[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body-Chapter 37: Distance Before It’s Too Late

He turned to look at Matteo, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "If I ever get the chance, I wouldn’t even scream. I would ask... why? Why did they have to take my happiness away from me? You ask if I would forgive them?"

"Yes," Matteo said quietly. "Would you?"

Adrian’s expression hardened. "No. Never. As long as they can’t bring my wife and my son back... there’s no way I could ever forgive them."

Matteo felt the air in the studio grow heavy, the silence filled with Adrian’s firm refusal to forgive. The confession he had been holding onto died in his throat, turning cold.

In that moment, he realized something.

Mark was wrong.

Some truths don’t set you free... they only destroy what’s left.

"I see," Matteo murmured, his voice hollow. "I understand."

Adrian wiped his charcoal-stained hands on a rag, looking at Matteo curiously. "Why do you ask that? Is something wrong?"

Matteo forced a slight smile, trying to hide the turmoil in his chest. "No. Nothing’s wrong. I just... want you to be happy, Adrian. I want things to be okay for you."

Matteo had come to pick Adrian up so they could go out together and meet Mark and the others, just like they had planned. But standing there, something shifted inside him.

A sudden urge to pull back hit him.

He was getting too close... too attached to someone who would one day hate him.

And he knew, he needed to create distance before it was too late.

"Actually," Matteo said, his tone shifting to something more professional and distant. "Something urgent came up that I need to attend to tonight. I’m going to drop you off at home instead."

Adrian blinked, clearly surprised. "Drop me home? I thought I was staying at your place tonight."

"I’m sorry," Matteo replied, avoiding his gaze. "It’s a business matter that can’t wait."

"Oh," Adrian said, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. "Well, you don’t have to worry about dropping me. My friends are coming to pick me up. We usually go out once a week, I almost forgot today was the day."

A strange pang of jealousy hit Matteo. He had wanted to be the one to take Adrian out... not watch him leave with someone else.

But he pushed it down.

It’s time to stop feeling this way. Matteo.

"I’ll wait until they get here," Matteo said quietly. "After that, I’ll leave."

"Okay," Adrian replied.

A few minutes later, Charles and Frank pulled up outside. Adrian’s phone rang.

"We’re here," Charles said.

"I’m coming," Adrian replied.

He packed his things quickly, leaving the unfinished portrait under the spotlight. Then he walked out with Matteo.

Outside, the night air felt cooler.

Adrian headed toward his friends’ car, while Matteo slowed his steps, keeping his distance.

He watched.

Watched as Adrian reached them.

Watched as they greeted him.

Watched as Adrian got into the car.

For a moment, he just stood there.

Then his bodyguard stepped forward and opened the door for him.

Matteo didn’t move immediately.

His eyes lingered on the car as it pulled away.

Only then did he turn and get into his own.

Meanwhile, the moment Adrian settled into the backseat, Frank turned to him with a grin. "So... why was your boyfriend here?"

"He’s not my boyfriend," Adrian snapped, though there was no heat in it. "Stop saying nonsense."

"Not your boyfriend yet," Charles teased, pulling away from the curb. "But he’s going to be."

Frank chuckled, turning slightly in his seat to look back at him. "Sweetheart, are you ready to drink tonight?"

"I’m ready," Adrian replied. "Just face the road."

Meanwhile, Matteo arrived at one of the city’s most exclusive clubs. The air was thick with smoke, the low thrum of bass echoing through the space.

In the VIP section, his men were already gathered. Tony was there with Mark, while Harry stood nearby with the rest of the guards.

As Matteo walked in, the entire table stood up in a synchronized show of respect, except for Mark, who remained seated, watching his twin with a knowing gaze. Matteo sat heavily beside Mark, staring blankly at the table.

A server immediately rushed over to pour him a drink, but Matteo didn’t touch it. He just sat there, his mind a chaotic loop of Adrian’s portraits and his own dark secrets.

