[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: When Love Became a Cage

A hand gently wrapped around his wrist and carefully lifted it away from his stomach before another warm hand settled over the spot where the pain was strongest.

Slowly, that hand began rubbing his stomach in slow, soothing circles.

The touch was instantly familiar, the weight of those fingers, the warmth radiating from the palm.

Adrian knew exactly who it was. He knew who was sitting beside him on the edge of the sofa. But at that moment, the pain twisting through his body and the crushing exhaustion brought on by the fever left him with no strength to care or push the hand away.

With quiet familiarity, deft fingers moved to the buttons of his suit jacket and shirt, undoing them one by one. The warm hand slipped beneath the fabric and came to rest against Adrian’s heated skin, continuing the slow, comforting circles over his aching stomach.

As the gentle warmth gradually eased the painful cramps, the last of Adrian’s resistance melted away. Before he could summon the strength to utter a single word of protest, his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

Within moments, he was fast asleep on the quiet sofa, completely surrendered to the exhaustion that had been chasing him all day.

Adrian slept deeply for over an hour. By the time the clock crept past midnight, the crowd in the grand ballroom had begun to thin as guests slowly made their way home.

Throughout that entire hour, Matteo never once removed his hand from Adrian’s stomach. He sat motionless on the edge of the velvet sofa, his dark eyes fixed on the pale, exhausted face of the man he loved. Every trace of weariness, every shadow beneath Adrian’s eyes, and every subtle change in his features made Matteo’s chest tighten with the painful realization of just how much Adrian had been carrying on his own.

He knew the peace between them was only temporary. The moment Adrian woke, he would push him away again.

Slowly, Adrian’s eyes fluttered open. He didn’t move the arm resting over his face. Silence filled the room, broken only by the quiet tears slipping from the corners of his eyes and soaking into the velvet cushion beneath him.

Matteo didn’t realize Adrian was awake until a small, choked sob escaped his lips.

Matteo froze, his breathing catching in his throat.

After a long moment, Adrian slowly lowered his arm from his face and pushed himself upright. He quietly wiped the tears from his cheeks.

He didn’t shout.

He didn’t explode.

He simply looked at Matteo with empty, exhausted eyes and whispered,

"Thank you."

Without another word, Adrian stood up and quietly buttoned his shirt before straightening his suit jacket, smoothing the fabric as though trying to compose himself.

Matteo watched him, panic tightening in his chest.

As Adrian turned toward the door, Matteo finally found his voice.

He rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on Adrian. He didn’t mention the hotel incident or the argument that had torn them apart.

He didn’t try to explain the misunderstanding.

He simply reached out, his voice raw with desperation.

"Give me a second chance. Please, Adrian... just give me one more chance, and I’ll make everything right."

Adrian stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned back, staring at Matteo as though he were looking at a complete stranger.

"Did you... did you just ask me for a second chance?"

"Yes," Matteo murmured, taking a hesitant step forward, his hands trembling. "I am."

Adrian closed his eyes for a brief moment, fighting to keep himself composed. The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene in a venue filled with his sister’s friends, colleagues, and family associates.

"I need to go," he said flatly. "My girlfriend will be worried about me."

"Lies," Matteo shot back, the possessiveness he had spent weeks trying to control surging to the surface. "Is this because of that picture you posted on Instagram? Or because you walked in holding her hand? It might look like something to everyone else, Adrian, but not to me. I know you."

"Think whatever the hell you want," Adrian fired back, the last of his composure beginning to crack. "I’m done with you. It’s over."

"I refuse to believe you’ve moved on!" Matteo shouted, the walls he had worked so hard to rebuild in therapy beginning to crumble beneath the weight of his desperation. "I refuse to believe you love someone else! I won’t accept it!"

Adrian stared at him, his voice dangerously low.

"What part of it don’t you understand?"

"I said I won’t accept it!" Matteo roared, his voice echoing through the quiet room.

"Whether you believe it or not, I’ve moved on," Adrian said, his voice flat and final. "You should do the same."

