Warning: narcissistic rage, language, manipulative behaviour, misogynistic language
The world hadn't fully stopped spinning yet when Lizzie stepped out from the fireplace in the entrance room of McRae Manor. She didn't bother brushing off the ash but rushed up the broad staircase leading to the upper levels of the house, taking two steps at a time. Once she reached the landing, the familiar pit-pat of naked feet sounded on the marble floor. A moment later, Dede appeared.
"Miss Lizzie!" the house-elf called out. "Miss Lizzie, where are you going?"
"Where is Matthew?"
Dede flinched at the sharpness of Lizzie's tone, but Lizzie was too furious to feel sorry.
"Master Matthew is in his study but wishes not to be disturbed under any circumstances."
"Good."
Lizzie set off in the direction of Matthew's study, Dede jumping along next to her, whining and begging her to stop.
"Miss Lizzie, please," the unhappy house-elf begged, already pulling on her long, drooping ears. "Miss Lizzie can't go see the Master now. Dede can't let her."
Lizzie didn't listen. She pushed the handle to the study without knocking and marched into the room. Matthew sat behind his desk, his head bowed over a heap of documents, the scratching of his eagle quill the only sound in the room.
"I said I don't want to be disturbed, Dede," he said, not acknowledging Lizzie's presence with so much as a glance. "Does this look undisturbed to you?"
"No, Master Matthew," Dede whimpered. "I tried telling Miss Lizzie, but -"
"I'm not pleased."
With a yelp, Dede threw herself to the ground, banging her forehead against the floorboards, Lizzie watching the little house-elf hurting herself with a mixture of guilt and horror. When Dede moved toward the fireplace and reached for the iron poker, she couldn't take it any longer.
"Dede, stop!"
"Dede disobeyed the Master's orders. Dede must be punished!"
Lizzie turned to Matthew. "Make her stop."
Matthew kept on writing, the hint of a smirk playing around his lips.
"For Godric's sake, Matthew! I'm begging you!"
"Enough," he told Dede. He jerked his head toward the door. "You may go."
"Thank you, Master Matthew," Dede sniffed, bowing down low as she backed from the room. "If Master Matthew or Miss Lizzie need anything, they need only call."
When Dede was gone, Matthew briefly glanced at Lizzie before picking up his quill again. Lizzie stepped closer.
"Matthew, we need to talk."
Silence filled the study as Matthew continued writing. The longer he did so, the more furious Lizzie became.
"We need to talk," she repeated, louder this time. When Matthew still didn't react, she reached for his papers, sweeping them off the table with an angry motion. He raised an eyebrow, staring at the drop of ink that had fallen onto the surface of his oak desk.
"How mature."
Lizzie ignored him. "I said we need to talk."
"And I heard you the first time." He looked at the heap of documents on the carpet. "Do you know how long that took me?"
"No, and I don't care either."
"You never did," Matthew sighed, laying the tips of his fingers against each other. "But I agree. We very much need to talk. Where have you been?"
Taken aback by his question, Lizzie blinked. "What?"
"I expected you to come home yesterday. In fact, I believe I told you to come home, but you didn't. So, where were you?"
A tingle spread from the pit of Lizzie's stomach into the rest of her, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation. "That's none of your business."
"Let me tell you where you've been," Matthew said as if Lizzie hadn't spoken at all. He stepped out from behind his desk. "I know where you went while I was here, waiting for you after letting your friends humiliate me. I could have given that arrogant bitch of a scout a piece of my mind, but I didn't, because of you. I would've thought that you'd do something nice for me in return, and it really isn't too much to ask of your fiancée to not go and fuck her ex the second he whistles for her, is it? But it looks like I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things."
He shook his head at her accusingly. "I trusted you, you know? Even after everything you've done to me, I still trusted you. I'm so disappointed in you, Lizzie."
Despite everything, Matthew's words still stung. Refusing to give in to the feeling, Lizzie held onto her anger. Her patience had run out.
"There's been no trust between us for a long time."
"And that's all your fault."
"My fault?" Lizzie laughed bitterly. "Hardly. You never deserved my trust in the first place."
Matthew's expression was guarded. "What do you mean?"
"You're not the only one who learned some news today. I just had dinner with Erika Rath."
"Did you, now?"
"She wanted to talk to me, and I thought it was because of Skye. Guess what - it wasn't."
