[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

As they made their way back home, Adrian glanced over at Matteo, who sat quietly beside him, watching the scenic coastline blur past the window.

"Babe," Adrian began, leaning closer. "Instead of going all the way home, unpacking, and then having to turn around later to see your mom, wouldn’t it be better to just stop by her place on the way? That way, you can get the visit out of the way now instead of worrying about it later."

Matteo looked at him, his brow furrowing slightly. "I agree it makes sense, but... if I go straight to her place now, won’t it look like I’m desperate or rushing to see her?"

Adrian shook his head. "No. It just makes sense. You can tell her you came straight from your trip because you have a busy schedule waiting for you at home. It’s better to handle it now before work takes over."

Matteo thought about it for a moment before slowly nodding. "You’re right."

He pulled out his phone and sent his mother a quick message, letting her know he was on his way to see her. A few seconds later, her reply appeared on the screen.

I’ll be waiting for you, son.

The drive took several hours, the smooth hum of the car filling the silence as they traveled from the coast back toward the city. By the time they arrived at Matteo’s mother’s upscale residence, the afternoon sun was casting long shadows across the quiet, private neighborhood.

The rest of the convoy, including Mark, Charles, Frank, and Maxwell, had already split off earlier to head to their respective destinations. Only the main vehicle carrying Matteo and Adrian remained, accompanied by a single car of trusted bodyguards following closely behind.

As the car came to a smooth stop in the driveway, Adrian looked at Matteo. "Baby, I’ll wait for you here in the car."

Matteo turned toward him, looking slightly reluctant to leave him behind. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go ahead and get it over with. I’ll stay here and rest," Adrian assured him with a supportive smile.

Matteo nodded, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for the conversation waiting inside. He opened the door and stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, smoothing down his jacket before making his way up the stone walkway toward the grand entrance.

He reached the front porch and raised his hand toward the doorbell, but before his finger could touch it, the heavy wooden door suddenly swung open, revealing one of the workers standing on the other side.

Matteo paused for a brief moment as the lady bowed respectfully to greet him.

"Welcome, sir. This way, please," she said, gesturing toward the living room before stepping aside to let him through.

Matteo stepped into the foyer and made his way toward the spacious living room, his footsteps falling softly against the polished floor.

His mother sat quietly on the sofa, her posture tense as she waited anxiously for him.

When Matteo entered the room and came to a halt, their eyes met across the space. For a long, suspended moment, neither of them moved. The air between them was thick with a turbulent mix of lingering resentment, the recent memories of their tense encounters, and the heavy reality of blood and family. They just stared at each other, letting the silent tension wash over them.

Matteo was the first to break the silence. His voice was low and measured. "I’m here."

A visible sense of relief softened her features. She blinked quickly before gesturing toward the seat across from her. "Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."

Matteo walked over and took the seat, keeping his shoulders squared. He lifted his gaze to meet hers again, his expression calm but guarded.

For a moment, she just looked at him, her maternal instincts kicking in. "Are you alright, Matteo? Do you need anything? And... how was the journey? I hope it wasn’t too stressful for you."

Matteo’s expression remained neutral, though not unkind. "I’m fine. The journey was fine."

Before she could respond, a maid quietly entered the living room and placed a glass of cold water on the table in front of Matteo before retreating again.

"Thank you," Matteo said politely.

Once they were alone again, his mother took a steadying breath, folding her hands tightly in her lap.

"I know you are busy, and I don’t want to take up too much of your time," she began, her voice trembling slightly as she prepared to go straight to the point. "So... I will just say what I need to say."

Matteo held her gaze, remaining completely silent and giving her the space to speak.

She swallowed hard, looking away for a fleeting second before forcing herself to meet his eyes again. "I know the past cannot be changed, Matteo. No amount of wishing or crying can undo the years I spent away from you."

Her voice cracked, the carefully maintained composure of a proud woman finally beginning to fracture.

"But still, no mother on this earth," she continued, tears shimmering in her eyes as she leaned forward, "can watch her innocent boy be twisted by cruelty, driven into the darkness, and forced to become something... someone he never should have had to become, without feeling a crushing pain in her soul."

