headed back. Throughout the entire drive, Adrian remained completely silent, staring out the window. Charles glanced over at him with deep worry, wanting to ask what had happened during their private conversation, but he ultimately stopped himself and focused on the road.

When they finally arrived at Adrian’s house, Charles pulled up to the curb. Before Adrian stepped out, Charles murmured that they should meet up later tonight. Adrian simply nodded, offering a quiet, "Alright," before closing the car door.

With that, Charles drove off, leaving Adrian alone.

The moment the car vanished around the corner, Adrian rushed inside the house. He immediately called out for his maid, his voice laced with sudden urgency. He quickly explained the items he was looking for, reminding her that he had once told her to put them away carefully because they belonged to a stranger who might come back for them.

The maid nodded quickly, sensing his desperation. She assured him she would look into it immediately and hurried off toward the storage room to find them.

Left alone, Adrian paced the room. He realized that right now, it didn’t matter who was wrong or who was right; all that mattered was figuring out how to fix the broken pieces between them.

He didn’t blame himself for how he had reacted. He hadn’t known the truth, and his anger had been entirely justified. He had every right to feel hurt and mad at Matteo for manipulating him. But holding onto that anger wasn’t going to solve anything now. Because knowing the depth of Matteo’s feelings changed everything. What was he supposed to do now?

Before he could even begin to find an answer, his phone rang. He checked the screen and saw it was Maya. She informed him that she was nearby and would be at his house in just a few minutes. Adrian took a breath and told her that it was fine, adding that he would be waiting for her.

As he hung up, a sudden wave of relief washed over him. He saw this as the perfect opportunity. Maybe Maya, with her sharp intuition, could give him the advice he so desperately needed.

When Maya arrived, Adrian hurried downstairs to meet her.

They settled into the living room. Trying to act like a proper host despite his racing thoughts, Adrian asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"Just water is fine," Maya replied.

Adrian poured her a glass and handed it to her. She took a small sip before placing it on the coffee table. Then she looked at him closely, noticing the tension in his shoulders.

"How have you been doing, Adrian?"

"I’m doing fine," Adrian said, shifting in his seat. "What about you?"

"I’m alright," she replied, but before she could dive into the actual reason for her sudden visit, Adrian cut in.

"Maya, before you say anything... there’s something I need to tell you. Please, just listen carefully."

Maya leaned back, her attention entirely locked on him.

Adrian poured everything out. He told Maya the entire history of what had happened between him and Matteo, the bitter fight, and the overwhelming truth he had just discovered from Matteo’s mother. He held nothing back, finally concluding with a quiet admission that he was completely lost and didn’t know what his next move should be.

Maya listened to the entire story without interrupting once. When he finally finished, a heavy silence settled between them. She didn’t say a word at first, simply staring at him as she processed the gravity of it all.

"Firstly," Maya began, her voice calm but direct, "Matteo was wrong from the very beginning. There is no dodging that. But even without this new truth, it has always been obvious that he is deeply, desperately in love with you. The real issue here, Adrian... is that you just didn’t love him enough. Not the way he loves you."

Adrian recoiled, completely shocked by his own sister’s blunt judgment. "Why would you say that?" he asked, his voice cracking with defensive hurt. "I do love him."

Maya looked at him with gentle, uncompromising eyes. "I never said you don’t love him, Adrian. I only said you don’t love him the same way he loves you."

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asked, his pulse quickening.

"With everything you just confessed to me," Maya said, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp calm, "you conveniently forgot to mention that you slapped him."

Adrian froze, the blood draining from his face. "How... how did you find out?"