ARIA’s POV
As I blinked to adjust to the lighting in the room, my eyes gradually became accustomed to the brightness. Turning my gaze, I saw Matteo beside me, his bare chest rising and falling with each breath.
His arms enveloped me as he slept, and he appeared serene and strikingly beautiful. I brushed some hair out of his face and couldn’t help but notice how perfect his eyelashes were. His lips and jawline looked just as flawless. Then, my gaze fell upon his chest, where I noticed an ugly scar. As I traced my finger along the scar, I saw him gulp and furrow his eyebrows in his sleep.
“Daya”. He whispered in his sleep, and I immediately knew there were some bad memories attached to his first wife. Maybe he still loved her.
“Matteo?”. I whispered as his breathing became heavy, and he squeezed his eyes and turned his head from side to side. He was having a nightmare, and I could see some beads of sweat on his forehead.
“Daya”. He whispered again, and I held his face in my hand and shook him while calling out to him. Soon, his eyes shot open, and he took in my face. His arms around me tightened, holding me as if I could disappear any second.
“It’s okay. You’re okay”. I whispered, holding his face in my hands as he looked at me. “It was just a dream”. I said as he kept panting like he’d run a race. “I’m here”. I said, and his arms around me got tighter.
“Aria”. He croaked as he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my lips. “Aria”. He said again and chuckled, blinking some tears away.
“Are you okay?”. I asked as I watched his features.
“I am now”. He said and kissed my hand.
“You said Daya in your sleep”. I said, and I saw the color drain out of his face. “I know you miss her a lot, and I know I could never be like her-”
“I never want you being like her”. He cuts in. “You’re far more beautiful and perfect. You could never be like her”. He said, and I saw how uncomfortable he was talking about her, so I smiled and laid my head on his chest.
“She wanted me dead”. I heard him say, but I kept my head on his chest, right where the scar was, and I could hear his heart beat against his chest.
“Why?”. I asked.
“Cause she loved another”. I heard him say, and his heart started racing as he said those words. It must still hurt.
“Did you let her go?”. I asked.
There was a moment of silence that I had to look up at him, and I saw him deep in thoughts
“I couldn’t”
“So what did you do?”. I asked, and his gaze met mine.
“She-she tried to run away. I tried to stop her but I couldn’t. She met with an accident on her way to him”. He said, and I noticed the quick clench of his teeth.
“She died instantly”. He finished, and then I tore my gaze away from him and touched the scar on his chest, and I saw how uncomfortable it made him.
“I’m sorry about that. It must have hurt”.
“It did hurt, but I don’t think about it anymore”. He said as He raised his weighty frame against my exposed form, his arms pressing down the bed by my sides.
“You’re so beautiful, love”. He said in his morning voice.
I gazed up at him and gently caressed his face. His eyes met mine, then trailed to my lips, then back to my eyes, silently seeking consent, which I willingly granted. Then, he kissed me. Groaning and moaning as his lips moved with mine. His taste was reminiscent of fresh mint, evoking memories of Dennis, who was the polar opposite of Matteo. Dennis had a sweet taste. Breaking the kiss, I met his gaze and noticed his eyes light up as I smiled at him. I saw his throat bobbing as he chuckled deeply. He laid onto his back and turned towards me. My gaze fixated on the scar once more, and I gathered the courage to ask the one question I knew he didn’t want to hear.
“Who did this to you?”. I asked, but his eyes were on my finger touching the scar. He snatched them away and looked at me.
“Daya did”. He said. “When I got in her way, she stabbed me with the knife I gave her for protection”. His voice was smooth. He didn’t sound hurt or anything. Just the Matteo I knew. “She was a bitch”. He said those words with his eyes on me.
I let out a sigh and gently removed myself from his embrace. Pushing the duvet aside, I stood up, letting him see my naked body. Grabbing my robe, I wrapped it tightly around me. Matteo quickly got out of bed and hurried over to me. He took hold of my face, making me look directly into his eyes. I complied, holding his gaze, and in that moment, I saw something stirring within his eyes. Hurt.
“I didn’t mean to…”. He paused, noticing my eyes starting to well up. I couldn’t understand why my body reacted the way it did. Sometimes, it seemed to have a mind of its own. I glanced up at him, seeing his eyes patiently awaiting my words. What had sparked this side of Matteo? I was genuinely curious to find out.
“I know you’ll never love me. I know it’s impossible. You’ll always love her even when she loved another. But, I-” I began sobbing. I had no idea why I was hurting or what I was saying at that time, but I knew I had to air whatever was in my mind. Maybe I did love him.
Maybe I’d always love him. No matter how much he’d hurt me.
Matteo took me into his arms and held me there while patting my hair “You’re so much better than her, Aria”. That was all he said to me.