Me And The Dark

Chapter 50

The heat of the sun continued to burn Mattheo Riddle's shoulders through the cold, but this physical sensation was only a small part of the fiery whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that tormented his mind.

Each ray seemed to want to penetrate his skin, awakening in him a much deeper inner pain.

He fought with all his might against intrusive thoughts, a fierce mental battle that kept him on the precipice of dementia. These thoughts confronted him with the brutal reality that perhaps he was more similar to his father than he had ever imagined.

His entire struggle to distance himself from Lord Voldemort's shadow seemed to have been destroyed in a matter of days.

However, none of this matched the heartbreak caused by the loss of Valentina Pierce, the young woman with the freckles and the captivating laugh. Her absence created a painful void, an oppressive silence in which echoes of their shared memories resonated.

The image of Valentina, vulnerable and betrayed, haunted his thoughts.

He saw himself inflicting pain on her, wounds that he would have given anything to erase. Mattheo's hands clenched on the edge of the bench, a gesture of despair and frustration at his own actions.

He looked down at his hands, still stained with traces of dried blood. These marks were the visible marks of his descent into darkness, and every glance reminded him of them, like silent reproaches.

The boy with dark curls fought against the disturbing flashes that invaded his mind. The images of the injury inflicted on Valentina took over his thoughts, forcing him to face the brutal reality of what he had put her through.

How could he have changed so much, lost control of himself to the point of becoming a threat to the woman he loved most in the world?

It was an unanswered question that haunted him, a pain that dug deeper with each attempt at understanding.

Mattheo took a deep breath, trying to calm the tumultuous waves of his emotions.

His fingers slid over the emerald pendant he had taken from his pocket, a symbol once laden with tender meanings. The jewel felt colder in his palm, as if it had lost its warmth after witnessing the chaos that destroyed everything.

"Where are you..." he whispered feverishly, his fingers mechanically playing with the pendant.

He was looking for answers, indications about Valentina's fate, but the vague contours of the future seemed to elude him.

Because after having regained his emotions by discovering the necklace at his feet and the precious drawing notebook reduced to ashes, Mattheo did not have time to collect himself.

Valentina had lost too much blood, her emotions exacerbated by years of grief and anger, pushing her into unconsciousness.

The young man closed his eyes, letting himself be carried away by the memory of three figures in black carrying Valentina away from Hogwarts. He felt a pang of helplessness, not knowing where she was being taken or how to protect her.

Realization hit him as the notion of trading places for hers crossed his mind. He couldn't bear the thought of her suffering because of him, and the very idea that she could be in Azkaban made him shudder with horror.

His thoughts turned to happier memories, like their first date on those bleachers, before the darkness engulfed them.

He remembered Valentina's haunting laugh, the scent of roses from her hair, the scents of rain and chocolate when he smelled the amortentia, a reminder of the moment when he finally stopped denying his feelings.