𝐄den froze at the sight of the roof. Everything looked wonderful. Mattheo had put candles and there was a blanket on the floor with food. Immediately she felt terrible, he had organised everything and she hadn't come. When she heard a noise, Eden stepped forward and saw him.
"Mattheo..." Eden approached slowly and he raised his head, his face was blank, the sparkle in his eyes gone. "I'm sorry, I..."
"Stop apologising, Eden," Mattheo blurted out. "You did what I told you, you chose Theodore."
Eden didn't understand, he seemed angry when he'd made her choose Theodore. He had been such a dick to her and she couldn't understand why he seemed so contradictory.
"Mattheo, stop it," she said before shouting. "Stop it!" She snapped and Mattheo froze. He looked at the redhead and she felt her anger rise.
"You have no right to do this! To accuse me when you've done everything to make me understand that I mean nothing to you! You acted like an asshole, you hurt me, so you have no right to act like it's my fault!" Eden shouted. "Why are you doing this? Why are you ...."
"Because I love you!" shouted Mattheo. "I love you, but I've ruined everything, I always ruin everything."
Eden blinked, she looked at him in shock and shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed.
"No, no, you don't love me," she said. "That girl, the one you love..."
"It's you, it's always been you, Eden," Mattheo said.
"I'm not dead, Mattheo. You said the girl died." Eden felt distress sweep over her. Something seemed to be awakening inside her and Mattheo looked downcast.
"I never said she was dead, Eden. I said she was gone." Mattheo spoke in a broken voice and Eden understood less and less.
"I'm here, Mattheo! She's dead, it's not me, you're ... you're lying." Eden looked at Mattheo, but when he approached she stepped back and he looked hurt. "You need help, you're lost and..."
"You're gone, Eden. I... I took everything from you so that you could live, but I... I can't forget you, and you're not even here anymore," Mattheo breathed.
"What are you talking about? Mattheo, what are you saying?" Eden felt herself getting worse and worse. She looked at Mattheo and saw the tears in his eyes.
"Last year, at the end of year, at the party, I kissed you. We spent our summer together, but my father... my father found out. He found out that I loved you, that you were an heiress and ... " Mattheo's voice broke.
Eden shook her head, he was lying. She'd spent her summer at home building a cabin for the neighbours' little girl, Mattheo was lying.
"He... I tried to stop him, I promise you, I tried everything, but he wouldn't listen to me. Eden, I... I'm sorry." Mattheo approached, but Eden stepped back again, wanting to put as much distance between herself and him as possible.
"Please, Eden." Mattheo let his tears fall and Eden looked at him. The block she'd had since the beginning of the year seemed to move, to shrink, and she pursed her lips.
"What have you done? Mattheo, what have you done to me?" she breathed.
"I was at your house, we ... we were in your bedroom and my dad ... he came in, he had ... he'd killed your parents and he was going to kill you. I couldn't accept that. I ..."Mattheo rolled up his sleeve and put his wand to his skin. Immediately the Dark Mark appeared.
"I agreed to join him for you, I agreed to spy on you and find the relics." Mattheo pulled down his sleeve. Eden looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"My parents died in a fire, you're lying. Stop it!" She knew he was telling the truth, she knew it, but she refused to understand.
"I set the house on fire to make it look like a fire, I couldn't tell you the truth, it would have hurt you too much. I ... I erased your memory, I took away your memories so that you would suffer less."
"So that I would suffer less? You want me to pity you? You... you lied to me, you stole my memories! You... you're a monster. You bastard!" Eden had approached and slapped him. "You're a coward. You did all this because you were afraid of what I'd think of you! I had a right to know, you had no right to steal my memories!"
"I'm sorry, please forgive me, Eden, I..." Mattheo felt his cheek burn again as she slapped him again.
"Get away from me! You... you're a monster. You're going to end up like your father, Mattheo." Eden sobbed and Mattheo felt as if he'd been stabbed. "You killed Joshua and Elina? Did you killed them?" Eden cried and Mattheo shook his head.
"No, no, I swear I didn't... I... you were right, my father is looking for the relics. That's why I had to spy on you, but I... I didn't kill... I found Joshua, he was still alive, but there was nothing I could do for him, Eden, you have to believe me..."