"I love you so much!" Matteo murmured. "I’m sorry... I can’t move on without you. It’s not that easy for me, Adrian. It’s not that easy."

"That’s your problem," Adrian whispered coldly. "Figure it out."

He took a step toward the door, but Matteo’s desperate voice stopped him again.

"I’ll apologize!" Matteo yelled, his knees giving way as he started to sink toward the floor. "I’ll get down on my knees and beg you! Just tell me what I did wrong. Tell me how deeply I hurt you, and I’ll apologize for every bit of it. Please, Adrian... I can’t stay away from you any longer."

Adrian didn’t look back.

"I have a girlfriend now. I’m happy. One day, you’ll find someone who’ll value you... Someone who truly deserves you. Not someone like me."

"You are all I ever want, Adrian!" Matteo murmured, agony tearing through his voice. "I’m sorry for everything that happened between us!"

At that moment, the heavy door swung open.

Maya, Mark, Charles, Frank, and Leah stepped inside, freezing instantly at the heartbreaking scene before them.

Matteo didn’t care that they were there. He glanced at Leah before fixing his gaze back on Adrian, a wild, desperate challenge burning in his eyes.

"If she’s really your girlfriend..." he said hoarsely, "kiss her. If you’re in love with her, if you’re really together, then kiss her right now. Go on. Kiss her and prove me wrong. Prove to me she’s more than just your friend."

Adrian couldn’t move. The sheer absurdity of the demand made his stomach churn.

Slowly, he turned to look at Maya. The betrayal in his eyes was impossible to miss.

"You set me up, sis..." Adrian whispered, his voice trembling. "You told me you didn’t invite him."

Maya looked at her brother, tears filling her eyes as she glanced between him and Matteo.

"I’m sorry, Adrian... but he was the first person I told after our immediate family. I’m getting married, and if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that no one can love you, take care of you, or put your happiness before their own the way Matteo does. Why won’t you just talk things through? You still love him... you’ve always loved him."

"Why, sis?" Adrian’s voice suddenly rose, years of suppressed pain breaking free. "Why, Maya?"

He stared at his sister, his face pale and twisted with anguish.

"Am I really that much of a burden to you? Are you really trying that hard to get rid of me? I can take care of myself, Maya! You don’t have to throw me back into the life of a man who keeps breaking me!"

The room fell completely silent.

Mark and Charles exchanged horrified glances, while Frank stood frozen where he was.

"I don’t even know how to explain it to you people anymore," Adrian continued, his voice cracking as he gestured helplessly around the room.

"All of you keep saying, ’He’s taking care of you.’ But what about my mental health? Why, sis? Why does it always have to be him?"

Maya stepped forward, completely bewildered.

"Adrian, what is wrong with you? Matteo loves you! He gives you everything. He takes care of you. He wants nothing but your happiness! What else do you want?"

Adrian looked at his sister and shouted,

"He’s giving me the happiness he thinks is right for me, not the happiness I said feels right for me! Those are two completely different things!"

He spun toward Matteo, pointing a trembling finger straight at him.

"Matteo knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows exactly what I’m talking about!"

Maya opened her mouth to defend him, but Matteo slowly raised a hand, stopping her.

His face had gone pale as he looked at Adrian, his heart breaking with every word.

"Let him speak," Matteo whispered hoarsely. "I want to hear everything he has to say."

"I was losing my mind every single day with him, and no one saw it!" Adrian yelled, tears streaming down his face as the pain he had kept buried finally spilled out. "He slowly wrapped my entire life around himself, taking away my freedom piece by piece, and all of you still call him the best man for me?"

"Matteo never jokes when it comes to his family or his business. The moment they need him, he’s there. Look at Mark!" Adrian shouted, pointing at the twin standing frozen across the room. "If Mark calls him even once, Matteo drops everything."

Adrian drew in a ragged breath, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he turned back to Maya.

"But do any of you know how far his obsession went?