Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

My heart throbs in my chest at his sincerity.

“Aw, that’s sweet.” I poke his chest with my foot.

“I’m glad to hear it went well.” He looks up and smiles at me. Nothing about his voice sounds happy, but I let him be. He must’ve been pretty worried for his mood to be this awful even after I confirmed I was okay.

He clutches onto my foot and goes to work.

I sigh and sink into the cushions, enjoying his touch. “Did you know Matteo was arrested one time for running down the streets of Milan naked? And I mean fully naked.”

He offers me the smallest smile known to man. “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it.”

And I do just that, sharing all the different stories Matteo told me during our day together. Everything feels like it’s finally clicking into place, and I love every second of it. Not only is Matteo coming around, but everything with Santiago is perfect. He’s perfect. I’d be stupid not to pursue a more serious relationship that he clearly wants.

Now that my relationship with Matteo is secure, I have an intense desire to embrace the second scariest thing I’ve ever done.

Fall in love.

42

Santiago

With an agitated finger, I press the buzzer on Matteo’s gate for a third time. Patience is a thing of the past after spending the entire night pretending I didn’t know about Matteo’s secret.

He better pray for mercy because my mood hit new lows ever since Chloe fell asleep after last night. I barely slept, stuck overthinking everything she shared about her father.

This is what I get for trusting someone who didn’t deserve it in the first place. The piece of shit told her a bunch of stories, and who the fuck knows if they are even true. And now, not only did I have to sneak out of the house for a second time in two days, but I had to do it to visit this idiot.

Matteo Accardi is on my shit list, and nothing and no one can convince me otherwise.

I press the button for the fourth time and pace the paved area. Sun rays peek through the early morning clouds, lighting up the area with a faint glow.

The old gears groan in protest as the gate opens. I stride toward the front door and knock three times. My teeth grind together as I wait minutes for Matteo to grace me with his presence.

Matteo doesn’t bother looking me in the eyes when he opens the door. He doesn’t even look rumpled in his pajamas. How charming. I’m here feeling like a mess from guilt-ridden insomnia while he looks fresh as a baby after a fat nap.

“What exactly did you not understand about telling Chloe the truth?” I snap.

He has the audacity to look surprised. “Listen, I can explain.”

“By all means, please do, because I’m curious how the fuck you plan on getting us out of this motherfucking mess you created.”

Matteo gestures for me to come inside. It’s like I’m repeating this damn nightmare every day like a screwed-up remake of Groundhog Day.

Matteo leads me into his run-down kitchen. His hands shake as he grabs a pitcher of water and pours himself a glass.

“Matteo. I need you to get to the point of this story because I’m about two seconds from flipping my shit. And you really don’t want that to happen.”

He sips

his water and places it back on the counter. “I couldn’t do it.”

“No fucking shit you couldn’t do it. I was able to draw that conclusion myself when Chloe came back to my house looking like she floated in on a damn cloud.”

“She shared her story and it was too much. I didn’t expect her life story to be…”

“Tragic?”

He nods. “She has always been happy around me. I thought she was a normal girl, you know?”