"You're a liar, you're a terrible person, Mattheo. And I hope you get the end you deserve, that you suffer and never know happiness." Eden saw him falter, and she had the impression that he was holding himself back from breaking down, but this time she did nothing to comfort him.
"Eden, please, I'm begging you, I need you. I ... I've done everything I could to get away from you, but I love you, you're my whole life. Please, I beg you. I ... I did this for you."
"I want my memories. I want my memories back." Eden had never been in such pain. She felt like she'd been broken, bone by bone. "Give them back, I want my memories. You did this for yourself because you're too afraid of ending up alone.
Mattheo nodded, still carrying the vial, and took it out, handing it to Eden. The redhead took it and looked at it. Now she knew where the block was coming from. That strange feeling she often had, like pieces of the puzzle were missing.
"Eden..."
"Don't ever come near me again, I don't want you to ever come near me again." Eden ran away and Mattheo fell to his knees. He let himself fall to the ground and curled up, crying. This time he'd really lost Eden. The redhead returned to Theodore's dormitory and he gasped.
"Eden? You're crying! Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Theodore rushed to her, but Eden stepped back and looked at him.
"Did you know? Did you know all along? That Mattheo and I... That Mattheo and I were together?" Eden saw him frown and he shook his head.
"No, I... but what are you talking about?" he asked. Eden was surprised he didn't know. He and Mattheo had no secrets between them, but he seemed sincere, but there was something in his eyes, something Eden didn't like.
"But you know something else, don't you? Theodore, have you always known that my friends were murdered? That Mattheo has to spy on me and find those damn relics?" Eden screamed and Theodore seemed to shrink. She prayed he'd say he didn't know, but when she saw his face, she knew he did.
In the end, the two boys she loved had lied and she felt her legs shake.
"I see. Fuck off," Eden opened the door and Theodore followed her out.
"Eden, please, wait! I'm sorry, I... I wanted to protect you. Eden, I... please!" Theodore tried to grab her wrist, but Eden was quicker and she pulled away, leaving him in his grief. Eden should have been more careful, she might have been able to save her friends. She climbed up the astronomy tower and fell onto the sofa, crying.
She took the vial out of her pocket and looked at it. This little thing contained her memories and she didn't want to relive them, but she had to, because she needed to stop feeling the piece she was missing, so she opened it and drank it. She winced at the bad taste and collapsed unconscious on the sofa.
FLASHBACK
Eden woke and smiled as she felt Mattheo's presence. The redhead sat up and saw him watching her. He leaned over to kiss her and she climbed on top of him, eliciting a grunt from him.
"Hello, my prince charming," she said.
She was happy. This relationship which had started a little less than two months earlier, was perfect. Eden had never been happier and she was surprised to discover that Mattheo was a good man. He put his hands on her hips and moved them down to her bottom.
"Hello my love," he said. "I don't think I'll ever get used to waking up to this view." He smiled teasingly and watched Eden's breasts before straightening up to kiss them. "I love you, Eden."
"I love you too, Matty." Eden pulled him close and he kissed her gently, caressing her skin. Those weeks running away from home to find Eden had been his favourite. "There's only a year left, then we'll go far away and he'll never be able to touch you again."
Eden stroked the scars on his body and Mattheo lifted her chin, smiling as he dipped his eyes into hers.
"The first thing I'm going to do after we graduate is marry you, Eden," he said, resting his chin between her breasts. Eden smiled and stroked his hair gently. She had never been in love before and was discovering everything with Mattheo.
"But we've only just got together, you can't know if you'll still want me in a year's time," she laughed. Mattheo kissed her skin and looked at her very seriously.
"Eden, the truth is that I've always been in love with you. From the moment I saw you at eleven, with your black and white hair clip, I knew it would be you, forever. And I want to listen to you talk about the stars and go to the funfair forever. I mean it, it's you, Eden. You have my heart and you're doomed to have it forever. Mattheo kissed her and Eden trembled.
It was strange to hear Mattheo say such things when he had the reputation of being a bad boy. But when they made love, he was always gentle and tender. He took care of her.
"Mattheo Riddle, I love you madly." Eden pulled him on top of her and let him make love to her again. When they went downstairs for breakfast, Eden's mother, Levana, smiled at them.
"Good morning lovers, settle down, breakfast is ready. She planted a kiss on Eden's forehead and the redhead blushed slightly before sitting down. It could have been the perfect day to end the holidays, but it wasn't.
