Mark looked directly at Matteo.
"'Elena taught the three of us how to cook back then. She was our closest friend.'"
Mark looked directly into Matteo's eyes, refusing to let him look away.
"Even now, whenever Charles talks about her, I can still see the lingering sadness in his eyes. Not because Elena was his wife, but because she was a deeply loved friend who was taken far too soon.
"Teo… if Charles still carries that pain as a friend, what do you think it's like for Adrian?
"He's trying so hard to be strong for you. He's trying to move forward with you. But that doesn't mean he can simply forget the people he lost."
Matteo's hands clenched into the fabric of his trousers, his breath hitching slightly.
"But while you were trying so hard to take Elena's place, you were acting out of desperation," Mark continued. "You wanted Adrian to forget about her so badly… that all you could think about was making him focus entirely on you.
