"No problem."
I raised both my hands to accommodate Matt as he removed my shirt.
What I found even more peculiar was that I didn't feel disturbed at all.
'Just who is he? Why do I feel so familiar with him, and this... Isn't what I feel like... I like him? But then, what is with all these complicated emotions? I've never felt like this before.'
It wasn't the first time I had liked someone. I knew the feeling; it wasn't like this at all. It was more than that.
I shortly lost my sight as the shirt moved past my head. I could feel the air on my exposed skin.
When my view returned, I could see Matt glaring at me. His gaze wasn't like someone admiring my body; it wasn't even locked on my chest.
Based on the angle, it was an old scar of mine beside my belly button.
'No way…. It's impossible!'
With Matt's expression seeing that scar, that was probably the only reason. He didn't even flinch when seeing worse scars.
"You are Ruso?" I asked in disbelief.
Matt took a step, his frozen expression then turning into crazed laughter. Me calling him Ruso seemed to have confirmed his own suspicion.
"HAHAHAHA!!! All these years, all this time, and now you suddenly appear in front of me!
Weak, wounded, and abandoned. I heard what happened in the De Luca family, but to think you are here now, so who is taking your place now, LULU!?"
Tears glistened in my eyes as my heart started throbbing with pain, guilt overwhelming me. The old memories I buried started resurfacing in my mind.
The man in front of me was Matt, but he was also Ruso. His full name was Matteo Alessandro Ruso, a childhood friend of mine whom I had wronged big time.
"My twin sister…" I mumbled weakly, my eyes looking down, not daring to meet his.
"My stepfather, the one that adopted me, said to me once, 'What goes around will come around.' It seems he was not wrong.
You killed my parents, and now your parents are killed instead, and by what? Your twins!?"
I didn't respond back; I knew right then Ruso didn't care about the truth or not. How I came here, what really happened, he just wanted to gloat at me.
He was someone who always took revenge on every slight, every perceived loss, no matter how small. He was the type to hold a grudge until he felt he had exacted his pound of flesh.
I had begged for his forgiveness once. I really didn't know at that time what I did would result in his parents being killed. I said sorry over and over again, and what did I get? A stab in my stomach.
But even then, I pleaded for my parents to let him go, and now here he was, right in front of me.
Maybe what he said was right. This was my punishment…
"I'm sorry."
"Again with that word. I said before, and I will say it again, save it! We are not kids anymore. Now, have you not grown up at all?
Sorry doesn't change the fact that my parents died! Sorry doesn't revert back time! Sorry doesn't change anything!"
Matt then took a step closer, his hand moving to my throat, but I didn't fight back. He lifted me up until we were on the same eye level.
"Why are you so pathetic now? What is this twins!? You never had one before."
Strangely enough, despite choking me, it was done with exact strength that it didn't impede my speech. It only barely made it hard for me to breathe.
"I-I honestly d- don't know. She came out from n-nowhere."
Matt then lifted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. It was cold; that gaze made my heart sting.
Now I knew why I felt I wanted to run away. I was not ready to face him, not now, not ever.
"Look at me in the eyes, Lulu. I know it's been so many years, but did you forget about me?
Well, I guess I cannot blame you. There are many people named Matteo, after all, just like many of them are named Luciel.
But how did you live our life after I left!?"
"I- I never forgot about you! I even asked someone to watch over you, but they said you left this city."
"Hahaha, that is gold, so you were the one sending those two people to beat up on me!?"
I was shocked, hearing his question. I never heard about this. Did this mean they lied to me?
"Lulu, oh Lulu, you are so naive. You know how many people were jealous of me being close with you?
Do you think all those bruises I got were from falling on the stairs!? What did I even expect!"
Matt shook his head as he looked at me like I was a disappointment.
"All those resources in your hand, and you achieved nothing, Lulu."
He then moved his hand close to my mask. Instinctively, I put my hand over it. If before I didn't care, now I didn't want him to see it.
"What? You don't want me to see it? What happened to your face?"
He then tried to pry it open, but I pushed it back with all my strength.
"Please, anything other than this," I begged with tears in my eyes. But Matt didn't care.
He threw my body onto the couch, making me yelp in pain. My wound began aching once more, some of the closed wounds also opened, making me bleed.
Matt seemed to stop after seeing this, but it was only for a moment before he forcefully pried my mask open.
I then moved my hand to hide it, but it was pointless. He clasped both of them. I couldn't beat him in strength, even when I was healthy, no need to say now.
I turned my gaze the other way. I expected another insult, or worse, to get slapped or hit. But nothing came. Curiously, I slowly looked at his face.
Matt was glaring at me with anger. My heart shook. All this time, and he still hated me this much.