Unspoken Bonds - Mattheo Riddle x Reader

The wind outside the Mansion was howling, but inside, the silence was deafening. Mattheo hadn't spoken a word since he saw Y/N's brief encounter with Theo, and she could feel the tension building—heavy and suffocating, like a storm ready to break.

Y/N sat in the corner of the sitting room, her eyes flitting over the pages of a book she wasn't really reading, stealing glances at Mattheo, who was pacing by the window. His jaw was set, his shoulders stiff, and she could sense the anger radiating off him in waves.

She wanted to say something, to ask him what was wrong—but she already knew. He had seen her talking to Theo, and even though their conversation had been innocent, she knew how it must have looked to Mattheo.

Finally, he stopped pacing, turning to face her with a cold intensity in his eyes. The storm had arrived.

"Do you love him?"

The question hit Y/N like a slap in the face, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. "What?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Do. You. Love. Him." Mattheo's voice was low and menacing, each word enunciated with barely contained fury.

Y/N stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. "How can you even ask me that? You know I don't."

Mattheo's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. "I don't know anything anymore, Y/N. You're always with him, talking to him, and I—" He broke off, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I can't take it. I can't watch you be so close to him."

Y/N's chest tightened as she took a step closer to him. "Mattheo, I told you. He's just a friend. I was telling him today that I need to focus on my marriage, on us. Theo understands that."

Mattheo let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Does he? Or is he just waiting for you to leave me so he can swoop in?"

Y/N stared at him, her frustration rising. "That's not fair. Theo has respected my boundaries, and I told him clearly that nothing will ever happen between us. Why can't you believe me?"

"Because I've seen the way he looks at you!" Mattheo shouted, his voice echoing through the room. "He doesn't care about boundaries, Y/N. He's waiting for his moment, and you're too blind to see it."

Y/N's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her own anger bubbling to the surface. "I'm not blind, Mattheo. I know how Theo feels about me, but I also know how I feel. And I chose you. I've always chosen you."

Mattheo's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked as though he was battling with himself—torn between wanting to believe her and the jealousy eating away at him. Finally, he took a step closer, his voice low and hard.

"Then prove it. I want you to stop seeing him. Completely. No more friendly chats, no more 'just friends.' If you want this marriage to work, you need to cut him out of your life."

Y/N's heart pounded in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. "What? You can't be serious."

Mattheo's eyes darkened. "I'm dead serious, Y/N. It's him or me."