[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 164: If This Is My Last Sight of You

"Baby..." Adrian sobbed, completely breaking down. "I’m scared."

Matteo took a step closer, his shadow enveloping Adrian. "About what?"

"That I might never be able to see your face again," Adrian murmured.

Matteo closed the distance between them in an instant, his hands gently framing Adrian’s face. "Can you please not cry?" he murmured, his thumb softly wiping away a stray tear that slipped from beneath the bandage. "Please, Rian... don’t cry."

Adrian choked on a sob, his hands blindly clutching at the fabric of Matteo’s shirt, anchoring himself to the only man he wanted.

"I was wrong about you, Matteo. I was so wrong. I thought... I thought you couldn’t possibly love me the way Elena used to love me, and because of that fear, I questioned everything you did. I convinced myself that you only stayed because you felt guilty about the past, not because your heart truly belonged to me. I convinced myself that you were only with me because you felt you had no other choice."

Matteo didn’t interrupt. He just held him, his breathing turning uneven as he listened to the raw confession.

"I blamed you," Adrian murmured. "I blamed you for making me fall for you. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t actually in love with you, that I was just confused. And truly... I was confused back then. I wasn’t sure if I loved you willingly, or if I only loved you because you had manipulated me into your life."

Matteo looked at him and asked, "And what about now, Rian? What about right now?"

"Now, I understand everything," Adrian said. "I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry for slapping you, Matteo. I’m sorry for treating you like you were nothing. I was just so angry, so blinded by the belief that I wouldn’t have loved you if you hadn’t manipulated our beginning. But I see it clearly now. What I feel for you has absolutely nothing to do with how we started. You might have manipulated the circumstances... but you never forced my heart. I chose to love you. I’m really sorry for being so cruel to you. I’m sorry—"

"Enough," Matteo cut in softly. He pressed his forehead gently against Adrian’s. "Enough, Rian. You know... I wasn’t only angry because you gave me the cold shoulder for a month."

Adrian nodded weakly against him. "Yes."

"Then tell me, Rian... why did I get so angry? Why did I walk away?"

"Because I slapped you," Adrian whispered, the shame heavy in his voice.

"I don’t like it when you raise your hand against me, Adrian," Matteo admitted. "I treat you like you are my absolute everything. My world, my light, my sanctuary. But when you strike me, you make me feel like I am completely nothing to you, like I’m just a monster you can punish."

Matteo let out a ragged sigh, kissing the top of Adrian’s head. "But I don’t want your apologies right now. I never wanted you to say sorry. I just wanted you to realize what you were doing to us."

Matteo leaned in closer, his lips brushing against Adrian’s forehead. "If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I’m the one who needs to say sorry to you... for manipulating you from the very beginning. But right now, let’s put all of that aside. We need to focus on your surgery."

Adrian gave a small nod. "Okay."

"Listen to me very carefully, Adrian," Matteo murmured, tapping his finger lightly against Adrian’s head. "I stood there and I heard every single heartbreaking word you said to Maya. But all of that garbage about me leaving you if you go blind? That is only a nightmare in your head. With or without your eyes, know this: I will always, always love you. Absolute darkness will never change a single thing about how I feel for you."

Matteo’s voice trembled with a rare, overwhelming emotion as he pulled Adrian flush against his body. "Your eyes are breathtaking, Rian, but they were never the only reason I wanted you. I love you for exactly who you are. I love you blindly. I was completely out of the country, miles away, trying to focus on myself... but the exact second Maya reached out to me yesterday and told me about your condition, I abandoned everything. I flew back immediately, without thinking twice. That is how helplessly, deeply I love you."

He buried his face in Adrian’s hair, inhaling his scent like a drowning man catching air. "I am not your late wife, Adrian. I am Matteo. I will love you in my own imperfect way, but I will love you fiercely. I will treat you like my entire world, and I will always, always prioritize you above everyone and everything else. So please... if there is a specific way you want me to love you, just tell me, and I will shape myself into whatever you need."

A heavy, emotional tear escaped Matteo’s eye, tracing down his sharp jaw. "I love you, Rian. I’m sorry that it has to be a flawed man like me that you love... but everything I feel for you is real. It is the most real thing I have ever known."

Adrian couldn’t speak. The sheer depth of Matteo’s devotion completely shattered the remaining walls around his heart. He wrapped his arms around Matteo’s neck, burying himself in the solid, warm embrace of the man who had protected him from the shadows for so long. He cried out all of his fears, letting the guilt wash away, replaced by the profound certainty that he was safe.

"Don’t be scared," Matteo whispered into the quiet of the bathroom, rubbing his back in soothing, slow circles. "I am right here with you. Everyone is out there waiting for you. You are not alone anymore, okay?"

Adrian nodded against his chest, his voice muffled but filled with a newfound peace. "Alright."

