Elio's voice was choked with tears as he said, "...Mattia."
He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also pouring out his woes to me. "My stomach hurts so much... Everything at the company is a mess. Valentina... she can't do anything right. Everyone is waiting to see me fail... I miss you so much. Will you come back?"
I fell silent.
Back then, whenever Elio drank, his stomach would act up.
To share his burden, I had chosen to painstakingly build up my alcohol tolerance at the negotiating table.
At one point, I even drank myself to the point of bleeding in my stomach. Even the doctor said the alcohol had left me infertile.
But Elio's voice continued. " I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken Valentina's side over yours. I'm willing to make our relationship public and give you bac
