svetikya Chapter 177: He Said It Was Just a Friend
Chapter 177: He Said It Was Just a Friend
Frank pulled out his chair and sat down, and Mark did the same. Charles, however, moved with a distinct, hesitant slowness, carefully lowering himself into his seat with a slight wince from the sheer intensity of their night before.
Matteo’s sharp eyes instantly caught the overly cautious way Charles lowered himself into his seat.
Understanding exactly what that meant, he briefly glanced at his twin brother before quickly pushing the thought aside. Right now, his main concern was the fact that Adrian still hadn’t come downstairs.
Mark turned to Charles. "Are you okay?"
Charles nodded. "I’m fine."
"Are you in pain?" Mark asked, his brows furrowing with concern.
Charles immediately leaned closer. "Baby, lower your voice," he whispered. "It’s just a little soreness from last night. I’ll be fine."
Mark studied him for a moment before leaning in slightly. "Are you sure, pretty?"
Charles smiled and nodded. "Yes, baby."
Satisfied, Mark pressed a gentle kiss to Charles’s shoulder.
Across the table, Frank and Matteo watched the exchange as if they were completely invisible. Matteo, however, wasn’t paying much attention. His thoughts kept drifting back upstairs, wondering why Adrian still hadn’t come down.
He was just about to stand up and go check on him when Adrian finally appeared at the top of the grand staircase.
Relief instantly washed through him.
Adrian made his way downstairs and walked straight into the dining room. Without hesitation, he headed directly toward Matteo. Leaning down, he pressed a soft morning kiss to Matteo’s lips before turning to greet everyone else at the table.
"Good morning, everyone," Adrian said softly.
The group immediately smiled, greeting him back warmly. Charles and Frank asked him how he was feeling after his discharge, and Adrian offered a grateful smile. "I’m feeling much better, thank you, guys."
Right on cue, Selene and the kitchen staff started serving breakfast. As the plates were laid out, Adrian turned his head toward Matteo, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Why did you wake up so early today, babe?" he asked. "Where did you go?"
Matteo looked at him, his expression softening. "I had to go handle something important this morning. I’m sorry I wasn’t the first person you saw when you opened your eyes."
Adrian smiled. "It’s okay. You’re forgiven."
With that settled, everyone finally turned their attention back to breakfast. But just as they were getting into the meal, the buzz of a text message broke the quiet.
Matteo’s phone lit up on the table.
Seeing the sender’s name, Kevin, Matteo immediately set down his cutlery and picked up the phone. He quickly typed out a reply, and a genuine, fond smile appeared on his face as he read the ongoing conversation. A moment later, he placed the phone back on the table and resumed eating.
Adrian watched the whole thing. He stayed quiet and said nothing, but an uncomfortable feeling tightened in his chest.
As the minutes passed, Matteo’s phone kept buzzing. Time and time again, he picked it up to reply to the ongoing conversation, a faint smile appearing on his face each time he looked at the screen.
At first, Adrian tried to ignore it. But as Matteo’s attention remained fixed on his phone, the irritation twisting in his chest steadily grew.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Setting his fork down, Adrian turned and stared directly at his partner.
"What is so funny?" Adrian asked, his voice laced with a sharp edge. "Who are you chatting with that’s making you smile like that?"
Matteo blinked, snapping out of his phone screen, and looked at Adrian’s tense expression. "I’m sorry, babe," he said, locking the device and placing it face down. "It’s just a friend."
Adrian’s mind instantly went into overdrive.
Just a friend, he thought. The explanation did absolutely nothing to settle his racing thoughts.
After breakfast, Matteo and Adrian returned to the privacy of their master bedroom. Wanting a moment to clear his head, Adrian went straight to the closet, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed into the bathroom for a shower.
By the time he stepped back out, dressed and dried off, Matteo had risen from the bed to take his turn. Before heading into the bathroom, he casually set his phone down on the dark wooden nightstand and closed the door behind him.
Adrian stood in the middle of the room, his gaze immediately landing on the phone.
A fierce debate erupted in his mind.
Should I look through it?
He took a hesitant step forward, his palms growing damp with sweat. The temptation was overwhelming, but so was the fear.
What if Matteo walked out and caught him red-handed?
But the burning suspicion from last night and this morning was too heavy to ignore. Taking a deep breath, he decided to take the risk.
He picked up the phone and tried to guess the password, but the screen flashed red, refusing to unlock. Panic setting in, Adrian knew he had to be smart. He walked over to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. "Babe? I can’t find my phone anywhere. Can you tell me your password real quick so I can unlock yours and call it?"
Inside the shower, the water stopped. Matteo turned toward the door, staring at Adrian through the frosted glass for a long, silent second.
Adrian caught the heavy hesitation in the look and instantly felt a pang of guilt. "I mean... if you’re not comfortable with that, it’s fine—"
"It’s okay, babe," Matteo cut in calmly, reciting his private passcode through the door.
