The door to my room creaked open, and there he stood. Mattheo, his figure silhouetted by the dim light from the hallway. His appearance was a nightmare of blood and bruises, the kind that felt like a dark omen.
His lip was split open, blood smeared across his face and pooling from his nose. A scar ran jaggedly across his nose, and his face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable.
"What happened?" The words barely made it out, thick with the lump of dread lodged in my throat. I already knew the answer—Bellatrix or his father, for failing some dark task.
If he wasn't Voldemort's son, he'd be dead already.
"What are you doing here?" My voice was a sharp edge of disbelief and anger, cutting through the air like a knife.
My heart raced, and a lump formed in my throat as I took in the state he was currently in.
"What the fuck do you think happened!" His voice was hoarse, filled with a mix of fury and agony.
He slammed his back against the wall, sliding down until he was seated, his head buried in his hands.
The sound of his defeat echoed in the small room, a painful reminder of the chaos that was surrounding us.
His raised voice was like a switch. I was already consumed by grief over Enzo's death, and now this, Mattheo's audacity to snap at me, to rage against me, felt like a new betrayal.
He tortured me, kidnapped me, and led to Enzo's death.
How dare he yell at me? I should be the one screaming, not him.
"Don't yell at me!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the weight of my pain.
"Enzo is dead because of you! You put me through hell, and now—" I couldn't even finish my sentence. The rage and sorrow that filled me were too overwhelming.
Mattheo's head shot up, his eyes wide with shock. "Enzo? He's what? How? No!" The terror in his voice cut through the anger I felt. I saw the instant regret flash in his eyes, a bold contrast to the bitterness I'd seen moments before.
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Mattheo screamed, his voice raw with despair.
He stood up abruptly, pacing the room like a caged animal.
His fist flew towards the wall, striking it with a force that sent a painful crack through the air. I flinched, a shiver of fear running down my spine. The sound of cracking bone made me realize how far gone he was.
"Can you calm the fuck down, please! I can't deal with this right now I finally calmed down and if I think about it again or let myself feel I'm going to break all over again," My voice trembled, a blend of fear and desperation.
I had never been afraid of him before, but now, the fear was there I felt it. It was a new and terrifying feeling.
"I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry Tessa. I didn't mean for any of this to happen I didn't want to hurt you he got in my head, he spelled me I had no choice it broke me to hurt you I finally got you and I fucked up in less than 24 hours you don't deserve me, you deserved a guy like En-," he spoke rapidly, the despair in his voice clear as he paced the room.
"How come you didn't say no? It's not like when he calls your name you have to answer. You're not a Death Eater—" My words faltered as I saw the truth unfold before me.
I stood up quickly rushing over to him and pulling up his sleeve.
I let out a small, horrified gasp as I noticed the Dark Mark peeking out from under his sleeve.
Mattheo yanked his arm away, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips as he ran his hand through his messy hair.
"You think I wanted this?! Any of this? Is that truly what you believe?" His voice was harsh, but I saw the crack in his armour, the tears he was desperately trying to hold back.
My heart ached at the sight of him.
We were just kids, thrust into a world that was far too cruel.
Kids who were doomed the moment we were born, judged by the house we were sorted into. It felt like our fates were sealed before we even had a chance to choose.
"I didn't want any of this..." His voice broke, and he finally let the tears fall. The sight of him, broken and desperate, was almost too much to bear.
I wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but the weight of Enzo's death held me back. I couldn't forget the pain, the loss.
"I hate him! I hate all of them!" His voice was trembling with a mix of hatred and sorrow.
"I just want a normal life. I want to be happy. I'm tired of feeling sad and angry, tired of it all, Tessa! And no matter how hard I try, I know a piece of him is in me. I can feel it when I'm angry, when I'm hateful. It's etched into my brain, and I just need it to stop!" His words were a wrenching cry for relief, for an escape from the torment that seemed to follow him.
I watched him, my own heart breaking at the sight of his pain.
He was crying now, and as much as I wanted to comfort him, the reality of Enzo's death was like a wall between us.
I couldn't bring myself to reach out, not yet.
Even though all I wanted right now was the comfort of him.
"I wish I knew," I said softly, my voice cracking.
"But you're going to get through it. I'll be with you every step of the way. I'm never, ever leaving your side, Mattheo. You are so much more than that mark on your arm. It doesn't define you. I know who you are, and I know you," I whispered, it was true even though in this moment I hated him, I love him every part of him and I know better than anyone he's a good person.
Before I even realized it, I was holding him tightly.
My arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. The warmth of our embrace felt like a fragile light in the storm of emotions we were both experiencing.
Despite the chaos, despite the betrayal and loss, in that moment, I needed him as much as he needed me.
Tears streamed down my face as I whispered against his shoulder. "We'll get through this. We have to. I believe in us."
The room was filled with the sound of our shared silence.. pain, the weight of our burdens momentarily softened by the comfort of each other's presence.
It wasn't a solution, but it was something a small, tentative step towards healing in a world that had torn us apart.
In seconds that would be gone.
I couldn't let myself need him, want him I needed space, I needed to learn to forgive him.
"He's gone and it's my fault, he trusted me and I stole you from him and if it couldn't get worse I got him killed, he died hating me and I can't even tell him how sorry I am. Fuck, I ruined everything I'm so stupid," he sobbed into my arms, I didn't say anything I just hugged him tighter telling him things will be alright.
Whatever I tried telling him right now, wouldn't stick he'd just fight me on it and not listen.
once he finally calmed down I looked a him with pained eyes, "I need to be alone Mattheo.. I need space, time to process things."
he stumbled back slightly letting me go and looked at me for a few moments not saying anything.
"whatever," he mumbled.
thats it? he's acting like im the bad guy when he just tortured me for hours, sure it wasn't him but I had every right to be mad at him.
He just left like that?
If he wanted to act like that so be it, I didn't want to be around him anyway he can sit and think about what he did and hopefully suffer.
YOU ARE READING
The Dare - Mattheo Riddle
Fanfiction"Tessa thought she had everything under control-until she learns her relationship with Enzo was built on a cruel dare. As her heart shatters, she finds herself drawn to the dangerous and enigmatic Mattheo Riddle. Caught between betrayal, forbidden l...
