The common room was dimly lit. Theodore lounged on a couch, one arm draped casually over the backrest. Draco sat across from him, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. Mattheo was leaning against the armrest, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I don’t see what the big deal is," Theo said, shrugging lazily. "It happened. She’ll get over it."

Draco frowned. "You're playing with fire, mate. She’s not exactly the forgiving type."

"Forgiving?" Theo laughed—a sharp, humorless sound. "She’ll forgive because she loves me. She always does."

Mattheo shakes his head. "That’s cold, even for you. So, what, you just… didn’t care?"

Theo leaned forward slightly, his tone unchanging. "It’s not about caring or not. It’s about knowing what you want. She’s great, sure, but I’m not going to chain myself down because of it. If someone else catches my interest, I’ll take it." He leaned back again, utterly unrepentant. "It’s not like she’ll leave me. She needs me more than I need her."

A cold lump formed in your throat as you stood, unseen, just behind one of the heavy velvet curtains. You had come downstairs looking for Theo, only to stop in your tracks when you heard your name.

Draco didn’t look so amused. "And what happens when she finds out? Women aren’t exactly known for taking betrayal lying down."

"She won’t find out," Theo said smoothly, his confidence cutting through the air like a knife. "And even if she does…" He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "What’s she going to do? Cry? Scream? It’s not like I’ll lose sleep over it."

You felt your stomach churn. The edges of your vision blurred with hot tears, but your feet stayed frozen to the spot. Your mind screamed at you to reveal yourself, to confront him right there in front of his friends, but the words died in your throat.

Instead, all you could do was listen as the man you loved shredded your heart without even realizing you were close enough to hear every word.