[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: The Things Trauma Leaves Behind

He couldn’t let his mind go there yet. He turned around and walked back up the stairs, quietly pushing open the bedroom door.

When he stepped inside, Adrian was sitting on the edge of the mattress, his back slightly hunched.

He was staring at the floorboards, his gaze so vacant and detached that he didn’t even notice the sound of the door opening.

Matteo stopped in his tracks, a chill running down his spine at how empty his boyfriend looked.

"Babe?" he called out softly.

Adrian didn’t move.

He didn’t blink.

He was so deeply trapped in his own thoughts that the words didn’t seem to reach him at all.

Matteo walked over slowly and gently placed a hand on Adrian’s shoulder.

The moment his fingers made contact, Adrian flinched violently.

His head snapped up, his eyes darting around the room in sudden panic.

When his gaze finally landed on Matteo, he swallowed hard and took a shaky breath, trying to force himself to calm down.

"Babe..." Adrian gasped out, his voice trembling. "You’re... you’re back."

Matteo knelt in front of him, keeping his hands gentle on Adrian’s knees. "Yes. I’ve been calling your name, Rian. Is everything okay?"

Adrian looked into Matteo’s eyes, a deeply conflicted, painful look passing over his face. He didn’t answer right away, the silence stretching between them until Matteo gently pressed again, "Rian?"

"Yes," Adrian finally whispered, his eyes dropping back to the floor.

His shoulders curled inward, suddenly making him look far more fragile than Matteo had ever seen him.

"I’m just... tired."

His voice was barely audible.

"I want to lie down and rest."

Matteo searched his face, his heart aching at the clear emotional distance Adrian was putting up.

"Alright, babe," he murmured, standing up to give him space.

Adrian slowly pulled his legs back onto the mattress.

Instead of facing Matteo, he immediately turned his back on him, curling his knees slightly toward his chest as he stared at the blank wall.

He pulled the blanket up to his chin, completely shutting out the room and leaving Matteo standing in silence behind him.

Matteo watched him for the rest of the day.

He desperately wanted them to talk so he could apologize properly, but Adrian didn’t look like someone who was anywhere near ready for that conversation.

So Matteo let the day pass.

Over the next few days, he stopped trying to push for a discussion and focused instead on Adrian’s increasingly troubling behavior.

Adrian had become unusually, chillingly quiet.

Whenever Matteo asked him a simple question, Adrian would often stare into space, lost in memories of what had happened. frёewebnoѵēl.com

It would take him several long, agonizing seconds to respond, his reactions far slower than normal.

Even when Matteo tried to make him laugh or intentionally said something the old Adrian would have instantly argued with, Adrian barely reacted.

He no longer teased.

He no longer complained.

He no longer fought back.

Instead, he remained withdrawn, emotionally distant, and buried deep within his own thoughts.

During this period, Matteo quietly reached out to Tony for updates on the interrogation.

He wanted to know whether Kevin had finally confessed to something different or if he was still insisting that he and Kelly had slept with Adrian.

Tony confirmed that despite everything, Kevin stubbornly continued repeating the same story.

Meanwhile, Mark had ordered that Kelly receive medical treatment for his shattered knee.

He reminded everyone that Kelly still had questions to answer, and a dead man couldn’t answer them.

The blood loss from his injury could have killed him if it had gone untreated.

Because Kevin’s words couldn’t be trusted, Mark believed Kelly might eventually reveal the truth Kevin was refusing to give them.

As a result, Kelly was being treated under heavy guard at Matteo’s main estate while they waited for him to recover enough to be interrogated.

But back on Matteo’s side, Adrian was a completely different person from the one Matteo knew and loved.

Every night, Adrian would wake up in the middle of the night and quietly slip out of bed.

He would walk over to the large window and sit there for hours, staring blankly into the darkness.

Matteo would lie awake and watch him in silence.

The sight of him reminded Matteo of how his twin brother, Mark, had acted the same way after being rescued from his abduction.

Mark had spent months trapped inside his own thoughts, struggling to adjust to life after everything he had endured.

So Matteo told himself the same thing over and over again.