She told Matthew everything Erika had said, about her bad reputation, the rumours, the turned down offers; about the envelope in her pocket, however, she didn't lose a word.
"And you believe her?" Matthew asked after Lizzie was done.
"Surprisingly, I do."
"Have you ever thought that she might be manipulating you?" Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Oh, Lizzie, Lizzie. My silly little Lizzie. How lost you'd be without me. You really believe anyone who tells you what you want to hear, don't you?"
"Erika wouldn't lie to me. I've known her half my life."
"Precisely, and that's how she's playing you. You're a trusty person, so they've sent Erika Rath to play on your sentimental side. I would've thought you smarter than to fall for this, but then again, I would've thought you smarter in general."
"The only one here playing me is you."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not. I should've seen it long ago, long before you drove everyone who would tell me otherwise away from me."
"Listen to yourself," Matthew rolled his eyes, "as if I forced you to cut ties with anyone. All I did was to protect you. I was the only one to be honest with you, who stuck with you through everything. I even asked you to marry me, despite better judgement. All that you've accomplished, it's only because I was there to help you."
His face twisted into a snarl. "And yet you stand here, making me responsible for your bad decisions falling back on you. I did everything for you, and I would have done even more. I'd have given you the world! Why won't you see that?"
Lizzie couldn't believe her ears. "The world? You were too selfish to even give me the truth! How often did I ask how things were going? How often did I cry on your shoulder because I thought no one wanted me? And all the time you've sat there, knowing that you've turned down every bloody club in the League without so much as telling me." She exhaled sharply, fighting the tears of rage rising in her eyes. "Do you know how betrayed I feel?"
A change went through Matthew. His shoulders tensed, his hands balling into fists at his side. The mask on his face slipped for the briefest of moments, and Lizzie saw all the emotions he so carefully guarded written plainly on his face. There was hurt and disappointment, contempt, and a wild, inexplicable rage.
"How betrayed you're feeling? You?" he called out. "You wretched little hypocrite. You've been betraying me left, right, and centre for months. All I ever did was for you, even after you stabbed me in the back. And why? Because I loved you. I loved you with all your issues, and your problems, and your stupid little dreams, and I did everything to make you love me back, but you never did. You never loved me as much as I loved you. I was only good to warm your bed until someone more exciting came along."
Lizzie felt the colour drain from her face, but Matthew paid her no mind. His words were coming out in a rush, as if a dam had broken and was now spilling all of his frustration.
"Have you spared me a single thought before you went and fucked another? One second to think about what it would mean for us and our future?" He raised his face toward the ceiling and laughed bitterly. "Why couldn't you just accept your lot when you got injured? It would have been your sign to stop and stay with me, but of course, you were too stubborn to let go, no matter the price. And now, after everything your petulance has cost us, you have the guts to stand here and tell me that I'm the selfish one?"
He lowered his voice, menace dripping from his words. "I would have done everyone a favour by removing you from the market. All you do is bring ruin to everyone stupid enough to cross your path. Me, Skye, even your precious Orion - we all can tell you a thing or two about it. Had you just stayed in your proper place, at least no one would have had to deal with your ego anymore. I, for one, won't."
His hand shot forward, closing around Lizzie's wrist and pulling her towards him. His breath was hot on her skin as he whispered into her ear, "I know what you did. I know everything, and this time I won't be as forgiving."
Lizzie's blood ran cold in her veins. "How?"
"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore," he said so coldly that she wished he would shout at her again. "We're past the point of no return. It's time you learned the consequences of your actions.
"Your game is over, Lizzie. It was over the moment you climbed into Orion's bed. I'm promising you, here and now, that your career will end the moment your contract runs out. You will never set foot on a Quidditch pitch ever again. You took the future I wanted, and now, I'm taking yours."
"Fuck you," Lizzie said through gritted teeth and meant it. "You won't be taking anything from me ever again."
Matthew's laugh was quiet and without a shred of warmth. His hand that wasn't holding her in place grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at the derisive sneer on the face of the man Lizzie had once thought she loved.
"What do you want to do about it? You're nothing without me, and soon, you'll be even less. When I'm done with you, you won't have a job, a reputation, and - looking at your history - not even friends to hide behind. No one's going to help you. You will be completely alone."
The hatred Lizzie felt for him was so strong that it scared her. "I'm not alone."
