Charles felt the air leave his lungs. "Did he only tell you?"
"No, he told everyone," Nora replied casually, completely unaware of the bomb she had just dropped. "He sat the whole family down and told us he had met someone else, someone he loved deeply. He wanted to be honest with us out of respect for Elena."
Hearing those words, everything suddenly clicked into Charles's mind.
A chilling realization washed over him.
Matteo had spent days believing Adrian had let go of him. He thought Adrian had been ashamed to stand beside him. He thought those two days of silence meant Adrian had chosen Elena over him. But the truth was the complete opposite.
Adrian had gone to Elena's memorial, and before leaving, he had found the courage to tell her family that he had met someone else.
While Matteo had convinced himself he was being pushed aside… Adrian had already begun making room for him in the next chapter of his life.
Matteo hadn't destroyed their relationship because of the truth.