After a few quiet moments, Matteo softly kissed the top of his head. "If you’re ready, let’s go outside."

Adrian didn’t move to walk. Instead, he slowly lifted his trembling hands to his face. With weak, hesitant fingers, he reached for the medical wrap.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" Matteo asked softly.

Adrian didn’t answer. He gently lifted the bandage, letting the white cloth slip from his face. Slowly, he forced his swollen eyelids open.

The world was a cruel, terrifying smudge of shapes and shadows. Everything was fading, heavily blurred, slipping away into the dark. Adrian strained his eyes, tears immediately welling up and spilling over his lashes as he desperately tried to lock his failing sight onto the sharp jawline and piercing eyes of the man holding him.

He reached up, his fingertips tracing Matteo’s lips, mapping the features he was so terrified to lose.

"If this is going to be my last..." Adrian whispered, his voice breaking into a devastating cry as he stared through the haze at Matteo’s face. "...then I want you to be the very last image I see in this life."

"Babe, stop," Matteo said, his voice tight with raw emotion.

But Adrian didn’t let him finish. He leaned closer and captured Matteo’s lips, kissing him with all the built-up longing in his heart. After a month of distance, Matteo couldn’t resist. He pulled Adrian against his body, kissing him back deeply and desperately.

The kiss stretched out, turning intense and heavy, until Matteo’s body began to react to the proximity of the man he loved.

Matteo groaned into the kiss, reluctantly breaking it off. "Baby, stop... I haven’t touched you in over a month. If you continue this, I won’t be able to stop myself, and you have a surgery in less than two hours." Matteo licked his lips, trying to catch his breath. "So please stop, baby."

Adrian smiled softly, though he playfully pouted up at him. "Did you touch anyone else while we were apart?"

"No one could ever be sweeter than my man," Matteo replied, his eyes dark with devotion. "If it’s not you, then I don’t want it. You are the only one I want."

Adrian’s smile widened, but it quickly turned into a soft gasp as Matteo gently took Adrian’s hand and guided it down, pressing it directly against the hard cock stretching his trousers.

"See how quick it gets hard just for you?" Matteo murmured, his voice husky. "It’s only for you, Adrian."

As Matteo kept talking, Adrian desperately focused on his face, trying to commit every line of his features to memory. But the brief clarity faded, and the terrifying darkness rushed back, completely swallowing his vision. Matteo was trying to point out something for him to look at, and Adrian tried his absolute best to act like he was seeing it, nodding along.

But Matteo knew him too well. Sensing the subtle shift in Adrian’s blank gaze, Matteo realized the darkness had taken over again. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. Instead, he leaned down, kissed his forehead, and whispered, "It’s completely fine, baby. Let’s go outside."

"Hug me first," Adrian pleaded, reaching out.

Matteo wrapped his arms around him tightly, holding him against his chest. They stayed locked in the embrace for a quiet moment, drawing strength from each other before finally pulling back.

"Help me put the bandage back on," Adrian said.

Matteo carefully wound the white gauze around Adrian’s face, securing it with gentle, practiced hands.

"Hold my hand," Adrian murmured.

Matteo immediately clasped his fingers with Adrian’s, and together they gently stepped out of the restroom and back into the hospital room.

The moment they emerged, a nurse walked in to check on Adrian. Feeling the shifting dynamics of the room, Matteo slowly let go of Adrian’s hand and stepped back, returning to stand by Mark’s side near the door.

As soon as Matteo stood next to him, Mark leaned in, a teasing smirk on his face. "Were you doing something bad to Adrian in the bathroom?" Mark joked in a low whisper. "Did you completely forget that he’s having major surgery soon?"

Before Mark could even finish his sentence, Matteo raised a hand and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!" Mark winced, rubbing his head. He immediately looked over at Charles, who had been watching the twins interact. But the moment their eyes met, Charles quickly looked away, ignoring Mark’s silent plea for help.

Mark scoffed playfully, Wow, wonderful. Not a single bit of support for your boyfriend. You just watch him smack your boyfriend’s head and do nothing.

The nurse finished her checks and turned to the room. "In about thirty minutes, the orderly will come to wheel Mr. Grayson out and prepare him for the operating room."

Maya nodded, her expression tense. "Okay, thank you, nurse."

Adrian raised his hand, blindly pointing out toward the space where he had last felt his partner. "Baby...?"

"I’m here," Matteo answered immediately. He didn’t hesitate for a single second, rushing forward from the door to catch Adrian’s searching hand and pressing it tightly between his own.

Watching the fierce protectiveness in Matteo’s posture, Maya couldn’t help but smile through her lingering worry.

But just as Adrian was about to speak to Matteo, the hospital door swung open again.

The room fell perfectly still as everyone turned to look. Standing in the doorway, his expression etched with severe concern, was Adrian’s father.

Maya murmured. "Father..."