234

234
Matteo’s POV
The office was unusually quiet when I arrived for the client meeting, the kind of silence that made the ticking of the clock on the wall sound almost deafening.
My eyes darted straight to Gianna’s office. She wasn’t there. That could mean she wasn’t at work today, or she was already in the conference room.
I straightened my tie, more out of habit than necessity, and forced myself to focus. This wasn’t the time to dwell on emotions. Business came first. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
I walked straight to the conference room, not bothering with greeting anyone. Gianna was already at the conference room as I walked in, seating at the head of the table with her usual professional poise. She was flipping through a stack of documents, her expression calm, professional, and utterly unreadable.
“Morning,” I said as I sat down a few seats away from her, watching her closely.
She didn’t look up.
“Morning,” she replied curtly, her tone clipped. It was as if I wasn’t even there, or I was just another piece of furniture in the room. She was really good at acting like nothing ever happened between us.
My chest tightened, but I kept my face neutral. This wasn’t the place to push her, not with clients on their way.
I brought out my laptop, preparing myself for when the clients arrived. I wouldn’t let my emotions and personal issues get in the way of closing this deal.
The client arrived a few minutes later-a polished man in his late forties with a sharp suit and a sharper gaze. Gianna rose to greet him, her smile warm and inviting. It seemed so real, I’d have fallen for it if I didn’t know better.
“Mr. Carter, thank you for coming,” she said, extending a hand.
“Ms. Lorenzo,” he replied, shaking her hand. “Always a pleasure. And Mr. Abramo,” he added, turning to me with a nod.
“Likewise,” I said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.
Gianna gestured for him to sit, and the three of us settled in. She began the meeting with her the usual confidence, outlining the agenda and diving into the finer points of the proposal we were presenting.
I chimed in when necessary, offering insights and answering questions, but it was painfully obvious that Gianna was going out of her way to avoid acknowledging me. She never looked in my direction, never addressed me directly, and only responded to my contributions with a polite but distant nod.
It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but it felt like a knife twisting in my chest. This was Gianna-the woman who used to light up every room she walked into, whose laughter had once felt like the best sound in the world. And now she was treating me like a ghost.
The meeting dragged on, each minute feeling like an eternity. I tried to focus on the client, on the numbers and projections in front of me, but my mind kept drifting back to Gianna. Her cool demeanor and the way she kept her distance. God. It felt like watching her build a wall brick by brick, and I was on the outside looking in.
When the meeting finally ended, Mr. Carter shook hands with both of us and left, leaving Gianna and me alone in the conference room.
I lingered for a moment, hoping she might say something-anything-but she simply gathered her things and stood.
“Good work,” she said briskly, her eyes fixed on the folder in her hands.
“Gianna, wait,” I said, standing as well.
She paused, her expression unreadable.
“What is it, Matteo?”
Her tone was so detached, so unlike the Gianna I knew, that it made my stomach churn.
“Is this how it’s going to be now?” I asked quietly. “You acting like I don’t exist?”
She sighed, her shoulders stiffening. “I’m not acting like anything, Matteo. I’m doing my job.”
“That’s not what this is, and you know it,” I said, stepping closer. “You’re shutting me out, Gianna. You’ve been doing it ever since-”
“Since what?” she cut in, her voice sharper now. “Since I realized this isn’t working? Since I decided to protect myself for once?”
Her words hit me like a slap, but I didn’t back down.
“Protect yourself from what?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. “From me? Gianna, I would never hurt you. You know that.”
She laughed bitterly, a sound that sent a chill down my spine.
“This isn’t about you hurting me, Matteo. It’s about realizing that maybe we’re not right for each other.”
My breath caught, and for a moment, I couldn’t find the words.
“Not right for each other?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t mean that.”
She looked at me then, really looked at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes-hesitation, regret, maybe even longing.
But it was gone as quickly as it came.
“I don’t know what I mean,” she admitted, her voice soft but firm. “I just know that I need space, Matteo. I need time to figure out what I want.”
I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. Gianna has become the one constant in my life, the one person who made everything else make sense. The thought of losing her, of really losing her, was unbearable.
“Gianna,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “I love you. I know things have been messy, but we can fix this. We can figure it out together.”
She shook her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips.
“I need to fix myself first, Matteo,” she said. “And I can’t do that if I’m constantly worried about disappointing you or your family.”
“My family doesn’t matter,” I said, stepping closer. “You matter.”
But she was already turning away, her hands clutching the folder like it was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
“I have to go,” she said quietly, and before I could say another word, she was out the door.
I stood there for a long time after she left, staring at the empty room and wondering how she could just shut me out of my life like we didn’t ever have a relationship together.
I’ve never felt this powerless in my life. Not even when I was rotting in the hospital. And now it terrified me.