Chapter 174

Chapter 174
Author’s POV:

Two Days Ago:

"What happened?" Matteo asked, his voice low and urgent as he stared at Diana's tear-streaked face.

"I was attacked," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Some stranger came out of nowhere."

Matteo's eyes narrowed as he studied her. The faint smell of alcohol hung in the air between them. Her hands were trembling, and he noticed dirt under her manicured fingernails. "Are you drunk?" he asked, his tone shifting from concern to suspicion.

Diana looked away, her fingers fidgeting with the zipper of her white leather jacket. The expensive material was now stained with grass and soil. "I had a few drinks earlier. Not enough to hallucinate a fucking attack." Her voice held a defensive edge, but beneath it was raw fear.

"I didn't say you were hallucinating." Matteo leaned closer, his fingers gently tilting her chin up. The car's heating system hummed quietly, a stark contrast to the tension filling the space between them. "What's this?"

Diana flinched as his thumb brushed against the purplish marks forming on her neck. Finger-shaped bruises were beginning to bloom across her pale skin, a violent constellation against her throat.

"Someone tried to choke you," he stated, his jaw clenching. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Diana took a shuddering breath, her shoulders sagging as the adrenaline began to wear off. The events of the past hour crashed down on her like a physical weight. "I was walking through that tall grass area near the Bronx border."

"The restricted zone? What the hell were you doing there?" Matteo's voice rose. "That area is off-limits for a reason." His family had been monitoring reports of trouble in that neighborhood for weeks.

"I just... needed to think," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "Someone grabbed me from behind and dragged me deeper into the grass. He clawed me in the back."

Her voice trembled as the memory washed over her. "He tried to... I don't know what he was trying to do. " Her hand unconsciously went to her throat, rubbing the tender skin.

Matteo's hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "Turn around."

"What?"

"You said he hurt your back. I need to see."

Diana shook her head, suddenly self-conscious. "It's fine. Just some scratches." She winced as she shifted in her seat, betraying her words.

"Diana." His voice softened, a rare glimpse beneath his hardened exterior. "I need to make sure you're okay."

The air in the car grew heavy with unspoken tension. Diana stared at her hands, her dark hair falling forward to hide her expression.

"What is this thing between us, Matteo?" she asked suddenly. "You care enough to check my injuries, but not enough to—"

"I can feel it, you know," he interrupted, his voice raw with honesty. "What you feel for me. I'm not blind."

Diana's breath caught in her throat. After months of longing, of careful glances and manufactured encounters, hearing him acknowledge her feelings was both validating and terrifying.

"But I already have someone I care about," he continued, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The past month had carved new lines around his eyes, grief etching itself permanently into his features. "It wouldn't be fair to pretend otherwise."

"Your stepsister?" Diana asked, her voice barely audible. "People talk, you know."

Matteo's laugh was bitter, like shattered glass. "She was never my stepsister. Not really." His eyes darkened with memories. "From the moment she walked into our house, she was something else entirely."

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every movement. His expensive watch caught the light, a reminder of the wealth and power that separated their worlds. "I still love her. Forgetting that feeling isn't exactly easy."

Diana absorbed his words, pain and understanding warring in her expression. Her own feelings for Matteo had grown from a casual interest to something deeper, something that kept her awake at night. "At least you're honest."

"Let me see your back," he said again, changing the subject. "If there's someone out there attacking women, Beatrice could be in danger too."

The mention of Beatrice's potential danger seemed to break through Diana's hesitation. She turned in her seat, wincing as she slipped her arms out of her jacket. The movement sent sharp pain across her shoulder blades.

Matteo pulled out his phone, turning on the flashlight to examine the angry red scratches across her skin. He took a quick photo, his expression grim. The car's interior light illuminated the marks in stark detail.

"These look like fingernail marks," he muttered. "Defensive wounds. You put up a good fight." There was a hint of approval in his voice, an acknowledgment of her strength.

Diana suddenly turned and collapsed against his chest, her composure finally breaking. "I was so scared," she admitted, her voice muffled against his expensive shirt. "If you hadn't come along..."

Matteo awkwardly patted her back, careful to avoid her injuries. His mind raced with possibilities of who might be attacking women in Vasquez territory. His gaze drifted out the window, where he spotted a familiar figure walking toward the Heartfelt Café across the street.

Beatrice.

Her golden hair caught the streetlight, making her look almost ethereal. Something dark and painful twisted in Matteo's chest as he watched her. It had been weeks since he'd seen her, since Enzo's death had torn his family apart.

Without thinking, he tilted Diana's face up and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't gentle or romantic—it was desperate, angry, punishing. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her in place.

Diana froze for a split second before responding, her earlier conversation with Mykel temporarily forgotten as she melted into the kiss she'd wanted for so long. Her heart hammered against her ribs as his mouth moved against hers.

Through the car window, Matteo saw Beatrice stop in her tracks. Even from this distance, he could see the shock and hurt flash across her face before she turned and ran into the café.

Matteo pulled away from Diana, guilt immediately flooding his system. "Fuck," he whispered, closing his eyes.

“I don’t und—,” Diana paused once she saw Beatrice inside the cafe from the glass windows.

“You did it because you knew she was watching?’ Diana felt hurt, but it wasn’t like she just didn’t cheat on Mykel.

“Why are you punishing her and yourself?” Diana sighed and looked at Matteo, who was in pain.

“Pain is all we are going to get now,” Matteo answered as he remembered how forbidden their relationship is now.

“Maybe you can—” Diana had to hold her emotions in and give him some relationship advice when he interrupted her.

“Do you want to help me?” Matteo let out a sigh and asked Diana, watching her nod her head miserably. She couldn’t say no to him in any situation.

“Let’s have breakfast here,” he said to Diana, who understood that he was only doing all that to piss Beatrice off and take revenge on her for something that she wasn’t aware of.