Matteo.
“I’m back.”
The sound of Valentina’s voice followed by the door shutting with a heavy thud, the sound echoing through the small safe house was enough to calm my nerves.
From my quiet spot in the kitchen, I watched Ethan and Valerie exchange a quick glance before they left, locking the door behind them.
Fuck.
I knew their plan.
Leaving Valentina and me alone, space to talk about our issues.
I ran a hand through my hair as I stared at the empty space they left behind. Valentina stood close to the window, her back to me, her arms wrapped around herself like a shield.
It took her less than an hour to return after I sent Jackson to retrieve her himself.
The silence between us was unbearable, thick with the weight of everything unsaid.
I wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. I had never been good with apologies, and the idea of laying myself bare to her…. it terrified me in ways I couldn’t explain.
But I had run out of options.
I couldn’t keep pushing her away. I couldn’t keep pretending like I was in control when everything was spiralling out of my grasp.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the chaos inside me. “They’re not coming back anytime soon, are they?”
Valentina didn’t answer right away. She continued to stare out the window, her body tensed. “It doesn’t seem like it.” She finally said, her voice quiet, distant.
I stood up, my movements stiff, as if my body was bracing for a fight. But there was no fight here – not this time.
Only the truth.
I stepped towards her, stopping a few feet away, close enough that I could see the rigid line of her shoulders.
“Valentina…” I started, my voice rough, unsteady. “I’m…. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t say anything.
Was it done then? Had I lost her completely in a matter of hours.
But I pressed on because I owed her this. I owed her more than just an apology.
“I screwed up,” I admitted, the words bitter on my tongue. “I shut you out, control things without telling you. And I did it because… because I was scared.”
Her head tilted slightly, and I caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. Her brows are furrowed, those gorgeous lips pressed together in a thin line.
“Scared?” She echoed softly, disbelief clear in her voice.
I exhaled sharply, frustrated with myself for how hard it was. “Yeah. Scared of losing you.”
Finally, she turned to face me, her eyes searching mine for something – an answer maybe. “You keep things from me, Matteo. You hide the truth every single time, and now you’re saying you were afraid of losing me? That doesn’t make any sense.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to gather my thoughts.
How would I explain this to her? How would I make her understand?
“I don’t know how to do this,” I said, shaking my head. “This… us. It’s not something I ever planned for. I always had control over my life, over the people around me. But with you, it’s different. I feel like I’m losing control, and that scared the hell out of me.”
I never thought I would be the one to marry you.
Her eyes softened just a little, but there was still a warriness there, a wall I had built between us. “You don’t need to control everything, Matteo. Especially not me.”
“I know,” I admitted, the words coming out in a strained whisper. “But I don’t know how to let go. I’m so used to keeping everything to myself.”
Valentina took a step closer, closing some of the distance between us, but she didn’t touch me. She gave me space, even though I didn’t deserve it.
“You don’t have to keep everything to yourself,” she said quietly, her voice gentle but firm. “I’m on your side, Matteo. I had always been on your side, even when you made it hard for me.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling over me like a balm OK an old wound. She had always been there, always tried to understand.
And I made it impossible.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, this time with more conviction. “I never meant to hurt you. I was just… I was afraid that if I let you in too much, you’d see the mess I was, and you’d leave.”
She released a soft sigh, shaking her head. “I’m not going anywhere. Not unless a huge secret is revealed and you push me away.”
The sincerity in her voice hit me hard, and for the first time in a long while, the fear that had been gripping me loosened just a little. I toom a step toward her, and this time, when I reached for her, she didn’t push me away.
I placed my hands on her arms, my grip gentle but firm. “I don’t want to push you away anymore. I don’t want to fight you, Tesoro. I want to fight with you. I want us to be a team.”
She looked up at me, her expression softening even more. “Then stop shutting me out. Stop keeping secrets from me. We can’t be a team if you don’t trust me.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You’re right. No more secrets.”
There’s a pause, and she took a deep breath as if she was gathering her own thoughts. “Then there’s something you need to know.” She said, her voice steady but with an edge of tension.
I frowned, my grip on her tightening slightly. “What is it?”
“I know more than I’ve let on,” she began, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that this isn’t going to be easy. “About Isabella. About what’s really going on.”
The mention of her sister’s name sends a ripple of unease through me, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Go on.”
Valentina pulled away from my grip, pacing slightly as she gathered her thoughts. “Isabella thinks Dante, a dead man, took her. But she came to that party, someone must have come with her.”
The person she was married to.
I unclenched my jaw, my hands still in the fist form at my sides. “Yeah. But Jackson checked the CCTV footage already. Isabella walked into that party alone…”
And I met my scum of a brother later.
Valentina stopped pacing and turned to face me again. “Because the person knew she just needed to meet me, and that’s all. She knew where we were because someone at that party had given her the information already.”
My mind raced as I processed her words. “Someone in the party must have been orchestrating this from the start?”
“Yes. Someone in that party, or even others, held her strings.”
I cursed under my breath, running a hand through my hair. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I wasn’t sure. And I had no idea if you would listen to me.”
Her words stung, but I couldn’t blame her. I’d given her every reason to doubt me.
“Well, you can tell me anything now,” I said firmly. “We’ll figure this out together.”
She nodded, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I saw a flicker of hope in her eyes.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “Together.”
I took her hand, pulling her close, and this time, she didn’t resist. So I crashed my mouth into hers, her soft lips kissing me in a way that sent shivers up my body.
My hands found her hair, and I tugged the scrunchie off, letting it fall down her back.
Oh, I missed this.
I missed my wife.