"You really think Orion will take you back?" Matthew scoffed. "You were just a stepping stone for him, with some nice benefits on top. If he has an ounce of sense left, he's long made a run for it."
"He would never."
"He would, just as he has done before." Matthew smiled, bringing his face closer to hers. For a horribly long moment, Lizzie thought that he would kiss her. "If I can't have you, no one will. I will destroy everyone and everything you ever loved, and I'm going to start with this."
He pushed Lizzie away and walked back to his desk. From the topmost drawer, he pulled something glittery; it took Lizzie a moment to realise what he was holding into the light with a triumphant grin.
"My necklace," she breathed, making for Matthew, who quickly brought the desk between them. "You had it. You had it all along."
"Didn't I?" Matthew smirked, letting the gold chain glide through his fingers. "I couldn't really let you keep it after learning where you got it from, could I? It was entertaining watching you blame Skye for everything, I have to say."
"How did you get it?"
"Jealousy makes for a good motivator. If you step over people on your way up, look out for them when you fall."
Lizzie's eyes flicked between the necklace and Matthew's smug face. She held out her hand.
"Give it back."
"You had ample time to find it. It was here all the time. Maybe you should've searched my things. It's astounding what it can teach you about the people you thought you knew."
Lizzie gritted her teeth. "Matthew, give it back."
He closed his fist around the necklace, the look on his face hard. "Alright. Catch it!"
With a quick motion, he threw it high up into the air. Before Lizzie could reach for it, he had drawn his wand and pointed it at the glittering chain. A light flashed from its tip, hitting the yellow topaz square in the middle. The necklace seemed to glow as if illuminated from the inside, then burst into a shower of shimmering shards and dust.
"You pathetic little worm," Lizzie whispered, her voice shaking with fury. "I will make you pay for this."
She forced her eyes away from the golden fragments raining onto the carpet. As they settled on Matthew, his grin began to falter.
"Mark my words, Matthew. If you come near me or any of my friends ever again, I will make this public, all of it. I will tell them everything."
His eyes narrowed on her. "That would be your ruin."
"According to you, I'm done anyway. But if I'm going down, I will drag you with me."
"You're bluffing."
He was laughing, but much to Lizzie's satisfaction, the muscles in his jaw were twitching.
"It's up to you to find out."
She turned from him, fear and hatred raging equally strong inside her. Matthew called after her that this wasn't over yet, but she paid him no mind, instead walking to the door with her head held high and never once looking back.
***
Clouds had veiled the stars when Lizzie Apparated into the front yard of Orion's cottage. It had only been a couple of hours since she'd stood there kissing him goodbye, with the feeling that finally everything would turn out well. Now, as she almost ran up the small path leading up to the front door, it felt like part of a different life.
The house was dark and quiet. Nothing unusual, Lizzie told herself. The night was overcast but warm, and Orion would be in the garden meditating, or broom balancing, or whatever Orion did on a peaceful night like this. Everything was fine.
She knocked on the door, her heart pounding heavily as she waited for the lights to go on, but nothing stirred. Swallowing the ominous feeling rising in her chest, Lizzie knocked a second time.
"Orion?"
Her voice rang strangely through the night, as if it didn't quite belong there. After a moment's hesitation, Lizzie put her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door opened with a click and quietly swung open.
"Orion?" Lizzie called into the darkness of the hallway. "It's me. Are you home?"
Again, she received no answer. With a sinking feeling to her stomach, Lizzie walked inside. Turning the lights on with a flick of her wand, she had to blink in the sudden brightness. She looked around. Everything seemed like it had done when she had left, down to the two teacups standing on the table in the living room. The normality of the scene made Orion's absence feel even more jarring.
She began looking around the ground floor and the garden for any sign of him, but with every room she checked and found deserted, the panic in her grew. Her palms were tingling as she walked upstairs, where she found both the bathroom and the spare room empty as well. When she reached Orion's bedroom, she stopped.
The bed was still undone, looking exactly like it had when they'd left it in the morning. On the nightstand, Lizzie's engagement ring was lying. She had put it there until she made up her mind on what to tell Matthew, but now, simply looking at it made her feel sick.
Her gaze fell to Orion's wardrobe, the door of which was standing slightly ajar. A few pieces of clothing were lying on the floor, and the shelves were in disarray; with a sinking feeling, Lizzie thought that they looked like things had hastily been pulled off them.