A wave of nervousness washed over Adrian. "Okay, I’ll go search for it now," he murmured.
"Alright, babe," Matteo called back, and the sound of the running water resumed.
Adrian immediately scrambled back to the bed, his fingers flying across the screen as he punched in the code. The phone unlocked instantly. He opened the private messaging app, his eyes scanning the inbox until he found the name, Kevin.
Without wasting a second, Adrian opened the conversation and began scrolling all the way back to the beginning. The further he read, the heavier the feeling in his chest became.
As he went through the older messages, the timeline gradually became clear. Matteo had met Kevin during the recent trip he had just returned from. Throughout the days Matteo was away, the two of them had spent a significant amount of time together.
Adrian’s thumbs swiped faster, skimming through paragraphs of casual banter until his eyes locked onto a specific message sent from Matteo’s account.
It was just a one-night thing. Just forget about it.
A cold chill ran down Adrian’s spine. His chest heaved as he read Kevin’s response:
Kevin:Can we still be friends beyond this?
Matteo: Sure, that’s not a problem.
Kevin:I’ll be coming to your city soon, so you should be ready to take care of me.
Matteo: That’s not a problem either.
Adrian stared at the screen, tears of hurt and betrayal burning behind his eyes. They had been calling and chatting constantly the entire time, even while he was lying in a hospital bed recovering from surgery.
Adrian desperately wanted to keep scrolling, but the sudden click of the bathroom door handle sent a jolt of panic through him. He quickly backed out of the conversation, locked the screen, and placed the phone back on the nightstand exactly where Matteo had left it.
Matteo stepped out the bedroom, a white towel draped around his waist and another hanging loosely around his neck, damp droplets of water clinging to his shoulders. He looked up, scanning the room. "Did you find your phone, babe?"
Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat, his voice stammering slightly as he tried to look normal. "Y-yes. I found it. It was in the closet." He watched Matteo head toward the walk-in closet. "Are you going out?"
"Yes," Matteo answered, pulling out a fresh shirt. "A friend of mine is coming down to the city today, so I’m going to meet up with him."
Adrian felt a bitter taste settle on his tongue.
"Oh, a friend?" he said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Which friend? Since when did you start having friends, Matteo?"
Matteo paused and turned back to look at him, a small smile on his face.
"Babe, having a friend isn’t a crime," he said. "I met him during my trip, and we got along really well. We actually have a lot in common." He shrugged. "Since he’s flying in today, I’m going to pick him up from the airport."
Adrian’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Are you bringing him here? To your house?"
"Yes," Matteo replied, completely oblivious to the storm brewing behind his partner’s eyes. "He’s only staying for two weeks. After that, he’ll head back home."
Adrian forced a tight smile onto his face, though it felt like his heart was being torn apart. A one-night thing.
The words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Now he was bringing him here.
The realization hit Adrian like a punch to the chest, leaving him struggling to keep his composure as hurt, anger, and disbelief churned inside him.
"Okay. That’s fine," Adrian said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "I should probably head back to my own place, then. That way, you and your friend can spend all the quality time you want together."
Matteo’s expression instantly hardened, his protective instincts flaring as his eyes locked onto Adrian. "No, baby. You’re staying right here so I can keep taking care of you."
"No, Matteo," Adrian argued, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "I want you to have a good time with your friend. Maya can take care of me at my place."
"You are not going anywhere," Matteo commanded...
Special Note From Author.
Hi, lovely readers ❤️
I know this note isn’t related to this particular book, but I wanted to share some important news, especially for those of you who have read CRAVING HIM: Addicted to his voice and have been waiting for the side story.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working on the side story, and it’s finally ready. The only thing that kept delaying it was the ending because I wanted to make sure I gave it the best ending possible before releasing it.
Previously, Webnovel only allowed side stories to be published all at once, which is one of the reasons it took longer than expected. However, I recently received information that side stories can now be released Chapter by Chapter.
Right now, I already have 22 Chapters completed. My original plan was to release the first 10 Chapters today, but I’m currently experiencing some issues with the publishing section on Webnovel. If everything works out later today, I’ll release them immediately. If not, I’m waiting for a response from my editor, and hopefully everything will be sorted out by tomorrow.
The side story will be released in three parts. The first release will contain 10 Chapters, the second release will contain another 10 Chapters, and the final release will contain the remaining Chapters.
To be honest, I’ve been a little nervous. I’ve spent a lot of time working on this side story, and I genuinely hope you’ll enjoy it. When it comes out, please leave your comments and let me know what you think. I’d really love to hear your opinions.
Thank you all so much for your constant support, your comments, your votes, and your encouragement. It truly means a lot to me.
I don’t have a platform yet where I can easily gather all my loyal readers, so for now, this is the best way I can share updates with you.
Thank you again, and I hope you’ll enjoy the side story as much as I enjoyed writing it. ❤️
See you all soon! 😊