Cedric's icy gaze pierced Adrien's soul, making him feel guilty to his very core. The dim lighting that filtered into the room added an air of menace to the situation, exacerbating the already tense emotions between the two friends.
"I know you don't trust him, but he seemed genuine at the time, and I..." Adrien stammered, timidly raising his head to meet Cedric's gaze. His face reflected a mixture of anguish and regret. "Cedric, I'm so sorry, really. I know I promised you something different, but he showed up and..."
"And he told you he would fix things together, that he didn't want to lose you, right?" Cedric finished the sentence with a tone that betrayed his frustration and disappointment. "He even kissed you and caressed you, am I wrong?"
Adrien lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, deliberately omitting to mention the kiss he shared with Carlo. He hadn't expected Cedric to deduce it, and that revelation only increased his shame and remorse. He looked down, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.
"I figured as much," Cedric muttered as he dropped the napkin on the table and stood up resolutely. "When you learn to value yourself and see that that idiot only enjoys your attention because of his narcissism, then we'll talk."
Adrien felt desperate as he watched Cedric walk away, so he quickly stood up and grabbed his friend's arm.
"Wait, Cedric..." he whispered urgently, refusing to let his best friend, the only person who truly knew his vulnerable side, walk away like that.
Cedric stopped and looked at Adrien with an expression of disappointment and sadness in his eyes. He gently caressed Adrien's cheek, forcing him to look up. Tears instantly welled up in Adrien's eyes as he met Cedric's gaze.
Cedric hated to see Adrien in that state of vulnerability and suffering. He had always been an arrogant and self-centered man, but that damn Carlo was taking away everything that had been Adrien's in the past.
"Come here," Cedric murmured softly, wrapping Adrien in a comforting and safe hug. He held him tightly as Adrien shed tears into his chest, feeling the weight of the situation.
Adrien couldn't suppress his feelings. He was trapped in a toxic love that was slowly consuming him, unable to escape the web of pain in which he found himself trapped. Carlo Mancini and his false love were like an emotional storm dragging him into an abyss of suffering, but from which he could not easily break free.
He was aware of the need to break free from that emotional prison, but he found himself caught in a sick cycle of desire and torment, unable to break the chains that held him captive. He had tried to get away from Carlo on several occasions, but the latter's sweet words and caresses were like a vine dragging him back into the emotional abyss in which he found himself. It was as if he was condemned to live in the darkness of a poisonous love, but one he could not easily renounce.
...----------------...
"Are you okay? I notice you haven't spoken much since you arrived."
Carlo looked up at Paola's words. She had put her fork down and fixed her gaze on him. He looked down and met the nurse's worried and innocent eyes. He felt guilty for what he was feeling, for what he was doing, but he couldn't help it or didn't want to.
He took a breath and, after sitting up straight in his chair and raising his eyes to look directly at her, he spoke.
"I talked to Adrien today," he said bluntly. Paola sat back in her chair and managed to let out a long "oh." She was an intelligent person and knew what the seriousness in Carlo's expression was due to.
"Really? I thought you didn't want to know anything about him," she said without any remorse.
"Actually... I was the one who looked for him first."
Paola's eyes narrowed as if in surprise, though in reality, it would have been surprising if he hadn't looked for him before. When they were together, regardless of the time, place, or conversation, Carlo always ended up talking about that person he claimed to hate; all his conversations revolved around him, and she began to hate him little by little.
Even on that special night, he whispered his name while he slept beside her.
That day was when she hated Adrien Gautier the most. He was arrogant and a complete jerk, yet he had all of Carlo's attention. He had the love of a chivalrous, affectionate, kind, homey person who wanted to start a family. He had the kind of love she wanted and longed for in her life.
"I... I'm sorry."
Carlo was distraught, and the guilt showed in his eyes. Of course, he was going to feel guilty and hurt. He had misled Paola in the most cowardly way possible. He had made promises that he never intended to keep from the beginning. However, at some point, he felt it wasn't necessary to apologize; after all, she knew very well on what terms they were with Adrien.
"I don't want to hear you; I'm not ready for this."
Paola stood up and grabbed the plate of food to take it to the kitchen island. Carlo stood up and followed her, standing next to her. Inwardly, he was hating himself for causing so much trouble.
"Paola, I really didn't mean to," he said apologetically.
The girl looked at him with completely aggrieved eyes. She almost laughed at those words. It sounded like a complete joke.
"You didn't mean to talk sweetly to me? You didn't mean to kiss me? You didn't mean to sleep with me? You didn't mean to use me to get rid of that bastard?"
Carlo fell silent at the nurse's accusations. It was true that he had made a serious mistake. She was attractive, a beautiful woman, but try as he might all the time Adrien was abroad and after his return, he simply couldn't even bring himself to like her a little.
He felt like a damn coward and idiot for using her that way. He was naive to think he could forget about Adrien by changing the lips he kissed. However, Adrien simply never left his mind at any time. He was even on his mind the night he had had sex with Paola.
At that moment, he could only think of the expression Adrien would have. He imagined his sweaty and rosy face; he only thought of his white legs and red lips; his waist and his excited voice would not leave his mind. But he forced himself not to think about it, to try to convince himself that there were no feelings for Adrien; however, it was in vain.
It had all been in vain.
Adrien was the only one he could think about. The only one he could kiss and desire.
He was the only one in his life.
"Don't you feel even a little bit of affection for me?"
As she asked the question, Paola approached Carlo and held his cold cheeks with her hands. Her eyes were glassy, which broke Carlo's heart. She really didn't deserve to be humiliated like that.
Paola had shown her most vulnerable side. She talked about her fears, her dreams, her goals, she told him about her life; everything was laid bare because, in her own words, she had found the right person. But he was nothing more than a liar who had entangled her in a web of false emotions and feelings. Paola definitely didn't deserve to love someone like him, and he didn't deserve the love of someone as pure and tender as her.
"Not in the way you expect me to," he murmured guiltily.
She looked down, unable to hold back the bitter tears any longer. She wished she could do something to hold him back. She wished Adrien would disappear from Carlo's mind and life, but nothing she could say could achieve that.
Carlo felt a lump in his throat as he saw the pain he had caused Paola. He blamed himself for being so selfish and cruel for not being able to reciprocate the feelings of a person who had only given him love and unconditional support. Sadness washed over him as he realized the magnitude of the damage he had done.
Carlo felt overwhelmed by the remorse and pain he had caused Paola. The image of her tears and disappointed look was etched in his mind as a constant reminder of his own cowardice and selfishness.
"Paola, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you this way. You don't deserve this, you deserve much more than someone like me," he whispered sincerely, feeling a weight on his chest with every word he uttered.
Paola looked up slowly, her red-rimmed, moist eyes reflecting a mixture of pain and resignation. She knew she couldn't force Carlo's feelings, but even so, the pain of feeling rejected was overwhelming.
"I don't know how to get over this, Carlo. I gave you all of me, and now I feel like I'm not enough," she said in a broken voice, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall again.
Carlo carefully approached and hugged her gently, feeling the weight of guilt in every fiber of his being. He knew he could not repair the damage done, but at least he wanted to offer Paola some comfort in the midst of her suffering.
"There are no words that can remedy what I have made you feel, but I am here for you. You will always be important to me, even if I cannot reciprocate your feelings in the way you wish. I am so sorry, Paola," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back, seeking to alleviate even a little of the pain he had caused. "If I could do anything to make it less painful, I would."
Paola was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Yes, there is. There is something you can do."
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