Adrian just needed time.

Time to heal.

Time to breathe.

Time to find his way back to himself.

And until then, Matteo would be patient.

By Saturday night, a full week had passed since the incident.

They went to bed, and just like every night before, Adrian immediately turned his back on Matteo and pulled the sheets tightly around himself.

Matteo couldn’t take the distance any longer. Needing to feel his partner close, he slid across the mattress and moved in from behind, gently pressing a soft kiss against the back of Adrian’s neck.

Matteo couldn’t take the distance any longer. Needing to feel his partner close, he slid across the mattress and moved in from behind, gently pressing a soft kiss against the back of Adrian’s neck.

The reaction was instant. Adrian flinched violently, his entire body jerking away as if he had been burned. He scrambled out of the bed immediately, his breathing shallow, and walked straight over to his usual spot by the window to stare outside into the night.

Matteo lay awake in the dim light, staring at the empty space beside him.

Heartbroken and deeply concerned, he quietly slipped out of the room, walked downstairs, and called his doctor to explain how Adrian had been behaving since his treatment ended.

"You must be patient with him, Sir Matteo," the doctor explained gently over the phone. "Adrian is suffering from severe psychological trauma. His withdrawal, delayed reactions, and fear of touch are all common responses to the horrific ordeal he went through."

The doctor paused briefly before continuing.

"He will get better, but you cannot rush him. Just give him space, be patient, and make sure he takes all his prescribed medications on time."

"Alright, doctor. Thank you," Matteo said quietly, hanging up.

When Matteo stepped back inside the bedroom, he caught the faint glint of tears on Adrian’s cheeks. The moment the door clicked, Adrian quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand, trying to hide his distress.

Matteo walked over to the window and knelt between his legs, lowering himself to Adrian’s level.

"Babe... I’m so sorry for trying to touch you," he murmured, his voice thick with regret. "I know you’ve been through so much. I shouldn’t have pushed you..."

"You did nothing wrong, Matteo," Adrian interrupted softly, cutting him off before he could sink deeper into guilt.

He kept his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond the window.

"I’m just... tired."

His voice was quiet.

"So tired."

After a long pause, he added softly,

"I wasn’t in the mood tonight."

Matteo gave him a tender, understanding look. "It’s completely fine. I understand." He reached out slowly, offering his palm. "Alright, let’s go back to bed."

Adrian looked at his hand for a moment before finally placing his fingers in Matteo’s palm.

Together, they walked back to the mattress.

When they settled beneath the blankets, Adrian hesitated briefly before shifting a little closer.

Matteo didn’t push for anything more.

He simply pressed a soft kiss against Adrian’s forehead and wrapped an arm loosely around his waist.

For the first time in a week, Adrian didn’t pull away.

Instead, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax against Matteo’s warmth.

It wasn’t much.

But to Matteo, it felt like hope.

And that night, they finally drifted off to sleep together.

The next morning, the atmosphere in the bedroom felt a little lighter as they both woke up.

Matteo gently helped Adrian into the bathroom, keeping a steady hand at his waist as he guided him beneath the warm spray of the shower.

Afterward, he wrapped Adrian in a plush towel and carefully blow-dried his soft hair.

Once he was done, Matteo picked out a comfortable outfit for him before getting dressed himself.

The entire time, Adrian remained quiet, but unlike before, he no longer seemed determined to shut Matteo out completely.

Hand in hand, they went downstairs to the dining room for breakfast.

As Adrian ate slowly, Matteo’s phone buzzed on the table.

It was Mark.

Matteo picked up, and after a brief greeting, Mark went straight to the point.

"Teo, can Charles and Frank visit Adrian?" Mark asked, sounding exhausted.

"They’ve been asking about him nonstop. Charles won’t give me a moment’s peace. Every hour, he’s asking when they can come over."

Matteo shifted his gaze to Adrian, watching him toy with his breakfast. He thought that maybe seeing his friends would finally cheer him up and bring some life back into his eyes. "Sure," Matteo replied. "They can come around."

"Alright, we will be there soon," Mark said.