CHAPTER SEVEN : The Morning After15Please respect copyright.PENANAJLZDdenQn9
(Matteo’s POV)
Sunlight had no business being this soft.
It slipped through the blinds like a thief, painting her skin in gold and guilt.
Matteo watched her sleep.15Please respect copyright.PENANAL5ceW3pvIL
Eyes closed. Hair a mess. Lips slightly parted.
No perfume.15Please respect copyright.PENANAFR1K52CB0q
No shield.15Please respect copyright.PENANAbbro1nKSS5
No script.
Just her.
And for the first time in years…15Please respect copyright.PENANAguIC4rHI5d
he didn’t want to move.
She stirred gently, one arm stretching above her head.
He should’ve pulled away.15Please respect copyright.PENANAhHWbATF2aJ
Should’ve faked sleep.
But he didn’t.
Because when her eyes opened, still heavy with sleep, the first thing she looked at—15Please respect copyright.PENANAYDgwh309XM
was him.
“I stayed,” she whispered.
He nodded. “You did.”
“And you didn’t stop me.”
“I couldn’t.”
She blinked once. “Do you regret it?”
Matteo inhaled, held it, exhaled slowly.
“No,” he said. “I regret waiting this long.”
There was a long silence after that.
Not awkward.15Please respect copyright.PENANASn7QbEem3p
Not empty.15Please respect copyright.PENANA94AWsSIbI9
Just… full. Of things unsaid. Of things both of them were too afraid to label.
Her fingers reached for the edge of the blanket, pulling it closer to her chest.
And in that small movement, he saw it—15Please respect copyright.PENANAN4F4oJ44hE
the fear.
Not of him.
But of everything that might happen now.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said finally.
He nodded. “I know.”
“I was just supposed to heal. Forget. Breathe.”
“And now?”
She turned to him. Her voice cracked when she answered:
“Now… I only breathe when you’re near.”
It broke something in him.
Because he knew what came next:15Please respect copyright.PENANAGEeqGpf2yt
The push. The pull. The panic.
He’d seen it before in others.15Please respect copyright.PENANAFgLKAi7qxy
But never felt it for himself.
Never feared losing someone he wasn’t even allowed to claim.
“Tell me this isn’t just a phase,” she whispered.
He didn’t speak.
Instead, he reached over—cupped her cheek with a palm that once touched a hundred women with indifference.
But this touch?15Please respect copyright.PENANAV29yNMWTHM
This was reverent.
“If this is a phase,” he said, “then I hope it ruins me permanently.”
She smiled then. Small. Broken. Beautiful.
They didn’t say “I love you.”15Please respect copyright.PENANAXynqBxkeKS
Not yet.
But when she leaned into him—forehead to his chest, heartbeat to heartbeat—15Please respect copyright.PENANANYB3IHbDpp
they both knew:
ns216.73.216.12da2They weren’t doctor and patient anymore.15Please respect copyright.PENANALLTE5GW26C
They were everything else.