[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Behind him, Matteo’s voice came again, quieter now, but heavier than before.

"Four years ago... you had an accident with your family," he said. "You never knew how it happened. You never knew why that truck lost control."

A pause.

"I’ll tell you."

Adrian’s breath hitched.

"Because that night... the person who caused that accident was me."

Adrian’s breathing turned heavy, his chest rising too fast as his fingers tightened against the table, fighting the urge to turn around. Behind them, Frank’s mouth fell open, Charles went completely still, and Mark said nothing, just standing there in silence.

"That night, I was on my way to rescue Mark. We had been tracking his location for days, and when we finally got it, we moved without a second thought. We reached an intersection, and everything happened too fast. We reached an intersection, and everything happened too fast. There was a truck coming from one side, your car from another, and my driver pushed past the truck first. We cut in front of it, and that single move throws everything off."

"The truck lost control."

"It swerved... and it crashed into your car."

Adrian’s grip tightened, his entire body going rigid as the memory he had never seen clearly now began to take shape.

"I didn’t know at first, but the moment I realized it was an accident, I told my driver to stop. I got out of the car and ran straight toward yours. The scene was chaos, smoke, shattered glass, and blood everywhere.

He swallowed. "And then I saw it."

Adrian’s hand pressed harder against the diary.

"A pink diary was lying outside the car, like it had been thrown out on impact. There was a pen beside it, like someone had been writing just before everything happened. I don’t even know why I picked it up," Matteo said. "I just did. I told my men to call the ambulance and left some of them there until help arrived. I stayed long enough to see that something was being done... and then I left."

"After we got Mark back safely, I sent my men to the hospital to check on the victims. That was when I heard the truth. They told me your wife and your son died on the spot, and that you were the only one who survived."

Adrian gripped the edge of the table, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"So you knew," Adrian said, his shoulders shaking with a sob he was fighting to keep down. "You knew from the beginning who I was... and you said nothing."

Matteo shook his head immediately. "No. I didn’t know then. I didn’t go to the hospital, and I didn’t see you. I only found out later... after you told me your story. That night. That was when I realized it was you."

Adrian let out a broken laugh. "And you still said nothing? You watched me talk about them. You watched me break down, and not once did you think I deserved to know the truth?"

Matteo’s said. "It wasn’t intentional... I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t know how to face you with it. I’m sorry."

Adrian finally turned.

His eyes were red, filled with something deeper than anger.

"Why did we have to cross paths?" Adrian shouted, his voice shaking. "After you found out... why didn’t you stay away from me? You should have left me alone. You should have walked away. Why did you keep coming back? Why did you stay?"

His voice broke slightly.

"Why did you make me love you?"

Matteo met his gaze. "Because I already loved you," he said. "By the time I found out... I was already too deep in it."

He didn’t look away this time.

"I loved you too much to walk away. I couldn’t let you go."

"You are selfish," Adrian spat, the words hitting like a physical blow. "You’re selfish and you’re wicked!"

Adrian didn’t wait for another word. He couldn’t breathe the same air as him. He turned and bolted, running away from the canopy.

In the distance, Frank and Charles started to move toward him, but Adrian didn’t stop. He disappeared into the darkness of the beach.

Mark walked toward Matteo. The silence was deafening. "Teo... I’m sorry," Mark said, his voice heavy with guilt. "This is on me. If I hadn’t been captured—"

"No," Matteo interrupted. "I’m the one to blame. I chose this path. I chose to stay in this life, and I was selfish enough to fall in love with him anyway. I was the wrong one from the start."

"No," Mark insisted, gripping his brother’s shoulder. "You deserve to be loved, regardless of the past. Just let him go for now. Let the air clear."

Further down the shore, Adrian finally collapsed, his lungs burning. Charles and Frank caught up to him, breathless. Adrian let out a scream so loud it seemed to tear the night apart. "Why? Why does it have to be him?"

"Adrian," Charles called out softly, reaching for him.

Adrian spun around, tears streaming down his face. "I already loved him, Charles! He made sure of it. He made me feel safe, he made me feel special... and all the while, he was the one who ruined me. What do I do?"

