Chapter 236

• Matteo’s POV
• The phone buzzed on the counter for what felt like the hundredth time today. Emilia. Again. I wasn’t sure she was able to take a hint. Or she saw it and was just choosing to ignore it.
• I stared at the screen, my jaw clenching tight. She has been trying to reach me for about two weeks now, her name popping up like a bad habit I couldn’t kick. Each time, I swiped left or let it go to voicemail. I wasn’t ready to hear her excuses or her apologies—if she even had any. But today, the buzzing irritated me more than usual, and before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed the phone and answered.