When Matteo woke up again, everything around him was a blinding white.
The sharp, sterile scent of disinfectant filled his nose.
The aftereffects of alcohol still clung to him. His head was pounding, his stomach a heavy, acidic mess, with a dull ache radiating from within.

He stared blankly at his surroundings as the blurry edges of his vision slowly sharpened.
Caroline's eyes were red, her face twisted in frustration.
"Are you seriously acting like this over some woman? She's just a maid's daughter. What exactly do you even like about her?"
A few of his friends had gathered around, chiming in with words of persuasion.
"Evenlyn's been gone for a month now. There's no news, no nothing. She's obviously doing it on purpose, Matt. Just let it go."
Matteo had heard these same lines over and over again in the past month.

He hadn't listened then, and he wasn't listening now.
His bloodshot eyes were vacant, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Unshaven, his face was shadowed with stubborn defiance.
Seeing that he had no intention of responding, Caroline gave up.
She didn't bother sparing him another glance before slamming the door on her way out.

Silence instantly filled the room.
His friends exchanged looks, hesitant, before someone tried again.
"Honestly, with your status, you could have any woman you want. There's no reason to keep obsessing over Evelyn."
"What you should do is show her that you're doing better without her, that you have plenty of options, while she is nothing without you. She'll come crawling back sooner or later."
"Exactly. In the worst-case scenario, we'll find some women who look like Evelyn. You can train them however you want. What's the diff—"
A loud crash echoed as a glass shattered at their feet, shards and water splashing across their shoes.
No one dared to move.
No one dared to breathe.
At first, when they had watched Evelyn stay by Matteo's side, even when he was blind, they had scoffed.
A blind man? A discarded heir? Who would lower themselves to cling to someone like that?
But over time, that disdain had turned into something else—jealousy.
They all came from powerful families, surrounded by women who came and went. But none of them had ever met a woman as devoted as Evelyn.
So, they tried introducing women to Matteo.
Yet, even after he regained his sight and after becoming one of the most sought-after figures in their circle, he had never once been tempted.
He had eyes for Evelyn alone.
That was all until Rebecca returned.
They had played their parts, pretending to warn Matteo while secretly creating opportunities for Rebecca to get close.
In the end, they had won.
Matteo's so-called love wasn't unbreakable after all.
And Evelyn? She should've learned by now that true love didn't exist.
With Evelyn gone, they had expected Matteo to finally indulge himself.
Instead, he had spiraled.
Now, he wouldn't even tolerate them saying a single bad word about her.
"Get the hell out." His voice was icy, his tone low and menacing. "From now on, don't ever speak about Eve that way again. If you do, I won't be responsible for what happens to your families."
The threat sent a chill through the air.
One by one, his so-called friends paled and scrambled for excuses to leave.
The last man to step out, however, wasn't quite willing to let it go.
After shutting the door behind him, he pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of Evelyn, and sent it to his assistant.
"Memorize this face. Find me a woman who looks like her. The more identical, the better."
He turned back to glance at the closed hospital door, his expression cold.
He wanted to see just how long Matteo could keep up this act.