Chapter 3

Matteo pinned the group's leader to the ground and landed punch after punch, showing no mercy until they were all bloodied and begging for forgiveness.

"We're sorry, Mr. Gallagher! We messed up! Please, have mercy and let us go!"

"Get lost! If I ever catch you near her again, you'll regret it!" he barked, his fury sending them scrambling away, practically tripping over themselves.

A crowd had gathered in the stairwell, watching the scene unfold.

Ignoring the prying eyes, Matteo helped Rebecca to her feet. "Are you hurt?"

Rebecca threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face like a damsel in distress. "I twisted my ankle. It hurts so bad."

Matteo's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms, pushing through the crowd as he strode away.

In his haste to shield Rebecca, he accidentally shoved Evelyn aside.

Her head slammed against the hard stair, and a gash opened up, blood trickling down, shocking the onlookers.

"You're bleeding! Someone call 911!"

Pain shot through Evelyn's body, cold sweat breaking out across her skin.

The warm blood seeped between her fingers, dripping onto her lashes, feeling unbearably heavy.

She watched Matteo leave without so much as a backward glance, and bitterness filled her mouth.

She thought back to when she used to cut her fingers while making soup for him. He would fuss over her endlessly, insisting on calling a doctor, afraid that she would have a scar.

She used to laugh at how dramatic he was, but he would always kiss her hand softly and say, "Eve, you're the one I cherish the most. If you get hurt, it hurts me even more. Our life is better now. You don't need to do these things anymore. Your hands should be wearing the ring I give you, not covered in scars."

Now, she was hurt, and he didn't even see it.

And the ring he had promised her was now on someone else's finger.

The ambulance took Evelyn to the hospital.

She checked herself in, got treated, picked up her medication, and finally made it home in the dead of night.

That night, the pain kept her awake, tossing and turning.

Matteo never came home.

The next morning, as she dragged herself out of bed to change her bandages, she saw Rebecca's new social media post.

It was a video of Matteo kneeling on one knee, gently massaging her ankle and applying medicine.

Evelyn watched it over and over, her eyes turning red. Before she realized it, she had fallen asleep.

By the time she woke up, night had fallen.

Her phone buzzed nonstop on the pillow beside her.

As soon as she answered, Matteo's voice came through. "Riverdale, Room 703. Get here now."

Evelyn hesitated for a moment before getting up.

She freshened up and headed over.

The moment she stepped into the private room, her eyes landed on Rebecca.

Rebecca's eyes were red, making her look like a fragile little bunny, all pitiful and wronged.

Matteo sat there in silence, watching Evelyn with an unreadable expression.

The tension in the room stretched until Evelyn finally broke it.

"You called me here. What do you want?"

Matteo straightened his posture, interlocking his fingers with an air of authority. "Eve, were those thugs last night sent by you to mess with Rebecca?"

Evelyn froze.

She instinctively glanced at Rebecca, catching the fleeting smirk in her eyes.

In that instant, she understood everything. Rebecca had staged it all.

A bitter smile curved her lips. "It wasn't me. I don't know them, and I have no interest in doing something like that."

Matteo's face didn't soften at her denial.

He lowered his gaze and spoke evenly, "Eve, the moment Rebecca abandoned me all those years ago, I let her go. You've been with me for seven years. You should know who I care about now.

"The Pittman family has fallen, and anyone can kick them while they're down. But that person shouldn't be you. You don't have to stoop to this."

Evelyn felt like she had been punched in the gut.

She thought back to the nights he had poured his pain into her arms, the days they had run from doctor to doctor searching for a cure, the moment when he had been wrongly told he would be blind for life.

She still remembered the despair in his eyes. A man who had once stood above the rest was now utterly broken over a woman.

Seven years.

They shared seven years of struggles. Now, he dismissed it all as if it had never happened.

Her mind flashed to the image of his marriage certificate with Rebecca and that stamp sealing away all their years together. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Yeah," she murmured, her voice trembling. "Seven years… and I'm just now realizing who you really care about."

Matteo's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean by that?"

Evelyn shook her head, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "I mean, I'm just a maid's daughter. How could I possibly have the power or connections to send those guys after her?"

Even as she laid it all out in front of him, Matteo still didn't believe her.

Evelyn was exhausted. She took a deep breath and gave up. "If you don't believe me, then let's cut to the chase. What do you want me to do?"

Matteo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Apologize, Eve. If you've done something wrong, you should say sorry."

Before Evelyn could respond, Rebecca, who had been sitting there looking pitiful, suddenly spoke up. "Forget the apology. If you really feel bad, then just drink all this alcohol."