Mark leaned closer, his voice barely audible over the music. "Is everything alright?"

"I’m fine," Matteo said, his eyes fixed on nothing. "My mind is just... disturbed."

Mark didn’t look convinced. "Is this about Adrian?"

Matteo didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Tony.

"Tony. Arrange someone for me. Make sure they’re worth looking at."

Mark’s eyes widened. "What is wrong with you? I thought you were trying to build something real with him. This isn’t right, Matteo."

Matteo turned to his brother, his expression hardening into the cold mask of a mafia boss. "Nothing is wrong with me. I asked for company. Did I say something wrong?"

"You’re in a relationship," Mark hissed. "Or at least, you were trying to be. You can’t just flip a switch."

"I am not in a relationship," Matteo snapped, his voice cold as ice. "I never told you I was. Whatever I was trying to do, I’m stopping it now. Don’t stop me, Mark. Let me do what I want."

Mark went silent, leaning back with a look of deep disappointment. He watched as Tony nodded and moved to fulfill the order.

Meanwhile, in another part of the same club.

Adrian sat with Charles and Frank, a drink in his hand.

They had barely settled in before Frank leaned back with a grin. "So... is it just going to be the three of us tonight? No mystery man following you around?"

Adrian rolled his eyes, taking a sip. "Can you just drink and mind your business?"

Charles laughed. "We’re just saying. Ever since he showed up, you’ve been acting different."

Adrian didn’t respond.

On Matteo’s side, a moment later, a strikingly attractive man was led to their table. He was dressed sharply, expensively, a little provocatively, with a knowing smirk that made it clear he understood exactly why he was there.

"To my brother," Matteo said, raising his glass as the man slipped into the seat beside him. "For finally stepping out into the world again. Tonight... the Marcones own the night."

At his command, the music didn’t just fade, it cut off completely.

One of his men had already alerted the booth.

The DJ straightened immediately, tension flashing across his face as he grabbed the microphone.

A second later, his voice filled the club.

"Ladies and gentlemen... we have the Marcone family in the building tonight."

The crowd erupted. Voices rose over the music... "Marcone? I thought they were laying low," "Wait... is that Mark?" "I heard he was dead..." Heads turned toward the raised VIP section above.

Across the room, Adrian, Charles, and Frank froze, caught midway through a round of shots as the announcement rang out.

"Marcone family?" Charles said, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Is he here?"

Adrian’s gaze followed the direction of everyone else’s. His heart turned painfully in his chest as he looked toward the raised VIP section. The lights were dim, shifting with the music, his vision slightly blurred, but he still saw him.

Matteo.

He wasn’t the same man Adrian had left in the studio an hour ago.

Matteo was laughing now, relaxed, his arm draped over the back of the stranger’s chair. The man leaned in, whispering something into his ear, his hand resting boldly on Matteo’s thigh in a way that said enough.

Adrian felt a sudden, sharp sting in his throat. It was like being splashed with ice water.

"Wait... is that not Matteo?" Frank asked, squinting through the flashing strobe lights. "And who the hell is he with?"

Adrian forced his expression to go blank, his grip tightening around the glass. "It’s none of my business," he said, his voice cold. "Whatever he does with his life doesn’t concern me."

"Oh, come on," Charles teased, though his eyes were worried. "You’re telling me you’re not even a little jealous? Your ’man-to-be’ is over there acting like a bachelor on the hunt."

"He’s not my man-to-be," Adrian snapped, though he couldn’t take his eyes off the scene.

Seeing Matteo like that, sexual, carefree, and completely indifferent to the world they had been building, hurt more than Adrian wanted to admit. It felt like a betrayal he hadn’t seen coming. One minute Matteo was promising to be his "peace of mind," and the next, he was playing the part of a cold-hearted mafia boss with a new toy.

Unable to watch any longer, Adrian stood up abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Charles asked.

He didn’t answer.