The day passed quietly, Mattheo listening to Eden read and talk about the stars that would be in the sky tonight. As night fell, however, several knocks on the door changed their life forever.
"Father?" Mattheo stood in front of Eden as he discovered his father. Tom Riddle's demonic eyes locked with his son's as he entered the room.
"Tom, what can I do for you?" asked Liam, Eden's father, before turning to his daughter. "Children, go upstairs."
Eden started to protest but Mattheo grabbed her wrist and led her to her room. The redhead turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you doing? I need to get back downstairs. Why's your dad here?" asked Eden.
"I don't know, but I'd rather you stayed in your room, I don't know how my dad knew I was here, I'm sorry." Mattheo was worried and even more so when there was shouting and the sound of spells being cast.
Eden hurried out the door and down the stairs before stopping in the living room. Tom turned to face her and put his wand down. Eden's parents were on their knees and she frowned. Mattheo joined her and grabbed her wrist, but she pushed him away.
"Mattheo, what a surprise it was to learn that you were dating an heiress. Eden, a lovely name, unique. Tell me, young lady, where is the diadem?" Tom approached and Mattheo stood in front of Eden.
Voldemort let out a sneer before striking his son, then picked up his wand again and threw him further away. Mattheo collapsed and Voldemort grabbed Eden's face.
"You have one last chance. Tell me where the diadem is or your parents die." Voldemort looked at her and Eden felt a shiver run down her spine. Mattheo growled as he got to his feet and lunged at his father. They rolled to the ground and Eden ran towards her parents.
"Eden, protect the diadem," Liam said. Levana nodded and they drew their wands. Everything was confused, spells exploded in the room, there were screams and noises, Eden felt Mattheo grab her to pull her to safety but she tried to fight back. She pushed him away and tried to run to her parents. There was a flash of green light and her father collapsed at her feet.
Eden let out a scream, a cry that mingled with her mother's. The redhead ran towards her, stepping in front of her to protect her, but Mattheo grabbed her again and slammed her to the ground.
"Let go of me! Mattheo!" Eden screamed as another bolt of lightning tore through the air. Her mother fell to the ground, sluggishly, and Eden screamed again. Mattheo took her face in his hands and tried to calm her, but her parents were dead, she couldn't calm herself. Tom approached and pointed his wand at her.
"Get up, Mattheo," he said. "Now!"
Mattheo shivered, fear gripping him, and he obeyed. He straightened and stood in front of Eden, looking at his father.
"Kill her, or I'll make her suffer before I kill her." Voldemort looked at his son and Mattheo felt his heart break.
"No," Mattheo said. "You always wanted me to join you, Father. So I accept. I give you my freedom in exchange for her life."
"Mattheo!" Eden stood up, shaking her head as she approached. She was crying and he smiled softly at her.
"I'm sorry, Eden. I promise everything will be fine." He rolled up his sleeve and held his head up. "Give me the mark and I swear to serve you."
Tom grinned and plunged his wand into Mattheo's skin. The pain was terrible and he fell to his knees. His skin burned and the tattoo appeared. Panting, he got to his feet, refusing to kneel in front of his father.
"I will find the relics," Mattheo promised. "I will bring them back to you, but Eden will live."
"She will live as long as I say so," Tom replied. "As long as you obey me, she will live."
He walked away and Mattheo turned back to Eden. The redhead's cheeks were wet with tears and a sob escaped her lips.
"I love you, Eden. You'll forget, but I love you, I love you forever, I'm sorry," he said.
"What have you done? You joined him. You... No... What have you done? Mattheo, stop it!" Eden stepped back as he approached, wand in hand. He grabbed Eden and she begged him, but he remained impassive, putting his wand to her temple. "Please, stop! Don't! I don't blame you, it's not your fault, my parents... Mattheo, please."
Though he was broken and wanted to run away with her, Mattheo clenched his jaw and recited a spell. He replaced her memories of that summer with fake ones and collected the real ones in a vial. Eden collapsed on the floor and he grabbed her before taking her outside, setting fire to the house before leaving.
He returned home and confronted his father, the beatings he took for trying to get in his way. Lying on the floor, his face bloodied, he grunted as his father grabbed him by the collar and stared into his eyes.
"You'll find the relics, my patience is wearing thin, so you'll have to be quick. If you don't, I'll send someone to do it and you'll pay the price."