[CHAPTER 29]

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───

TITLE : GUILTY

ELLIE LAY AWAKE IN bed that night, staring at the canopy above her four-poster.

She should feel satisfied, shouldn't she? Mattheo had hurt her, ignored her, and now he was the one struggling, feeling lost, trying so hard to make things right. He deserved to know how it felt.

But she didn't feel satisfied.

She felt guilty.

Because Mattheo was trying. Really trying.

And all she had done was make it harder.

Ellie groaned and shoved her face into her pillow. She hated this. Hated feeling conflicted. Hated that she still cared.

A sigh slipped from her lips as she turned onto her side. Maybe she was being unfair. She wasn't giving him a real chance—just a test he was doomed to fail.

And the worst part? She wanted things to be okay between them again.

She just didn't know how to let them.

The next afternoon, Ellie found herself in the library, books spread out in front of her, but her mind was elsewhere.

Lorenzo sat across from her, flipping lazily through his Transfiguration notes. It took him about five minutes to realize she hadn't turned a single page.

He sighed, shutting his book. "Alright, what's going on in that head of yours?"

Ellie blinked at him. "What?"

"You've been staring at the same page for ages. Either you've discovered the secret to reading without turning the page, or something's up." He tilted his head. "It's Mattheo, isn't it?"

Ellie huffed, leaning back in her chair. "I just... I feel guilty."

Lorenzo  raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For making things difficult for him," she admitted, picking at the edge of her book. "He's trying, Lorenzo. He's giving his all to fix things, and I'm just..." She exhaled sharply. "I'm not meeting him halfway."

Lorenzo  leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, you know."

Ellie frowned. "How is not trying a good thing?"

Lorenzo  shook his head. "That's not what I mean. The fact that you feel guilty? It means something."

Ellie gave him a blank stare. "That I'm an idiot?"

Lorenzo  chuckled. "No. It means you care."

Ellie swallowed, looking away. "I don't know if I'm ready to just... go back to how things were."

"Then don't," Lorenzo  said simply. "Take your time. But at least be honest about how you feel. If you know you're not being fair to him, then do something about it."

Ellie sighed. "Easier said than done."

Lorenzo  smirked. "Most things are."

They sat in silence for a moment before Ellie spoke again. "Do you think I should give him a real chance?"

Lorenzo  studied her for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. But only if you want to. Not for him. Not for me. For you."

Ellie exhaled, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Since when did you get so wise?"

Lorenzo  grinned. "I've always been wise. You lot just never noticed."

Ellie rolled her eyes but felt lighter. Maybe Lorenzo  was right. Maybe it was time to stop holding back.

The next morning at breakfast, Mattheo sat a few seats down from her, chatting quietly with Daphne and Pansy.

Ellie took a deep breath before shifting her plate closer to him.

Mattheo froze mid-sentence, looking at her with wide eyes.

Ellie didn't meet his gaze, but she forced out a casual, "Morning."

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Mattheo blinked, clearly shocked, before a small, hesitant smile tugged at his lips.

"Morning," he replied softly.

From across the table, Daphne  and Pansy exchanged a knowing glance.

Maybe, just maybe, things would start to change.

───🦋･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.🦋───