MATTEO’S POV
“Fuck!”. I screamed out in pain clutching my right fist in my hand. Carter rushed to me. His hair falling freely down his shoulders. He took my hand in his and nursed the wound but the psychotic man tied up to the chair kept laughing at the top of his voice. It was Diego. One of the men involved in my wife meeting another man behind my back. He helped her get to him most of the time and he did this under my nose. I snatched my hand away from Carter’s hold.
“Who wrote the letter?”. I asked, the anger pulsating through my veins.
“He’s coming for you Matteo “. He spat as he drew in breath and laughed suddenly, amused with the look on my face.
“Maybe we should take out his eyes”. I seethed.
“Calm down, Matteo. We know your wife’s lover is after you just the way you’re after him”
I turned to Carter, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him to me in such a way that his weight was leaning just on me.
“She’s not my wife anymore”. I whispered to his face.
“Then, treat her like she’s yours”. He whispered, and I knew just what he meant.
I stepped away from him and walked away. My men stared at me from their side eyes like I was some sort of monster. I walked out of the warehouse and drove straight home. I needed to see her, to feel her and to kiss her again. It was an odd thing for me cause I didn’t feel a need to be in the presence of any woman since Daya did whatever she did.
I ran into the living room over excited and then I reached the dinning area and there, I saw Jones, Ben and at the far end of the table Aria eating breakfast as usual but there was someone else. Dressed in office attire, Evelyn sat in one of the chairs. I felt a pang of anger and resentment when I saw her face. I couldn’t forget the lengths she had gone to in order to get what she wanted, no matter who she hurt in the process. She seemed callous and calculating, and I regretted ever having anything to do with her. But then I looked at Aria, and my heart softened.
She was innocent and pure, and she brought out a side of me that I had never known before. She made me feel whole, but at the same time, I was terrified of losing Aria if she saw the real me, the person beneath the surface, she would leave. I wasn’t ready to face that possibility. Despite my fear, I couldn’t deny that Aria made me feel more alive than I had ever felt before. Her presence was like a breath of fresh air, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. But at the same time, I knew that I was keeping something from her, something that could change everything.
I took a seat at the head of the table and began eating, trying to ignore the stares from everyone at the table, especially Aria. But I could feel her eyes on me, and I knew she had noticed the bruises on my knuckles. I quickly hid my hands under the table, not wanting to explain what had happened. I could feel the unspoken questions hanging in the air.
“Mat-“. Aria started, but I slammed my palm against the table, making a loud bang that shook everyone seated except Evelyn, who stared at me with a smirk on her face.
I walked out of the room, my hands trembling. It still hurt. The pain was immense, nothing like I’ve felt before. I forced in breath and gulped. My vision was blurry, and my teeth gritted. I saw something in the hallway. Someone rather. It was my mother in the clothes she wore the last day I saw her. A yellow long dress. She was beautiful. I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The sight before me was surreal, like something out of a dream. I tried to process what was happening, but my brain felt like it was moving in slow motion. I felt like I was trapped in a dream, and I couldn’t wake up.
“Mom…”. I whispered. My eyes began to water as I took in the figure before me. It was a bit hazy, but I could recognize her anywhere.
As I watched her walk away from me, I felt a sense of urgency well up inside of me. I had to follow her, no matter what. My feet were unsteady, and I was having trouble seeing through my tangled hair. But I kept going, determined to reach her.
Suddenly, I found myself back in the dining room. Everyone was staring at me, their mouths agape, their forks and knives clattering to the table. I knew they were shocked by my sudden appearance, but I couldn’t explain what had happened. I was confused and scared, and I didn’t know as I stood there, trying to make sense of everything, I realized that something was different. My mother wasn’t in the dining room. In fact, she wasn’t even in the house.
“Matteo…you don’t look so good”. I heard Evelyn say, but her voice sounded muffled.
I walked baxk towards my room, my head hanging low and my face completely covered by my hair. I missed a step but was quick to get back on my feet.
“Mom…”. I whispered, shutting the door behind me.
She was nowhere to be found. She left me just the way she did that day. It was difficult watching my mom pack her things to leave. She found happiness elsewhere with another man and not my dad. It was never my father, and I didn’t hate her for that. Months later, we heard about an accident that took her life. I was broken for years. I wanted to see her again but I couldn’t. All I did was live with the guilt of never saying goodbye to her.
“Mom! Mom!”. I shouted
“Matteo…”. Aria gripped my hand and held me there, but I wanted more. I needed more. I stopped my derangement and gazed into my wife’s eyes. She held my gaze, not cowering away like she usually did, and I pulled her in and hugged her. Letting her small body melt into mine. She had a whiff of coconut, and her hair smelled like sweet savory butter. I held her there for as long as I could remember.