Arranged to an riddle

~8~

As the days passed, the weight of your secret grew heavier on your shoulders. You could see Mattheo's concern increasing with each passing day, and it became harder to keep up the facade of normalcy. The guilt gnawed at you, and you knew that you couldn't continue hiding the truth from him.

One evening, as you and Mattheo sat in your dorm room, the tension between you reached its breaking point. Mattheo had been giving you the cold shoulder, clearly frustrated with your lack of openness. You could no longer bear the distance between you.

"Mattheo, we need to talk," you said, your voice trembling with anxiety.

He looked up from the book he was pretending to read, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and hurt. "Finally," he replied curtly.

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what was about to come. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," you began, your voice barely above a whisper. "I've been keeping something from you, and it's tearing me apart."

His gaze hardened, and he leaned back, his arms crossed. "So, you're admitting you've been lying to me? Keeping secrets?"

"No, it's not like that," you said, your voice shaking. "I never intended to deceive you. I just... I didn't know how to tell you."

Mattheo scoffed, the frustration evident in his voice. "Well, maybe you should have thought about that before. What's so important that you couldn't share it with me? Our marriage is built on trust, or at least I thought it was."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you realized the extent of the damage you had caused. "I kissed someone ," you blurted out, unable to hold back the truth any longer.

Mattheo's eyes widened, a mix of shock and anger flashing across his face. "You what?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with betrayal.

"I'm so sorry," you cried, tears streaming down your cheeks. "It was a mistake, a moment of weakness. I didn't mean for it to happen."

He stood up abruptly, his fists clenched tightly. "You cheated on me?" he shouted, his voice filled with rage. "i know this is not a real marriage but i thought that we could make it work, AND YOU CHEAT ON ME" 

"No, it wasn't like that," you pleaded, reaching out to him. " I am sorry, Mattheo Please, just listen to me."

You fell to your knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "I never wanted to hurt you," you cried. "I made a terrible mistake, and I hate myself for it."

Mattheo looked down at you, his expression a mix of anger and heartbreak. "I need some time," he said, his voice softer now. "I need to think about everything."

With those words, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving you alone in a whirlwind of emotions. The reality of your actions had finally caught up with you, and the consequences were devastating. 

MATTHEO POV : 

I stormed out of the room, my mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and hurt consumed him, threatening to suffocate any semblance of reason.I couldn't believe what I had just heard. 

As I paced back and forth in the corridor, my mind filled with conflicting emotions. Anger burned within me, fuelled by the betrayal I felt upon learning about your kiss with Luke. I couldn't understand how you could have allowed such a breach of trust to occur, especially considering the circumstances of our arranged marriage.

The anger was a defense mechanism, shielding me from the deeper, more vulnerable feelings that threatened to emerge. I denied the hurt, refusing to acknowledge the pain that gnawed at my heart. After all, this was an arranged marriage, devoid of any expectation of love or emotional connection.