Frank stepped closer, placing a hand on Adrian’s shoulder. "I understand you’re hurting, but you have to let these feelings go. He’s a monster, Adrian. He’s not the right one for you."

"I disagree," Charles snapped, turning to Adrian. "Calm down. It wasn’t intentional. It was a tragic accident."

"It doesn’t matter if it was intentional!" Frank shouted back. "The fact remains that he is the reason Adrian lost his family. There is no way he can stay with the man who killed his wife and son."

Charles turned to him. "He’s not a child. He knows what he wants, so don’t decide for him. Frank."

"Whose side are you on?" Frank demanded.

"I’m on Adrian’s side! I’m saying let him decide and don’t judge so fast."

"He’s a disaster!" Frank shouted. "Adrian needs to walk away and never look back."

Charles looked at Frank. "Maybe... but you can’t deny that ever since he met him, he’s been happier."

Frank frowned. "And what does that mean?"

"It means I don’t want him to go back to that life... where he was just existing, not living."

"Still," Frank muttered, "he should leave him."

Adrian watched his two best friends argue, his heart feeling torn in two. "But I already love him," he murmured, the words sounding like a defeat.

"It’s your life," Charles said gently. "Just choose what makes you happy."

"I almost thought this year’s birthday was perfect," Adrian said, staring out at the dark water. "I thought nothing would go wrong... I didn’t know the worst was still coming."

He let out a quiet breath.

"Please... both of you, go back to the villa. I need to stay here and think."

"It’s too dark out here," Charles worried.

"I’ll be fine. Just go." Adrian’s voice left no room for argument. Reluctantly, they left him alone.

Charles and Frank were just stepping inside the villa when the atmosphere shifted. Matteo’s men were rushing through the halls, weapons drawn.

"Get to your rooms! Now!" a guard shouted. "We have a breach!"

Matteo came sprinting down the hall, his eyes wild. He grabbed Charles by the collar. "Where is Adrian?"

"We... we left him outside. On the beach," Charles stammered.

Matteo’s face went pale. "What?"

Suddenly, the sharp crack-crack-crack of gunfire filled the air. Matteo didn’t hesitate. "NO!" he roared, lunging through the doors and sprinting toward the beach, his bodyguards struggling to keep up.

Adrian sat by the shoreline, the sound of the waves drowning out the distant shots at first. When he heard the gunfire and heard Matteo screaming his name, he didn’t move. He didn’t care. He felt like his life was already over.

"Spread out!" Matteo commanded his men. "Find him!"

Matteo veered off toward a cluster of rocks. When he finally spotted Adrian’s silhouette against the surf, he felt a momentary surge of relief. "Adrian!"

Adrian didn’t answer. He didn’t even turn his head.

"Adrian, listen to me, there are intruders here, we have to move!" Matteo shouted, reaching for him.

"Don’t come any closer!" Adrian screamed, finally standing up. "Don’t touch me!"

Adrian turned to walk away, intending to pass Matteo and head back, but the enemies had already surrounded the dunes. Matteo saw the flash of a barrel in the distance, aimed directly at Adrian’s back.

"Get down!" Matteo lunged forward.

The bullet was meant for Adrian, but Matteo threw his entire weight into him, shoving him hard into the sand. A sickening thud echoed as the bullet tore into Matteo’s chest instead.

Matteo’s men returned fire instantly, dropping the attackers, but Matteo collapsed straight onto the sand, blood beginning to soak through his shirt.

Adrian scrambled toward him, his hands instantly covered in hot, sticky red. "Matteo? Matteo!"

"No— No.... Matteo, please..." Adrian panicked, his voice breaking as Matteo struggled to breathe.

Matteo looked up at him, his breathing shallow and ragged. He managed a weak, pained smile. "You should have... at least listened to me," he gasped.

Before Adrian could speak, Tony rushed over, shoving Adrian aside with brutal force. He and the bodyguards lifted Matteo’s limp body.

Tony turned back to Adrian, his eyes full of hatred. "Stay away from him," Tony spat. "You’re nothing but bad luck. Stay away!"

"He’s right... I’m bad luck," Adrian said, his voice breaking.

He stared at the blood on his hands, and the sight made him break down even more.