Matteo listened, his expression remaining cold and unreadable.

"I know I was wrong," she choked out, tears slipping down her cheeks as she struggled to keep her voice steady. "I’m not trying to defend what I did, Matteo. I know I should never have left you alone. But watching you change little by little was tearing me apart. I cried night after night, desperately trying to figure out what I could do, trying to find some way to save you. But your father wouldn’t listen to me. He wouldn’t support me or even hear my pleas for help. I couldn’t stand there and watch you become a devil inside that house while doing nothing. So I made a choice... and I left."

She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, her shoulders shaking.

"Yes, I was a coward. Leaving you felt like tearing my own flesh away, and the guilt has killed me every single day since. The agony of watching you from a distance, knowing I abandoned you just to escape and save myself... it has haunted me every single moment of my life."

"Day after day, night after night, I kept asking myself... Where did everything go wrong? How did I fail you so completely? I was wrong, Matteo. I was a coward. I left you behind because I was broken, and I will carry the weight of that mistake for the rest of my life. I am so, so sorry."

Matteo sat entirely still as her words hung heavily in the air, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. But she didn’t stop. She swallowed hard, her voice dropping into a raw, broken whisper as she laid every single piece of her guilt bare.

"I’m sorry for every single time you needed me and I wasn’t there for you," she wept, leaning further forward, her hands trembling in her lap.

"I’m sorry for all those years when you expected me to be your mother, only for me to shut you out of my life as if you were a stranger.

"I’m sorry for the days you called and my phone rang unanswered because I was too cowardly to face you. I’m sorry for every message you sent into the void that I saw but never dared to answer.

"I’m sorry for missing your birthdays, your milestones, and all the moments I should have been there for. I’m sorry for every night you spent alone crying while I was somewhere else, safe and pretending I could live with what I’d done. I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you."

Her breath hitched as tears spilled freely down her face. She looked deeply into Matteo’s unreadable eyes, searching for even the smallest sign that he was hearing her.

"You always had a good heart, Matteo," she sobbed softly. "I know you did. But sometimes, when a person is forced to survive in a cruel world, one wrong decision leads to another. You did what you had to do to survive. You built walls around yourself because you had no other choice. You became harder because being soft only made you vulnerable."

She swallowed painfully, her voice trembling. "And the reason I couldn’t come back to you... it wasn’t because I didn’t care. It was because the guilt was eating me alive. Deep down, I knew I had failed you. I knew I should never have left you behind. I should have taken you with me. I should have fought to protect you instead of leaving you there alone. But every time I thought about facing you, I was overwhelmed by the shame of what I had done. I was paralyzed by my own failure, Matteo. And instead of finding the courage to come back for you... I ran from it."

She choked on a sob. "I’m sorry, son. Can you ever... please, can you forgive your mother? I know I was wrong. I know I love you, but my mistakes were so big, so heavy... that sometimes I feel like no matter how many times I tell you I love you now, it won’t matter anymore. But please... please forgive me. Please."

Silence settled between them.

For a long time, Matteo didn’t move. The impenetrable wall he had built around his heart for years, the armor that kept him cold, calculating, and untouchable, strained under the weight of her words.

Slowly, his shoulders dropped. The coldness in his eyes began to crack as the pain he had buried for years rose to the surface. He tried to hold it back, his fingers tightening around the edge of the sofa, but he couldn’t stop it.

A single, heavy tear slipped down his cheek.

Then another.

Before he could stop himself, a ragged breath escaped his chest. Matteo lowered his head as the tears finally began to fall, carrying with them years of pain, abandonment, and the ache of a son who had spent so long longing for his mother.

"I’m sorry," she wept, her voice breaking over and over as she poured out every remaining piece of her guilt. "I’m sorry for everything... please, son, just let me say I’m sorry."

She didn’t stop, her words tumbling out in a broken, desperate flood, begging for a redemption she felt she didn’t deserve.

For a long time, Matteo sat there letting the tears fall silently down his face...