Online discussion about Matteo's so-called devotion kept growing, and some extreme netizens even started cursing at Evelyn, accusing her of being ungrateful.
Then, the man Matteo had relentlessly targeted, the one he had nearly bankrupted, finally snapped.
He began exposing everything he knew.
"Evelyn is a good woman. Back when Matteo went blind for his ex, she was the one who stayed by his side, helping him out of the darkness. She was there until he regained his sight.
"But the moment he could see again, Matteo's mother changed her tune completely. She started looking down on Evelyn in every possible way. But Matteo still protected her, and the two of them were happy together.
"Too bad Rebecca, Matteo's ex, came back. She cried a few tears, and that was all it took for him to lose his damn mind and marry her behind Evelyn's back.
"During that time, Rebecca kept setting Evelyn up, and that so-called deeply devoted Matteo? He sided with Rebecca every time. He made Evelyn's life a living hell until she finally left and disappeared.
"And you brainless netizens actually bought into his whole true love act? Yeah, really devoted of him. He was so devoted he married another woman, got her pregnant, then panicked when things blew up and forced her to get an abortion.
"And to top it off? He personally handed his ex over to some perverted old man. Since you guys love this kind of true love so much, I hope you all find your own Matteo someday!"
Just like that, Matteo's image crumbled completely. The Gallagher family tried to scrub the trending topics as fast as possible, but the online community was even faster. Their outrage spread like wildfire.
At one point, someone had almost leaked Evelyn's whereabouts. But after seeing the truth, they cursed Matteo out, blocked him, and cut off all contact.
Matteo was furious. He started lashing out even more, directing his rage at his former friend. What was once friendship had now turned into a bitter feud. His friend was eventually crushed, driven to bankruptcy, and left drowning in massive debt.
Maybe it was because he had lost all hope, but one day, as Matteo was driving, his former friend somehow got his hands on an old van, slammed the gas pedal, and rammed straight into him.
The van was so wrecked that the entire front was crumpled on impact. He died instantly at the scene.
Matteo's car, on the other hand, had top-tier safety features. He survived, but his body suffered severe trauma. His organs began rapidly failing.
Worst of all, the crash left him permanently blind. This time, there was no hope of ever seeing anything again.
When Matteo woke up, everything was pitch black.
He tried to stand, but his body felt like it was sinking into clouds. It was light, weak, and completely powerless.
"What's going on? What happened to me?"
Losing his sight again filled him with overwhelming fear. As the darkness closed in, it tangled with his nightmares, making his voice tremble as he kept calling Evelyn's name.
However, no one answered.
Annoyed by the noise, a bodyguard finally snapped.
"Shut up. Do you still think you're some scion? Mrs. Gallagher already said as long as you're alive, that's good enough. If you really can't take it, just go off yourself. Don't show your face in public again."
His throat was dry and hoarse. "What… What do you mean?"
The bodyguard was about to answer when footsteps echoed from the doorway. Then, a mocking voice sounded near his ear.
It was Rebecca.
"You're blind now. There's no fixing that. Do you even understand what that means in a family like yours? Mrs. Gallagher pulled me out of that pervert's hands. She told me to stay by your side and take care of you. After all, you're still her son…"
Matteo couldn't see the woman's face, but he could hear her slow, deliberate steps as she moved closer.
Then, she reached out, gripping his chin tightly, just like he had once done to her when he first found out the truth.
"Matteo, isn't it great? People like us, we should just rot in hell together."
The only response she got was Matteo's muffled groan of pain.