Derek turned his back on Matteo, got into his giant jeep and drove away. Before he knew it, Derek was far away, leaving him with only silence and his own thoughts, watching until the car disappeared into the horizon and only when he had no choice, Matteo resigned himself to going back inside the house, walking slowly, questioning the life he led.

He was starting to wonder, was that house even his anymore? Matteo didn't feel safe in it, he didn't feel like it was his home, nor was his room a safe place anymore; Matteo no longer had the key of his door’s room, not since his father had discovered that he wouldn't be doing agronomy in college like Leonel had planned and that, in fact, he was almost ready to leave and go in another direction. However, the high point was when Leonel practically sold him in exchange for support and investment in the family business. In the end, Alessia was right and that was his job in that family, to keep Diego calm, happy and in control, so that his father would be sure that the mayor would remain happy. Everyone won, right?

Sure. Except him, of course.

With those encouraging thoughts, Matteo walked the rest of the way to the front of the house and climbed the set of the porch steps, entering through the front door.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw that shadows had already formed against the walls. He only needed the door to close for the rest of the room to fall into total darkness, leaving him with only the moonlight for illumination, but that didn't bother him. He kept walking and watched his shoes, walking without looking where he was going, having already memorized every corner of that path. Ten steps forward, three to the left and five ahead to reach the dining room.

"We need to talk." Leonel's voice sounded shrill in the silence of the room.

Do you know what scared him the most? That silence is what Matteo had always feared. It was Leonel with his hard, judgmental looks, was those quiet moments before the storm came, and it was that giant house that always seemed so empty of life; that was what it did to him; it haunted him, made him think Matteo would never escape that horror movie of a small town and the claustrophobic places. Because, that was how he would end up, a small boy, in a small place, in a small family and in a small life. He would probably end up like one of those story endings too; he would work for his father until his last days and marry whoever Leonel told him to, obeying like the perfect son, right? That was supposed to be his future?

He was so tired…

"I don’t think so. I think our conversation is over." Matteo heard himself saying, still looking at his feet. Why was he still trying? Why did he care what that man would think? That wasn’t his responsibility, none of it was. It wasn’t pampering Diego Lewis, the mayor, or worrying about the family’s business; Matteo didn’t need any of that.

Matteo nodded to himself, and he was so exhausted that he didn't care about Leonel's angry grunt. Or the chair scraping across the floor, or even the heavy footsteps coming towards him. Matteo only raised his head when Leonel was too close to ignore, feeling empty and hollow.

After all, what could Leonel do? Hurt him again?

Matteo was already more than injured.

"How dare you to defy me!" Leonel raised his fist and punched the table, which shook with the force of the blow.

Matteo barely reacted, he looked at his father's hand on the tablecloth and tried to remember why he should care.

It was all so meaningless that he just continued to watch it.

"I'm tired, Leonel." Matteo said, defeated. It was the first time he had called him that. Leonel was no longer his father, his Papa. He had stopped being that a long time ago.

Matteo barely heard the people in the room gasp, which didn't stop them from slowly approaching the two. However, his focus was on Leonel, the one Matteo blamed for all of this. He needed to blame someone, because if Leonel wasn't the one to blame, it meant that he was the reason for all of this mess.

"I'm sorry. I can't do what you want anymore. I-- I tried... I... I'm not challenging you, I just... haven't I done enough?”

Silence fell again, it seemed like no one was breathing. He even tried to see Leonel's reaction; his vision was blurry and it was hard to breathe, his chest was constricting as if someone was crushing him, but... but he was calm, he was so calm that it seemed like Matteo was watching everything like a spectator; for the first time in a long time he felt like nothing could affect him anymore. It was strange, the tears rolled down his face and his hands were shaking, and he didn't know if it was from relief or sadness; the tears simply overflowed from within him.

Matteo blinked and a few more tears rolled down his face. He finally allowed himself to cry for the first time in his life.

"Can you forgive me? I need to do this." Matteo tried again. He knew it would be in vain, because with Leonel there was only one way to do things, either it was the way he wanted it or it wasn't. Matteo accepted that, he accepted that it was the end for them.

It was… it was okay, he had done everything he could. A gentle voice was saying in the back of his mind. He nodded once more, to himself and to what he knew was coming next. When nothing happened and Leonel just kept looking at him with that neutral expression, Matteo… Matteo just let himself breathe and started walking. One step at a time; one to avoid Leonel’s still figure, another to get past the table, and a few more to climb the stairs. He looked at them and put his right foot up, then his left, and dragged himself up them, one at a time, until he reached the star’s end and walked a few steps into his room.

Matteo left the door open. There was no point in him closing it when he couldn’t lock it, and sat down on the bed. He kept staring at his shoes. He needed a new pair. Maybe new jeans too. Maybe a new bed or… or a new Matteo. It sounded good. Anything was better than being the same old Matteo Rossi Pagano.

He wished he could just be… Matteo. Matt.

"Oh, my baby." He heard someone saying, someone entering the room, someone hugging him tightly and sitting with him on the bed. He recognized that smell, it was Bianca, her long wavy hair falling over his shoulder, covering him like a protective shield. Matteo should have heard what she told him, Bianca had warned him so many times. He should have listened.

"Bia." He murmured, unable to hear his own voice. " I didn't want to.”

"I know, dear. With the Lewis family, that's all it could have been. You don't have to try anymore.”

"I don't need to?" He didn't know that.

"Of course not. It was your choice from the beginning. We will support you.”

He knew the choice was his, Matteo wanted to tell her that. And that was exactly why he had no choice. How could he do anything when he knew what the consequences would be?

"Don't worry. This is his problem. It's high time Leonel acted like a man.”

"That's right. We're gonna kick that son of a daddy's ass if he comes back here!”  Alessia said somewhere near them.

Matteo knew he could count on them. He closed his eyes and let himself relax like he hadn't done in a long time.