ISADORA IN ITALY, MANY YEARS AGO
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"Isadora, just a moment," Alejandro said, bowing his head and adjusting his shoes. "I need to leave."
"You're not… coming with me?" I asked softly. I could feel my chest tightening as I watched him, wearing his rosary, something he hadn't worn in a long time, just to kiss me goodbye.
"You don't love me?" I whispered, using his language.
"I love you, Isadora," he replied softly, looking up at me. He was sitting at the edge of his bed, his clothes neatly arranged. "I love you very much."
"Then why won't you come with me?"
"I won't go with you because I have to leave," he said, his gaze falling to the floor. "Right now."
"What?" I asked, stunned. "I thought you decided not to leave for Romania? That you weren't going with your parents to another country?"
"I changed my mind."
Was this the reason why he had been distant these past weeks?
I thought he just needed some time for himself because he was the only one his family relied on… he was also the one managing their business.
"Changed your mind?" My tears threatened to fall. "Is it that easy? Alejandro, I asked you! You shouldn't have made promises if you were going to leave me!"
Then there was a knock at his door, followed by a woman's voice. