Only now did he fully grasp how isolated Adrian had felt, trapped not only by Matteo's actions but by the fact that no one had truly heard him.
He leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to the back of Adrian's shoulder.
He leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to the back of Adrian's shoulder.
"Adrian…" he whispered. "I understand now."
He took a slow breath.
"Maya loves you. I know she does. She's an incredible sister. But she became so afraid of losing you that she put your safety before your voice. She should've tried to understand your pain instead of assuming protection was all you needed."
His voice grew heavier with regret.
"And I was even more wrong. I should've been the one who understood you better than anyone else."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"You should never have felt like you needed to explain yourself to other people because I wasn't listening. You should never have felt like your voice didn't matter."
