Chapter 130 Matteo
The drug Nico gave me dragged me into a deep and heavy sleep one that felt endless. It was like I had been pulled far away from everything that hurt and when I finally woke up, it wasn’t sudden or sharp.
It was slow, like my body was gently floating back to the surface and for a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying to remember where I was, what had happened and why my body felt so different then it hit me but the pain didn’t follow the memory the way I expected it to.
Instead of the sharp, throbbing ache I had braced myself for, there was only a dull soreness, something distant and manageable.
My body felt lighter, almost as if a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying had been taken off me even the wound on my hand didn’t sting the way it had before.
I flexed my fingers slowly and cautiously, half expecting a rush of pain, but it never came.
Just a faint reminder that it was still there.
Carefully, I pushed myself up and swung my legs off the bed. The room was quiet and for a second, I just sat there, listening to the silence, to my own breathing, to the faint rhythm of my heartbeat that no longer raced in panic.
When I stood, I expected dizziness and weakness but nothing came.
Step by step, I made my way to the door and opened it.
The hallway outside felt unfamiliar, even though I had walked through it before but maybe it was because the last time, my mind had been too clouded, too overwhelmed to notice anything properly and that was when I saw it.
A room directly opposite ours, I stopped.
I was sure it hadn’t registered before or maybe I had just ignored it completely but either way, something about it pulled me closer and my feet moved on their own, curiosity stirring inside me as I reached for the door and slowly pushed it open.
The moment I stepped inside, I froze.
It was a beautiful artist’s room and not just any room, it was way bigger than the one Nico fixed up for me in Uncle Lucas’s house.
The room was wide, open, filled with space and possibility. Canvases, paints, the faint lingering scent of creativity hanging in the air like it had been waiting for someone to bring it back to life.
For a second, I couldn’t breathe and my fingers twitched at my side, that familiar urge rising again the need to create, to pour everything inside me out onto something that could hold it without breaking.
For the first time since I lost my baby I actually thought about it, painting I didn't know how it got forgotten but I wanted to put all the chaos in my head somewhere else but then my stomach growled softly, breaking the moment, pulling me back to reality.
I needed food, I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and it was already two in the afternoon but as I made my way to Nico room, I remembered Matteo and I couldn't wait to know his fate.
When I reached Nico’s office, I didn’t hesitate as I pushed the door open.and stopped because it was empty and completely still.
My chest tightened instantly, panic rising before I could stop it, what if he left agay?
The thought came suddenly but it wrapped around my chest anyway. What if he thought I was too much… too broken and too crazy to deal with?
What if I had woken up and he was just gone like before?
My heart started to race, that fragile calm from moments ago was beginning to crack then I heard it, a sound very faint, but unmistakable and it was from the kitchen.
I turned quickly, following it, my steps faster now, almost desperate and the moment I stepped in and saw him there, standing by the counter and cooking like nothing in the world was wrong, relief hit me so hard I almost laughed.
He was still here, why didn’t I even think about the kitchen?
I walked straight up to him, closing the distance between us without hesitation and I wrapped my arms around his waist as if I needed to feel him to make sure he was real and before he could even react, I leaned up and kissed him.
He didn’t pull away or didn’t question it.
He just smiled, he rarely did and that small, quiet smile that somehow made everything feel okay.
Carefully, like I weighed nothing, he lifted me and set me on the counter. The movement was effortless like he had already decided I belonged there safe, close and within reach.
He turned back to what he was doing and, within moments, placed a plate in front of me.
Hot pancakes with drizzled with honey syrup.
The smell alone made my stomach twist with hunger.
“You won’t hurt yourself again,” he said, his voice calm and steady. It was more like a statement than a question.
I looked at him for a second then I nodded.
There were a thousand things I could have said and a thousand promises I didn’t know how to make but in that moment, that nod was all I had and somehow, it felt enough.
I picked up the fork and took a bite, it was warm and sweet.
I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started eating, bite after bite, I didn’t stop and didn’t even slow down. It was like I was trying to fill something deeper than just my stomach but then Matteo lingered in my mind even as I ate.
So I looked up at Nico, “Matteo…?” I asked softly and he didn’t hesitate as he answered.
“We’ll deal with him when you fully recover.”
His answer was simple. I searched his face, trying to understand what he meant whether it was a promise to involve me or a decision already made without me but strangely I didn’t feel uneasy.
I felt ready for whatever came next and that realization surprised me more than anything else.
I finished everything on the plate, not leaving a single piece behind. By the time I was done, I leaned back slightly, exhaling softly.
With Nikolai and Damon gone and Matteo joining them soon, it's time I get my life back on track.
So when are getting the dog?