The common room was buzzing with low chatter, the warm green glow from the enchanted lamps casting long shadows across the stone walls.

You stormed in, your footsteps echoing sharply against the marble floor. Every head in the room turned toward you, conversations halting mid-sentence. Your chest heaved with barely contained rage, and your voice rang out.

"Am I a bet?! Am I a f/cking bet?!"

Mattheo, lounging on the edge of a leather armchair, froze. His easy grin faltered as his dark eyes locked onto yours. Slowly, he stood, the room thick with tension as every eye shifted between the two of you.

"Yes," he said quietly, the word dropping like a stone in the silent room.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, but Pansy’s delighted laugh cut through them, sharp and cruel. "You didn’t think you became popular for real, did you? Oh, you did… that’s so sweet."

Your hands balled into fists at your sides as tears pricked your eyes. You turned back to Mattheo, your voice trembling, a mixture of anger and heartbreak.

"No," you choked out. "So what exactly did you tell them, then?"

Mattheo’s face paled, and he shook his head slowly, as if trying to erase the words from his mind before they escaped his lips. "Nothing," he murmured, his voice hoarse.

"None of it was real," you spat, tears finally spilling down your cheeks. "I actually thought… You’re just a liar."

"That was all before—" Mattheo started, stepping toward you, desperation clear in his eyes.

"Before what?!" you snapped, cutting him off. "Before you snapped your fingers and turned it off?!"

His hands fell to his sides, and he looked at you with a helplessness you’d never seen before. "You said nothing would change the way you felt about me," he said, his voice cracking.

You laughed bitterly, your voice hollow. "Then I guess… we’re both liars."

The room fell into an unbearable silence. You turned on your heel and stormed out, leaving the common room heavy with the weight of everything left unsaid.