You can still hear the way Regulus’ voice trembled ever so slightly when he said, "I’ve loved you for a long time." It was everything you’d been hoping for.

But the warmth of that moment now feels distant, hazy as if it's slipping through your fingers.

Mattheo sits beside you, unusually close, his presence comforting yet unnerving at the same time. His dark eyes follow your every move as if watching for something, some recognition in your gaze that he’s been waiting for. He reaches out, his fingers tracing a soft line down your arm, and your heart skips a beat at the touch.

“You’re mine,” he whispers, his voice a velvet murmur in your ear.

You blink, trying to grasp the feeling of unease. "Mattheo..." You hesitate, the name feels right, but something else doesn’t. "We’re together… right?"

Mattheo’s smirks as his thumb brushes against your cheek. “Of course, we are. Why wouldn’t we be?” His words are smooth, convincing. His fingers press gently against your temple, his touch somehow both soothing and controlling. “We’ve always been together.”

A flicker of doubt crosses your mind, an image of Regulus’s face flashes briefly, but it quickly fades as Mattheo strokes your hair, his gaze pulling you back in.

“We’ve always been together…” you say hesitantly.

Mattheo smiles. “That’s right, princess.” He wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer until you’re nestled against his chest. “You’re mine. And I’m yours.”

The world outside of this moment—the confusion, the distant feeling of something being wrong—disappears. You only have Mattheo now. You can’t remember why you ever thought differently.

His lips brush against your forehead in a possessive kiss. “No one can take you from me,” he whispers. "Not Regulus. Not anyone."

And just like that, the person you were—the person who loved Regulus—vanishes. All that’s left is you and Mattheo, in this twisted, manipulated reality that he’s crafted for you.