Chapter 31
Matteo
This is it. The first day of the rest of my life.
Unease swirls around me. That devil on my shoulder is back, whispering what a complete waste of time this is. That I’m a total fuck up. That I’ll never win.
I anxiously sit up taller in my chair, reaching to swipe the imaginary demon off my shoulder. Hell, it probably looks like I have a nervous tick.
Get it together, Matteo. You need to own this. It’s why you’re here.
The reason this is part of your genetic makeup is irrelevant. It doesn’t connect you to him. It doesn’t define who you are. You can be a testament to how a real man lives in spite of this.
I look about the circle of strangers, each of their eyes upon me, waiting patiently. There’s no judgment reflected back at me. They’ve all had their turn.
“Hi. I’m Matteo. And I’m an alcoholic.”