Suddenly feeling like the walls were closing in on her, she backed out of the room and returned downstairs, where she stood in the living room without knowing what to do next. Her eyes wandered over the pictures on the walls, the trinkets on Orion's shelves, all without really looking at any of them.
Orion wasn't gone. Impossible. The night was mellow, and he had always loved being outside in the dark. He surely had gone for a walk and would come back any moment. He'd walk right through the door, and a soft smile would form on his features when he saw her. He'd take her into his arms, and all would be well, and the cold feeling spreading from Lizzie's guts into the rest of her would be gone.
Something shimmered on the carpet by the fireplace caught her eye. Lizzie bent down to inspect it, and when she raised her hand into the light, her fingertips were covered in a thin layer of glittering green powder.
Floo powder, she realised with a jolt.
Now she saw that the bowl on the mantelpiece was also covered with Floo powder, and the stone surrounding it, too. Lizzie stared at it, rubbing her fingertips against each other while her thoughts were tripping over themselves.
Wherever Orion had gone, he had done so in a hurry.
Lizzie paced up and down the living room, her mind spinning faster and faster. This had to be a mistake, a giant, stupid, absolutely explainable mistake. Orion would be back any minute. There was no reason to panic. He had been looking for something in his closet, and neither of them had slept much; he simply hadn't bothered with picking up his things after him. And what did Lizzie know when the Floo powder had been spilt? It could have been months ago, for all that she knew. She was just strung up, and no wonder with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. He wasn't gone. He would return. Any moment now.
Lizzie sat on the sofa, repeating her words to herself like a mantra. Orion hadn't left. He wouldn't do that to her, not again. He wasn't gone. He wasn't gone. But the longer she waited, the more the doubts Matthew had planted in the back of her head grew. She became increasingly restless, every second feeling like it took an eternity to pass.
Slowly, realisation began to creep up on her. The moment it hit her, the pounding of her heart instantly slowed. A numbness spread through her body, making Lizzie shiver from how cold she suddenly was.
He had done it again, just like Matthew had said. She had put everything on one card, and Orion had deserted her again.
Her brows drawing together, Lizzie clasped her hand in front of her mouth. She took a shuddering breath that caught in her throat, leaving her lips in a broken sob that made the tears rise to her eyes.
How could he do this to her? She had been so sure that finally all would be well, that they'd find a way to be together, one way or another. Just this morning, she had felt like she was soaring, so close to the sun that she could feel its warmth thaw her, and now it was all she could do to keep herself together as she plummeted towards the ground.
Was this how Orion had felt after Matthew had made her stay with him? Was this what had been going through his mind?
A sudden surge of anger made Lizzie get up, furiously wiping at her eyes. No, this was different. She'd had no choice but to stay with Matthew; too much had been at stake. No one had threatened to make Orion's life hell should he choose to stay with her. He had left on his own accord - again. This was his fault, his alone.
The thought stuck with Lizzie, blowing itself up until it filled every part of her. She was so sick of making up excuses for the men in her life. She wasn't to blame for their decisions, and no one would ever make her believe otherwise again. She was done.
She left Orion's house with the door slamming shut behind her. She didn't look back. By the time she had arrived at the house she had shared with Skye before everything had fallen apart, her anger had turned to white-hot fury. It was bubbling under her skin and making it hard for her to breathe, impossible to even stand still.
Not knowing what to do with the sizzling energy running through her, Lizzie screamed out of frustration, hitting her hand against the wall. The sudden noise made Mouse, who had been sleeping on the chair by the desk, jump up and scurry away in alarm. When she saw the wide amber eyes of her cat peeking out from beneath her bed, Lizzie's rage evaporated. Suddenly feeling deflated, she knelt down and extended her hand toward possibly the only friend she had still left.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," she muttered, smiling sadly as Mouse pressed her head into the palm of her hand. "I didn't mean to scare you."
When she leaned forward to pull Mouse from her hiding place, something poked her in the side. With a frown, Lizzie reached into her pocket, feeling the heavy parchment of the envelope Erika had given her brush against her fingers.
She opened the envelope and took out the contract. Thumbing through the thick stack of neatly folded pages, she carried them over to her desk, where she sat staring at the crest of the Montrose Magpies at the top of the first page.
Then, her eyes darting over the words more quickly than her heart was beating inside her chest, Lizzie began to read.