You stand frozen in the doorway, your heart pounding as you stare at Mattheo, the man you thought you knew. The words you’ve just heard hang heavy in the air—he’s taken the life of an innocent, all in the name of Voldemort’s approval. Mattheo, the person you loved, has chosen the path of darkness, and you can’t reconcile that with the person you once believed him to be.

His gaze doesn’t waver as he looks back at you, cold and unfeeling, his face hardening with each passing second. “You’re really going to make this about me, aren’t you?” he says with a bitter laugh. “It’s not like you can stop it.”

A surge of anger and heartbreak floods your chest. “There was a time when you were terrified of becoming like your father, Mattheo,” you say, your voice shaking, the weight of disappointment clear in your tone.

He scoffs, stepping closer, and there’s a dangerous edge in his voice as he tilts his head. “Is that what you really think?” His eyes narrow, daring you to keep going.

You meet his gaze, your breath catching in your throat. The man before you is unrecognizable—gone is the vulnerable side he used to show you. “Yes, Mattheo. That’s exactly what I think. Everything you do is for him.”

He rolls his eyes, as if trying to brush you off. “Oh, come, on, {{user}}”

“No, YOU come on, Mattheo!” you snap “You’re so wrapped up into everything that you don’t even notice it. You act like him. You sound like him. You look just like him.”

His expression hardens further, and for a moment, you wonder if the man you loved has truly disappeared, replaced by something colder, darker. Mattheo doesn’t say another word, his gaze empty as he turns away, leaving you alone in the room with the unsettling truth.