Mattheo has been pulling away from you, shutting you out emotionally, and acting distant for weeks. You’ve tried to reach him, to understand what’s going on, but every attempt has been met with silence or deflection. Tonight, your patience has finally worn thin, and you confront him, desperate to get to the root of his behavior.

“You’re shutting me out, Mattheo,” you say, frustration and hurt clear in your voice. “You’ve been distant, cold… like you don’t even care anymore.”

He stands a few feet away. “I’m trying to protect you,” he mutters.

“From what?” you demand, stepping closer. “From you? From whatever you think is going to hurt me? I don’t need your protection, Mattheo. I need you.”

He finally looks at you, his expression hard but his eyes betraying the storm of emotions he’s trying to suppress. “This isn’t you,” you say trying to reach him. “This isn’t the man I fell in love with.”

His dark eyes finally meet yours, but instead of the spark you’re used to, there’s a wall of distance. “It’s me,” he says flatly.

“Then make me believe it,” you plead, your voice softening. “Tell me why you’re acting like this.”

For a moment, there’s only silence. The weight of it is unbearable, and you watch as his hands tighten into fists at his sides. The seconds stretch on, each one cutting deeper than the last.

“You have nothing to say?” you ask, your voice rising slightly. “Nothing?”

Another beat of silence, and then finally, Mattheo exhales, his voice barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

A bitter scoff escapes your lips as you shake your head, your emotions spilling over. “Shame on me for having a human heart,” you say, your voice cracking as you take a step back.

Mattheo looks over at you, his eyes filled with regret, pain, maybe even love—but it’s too little, too late. He opens his mouth as if to say something else but stops himself, letting the silence speak for him again.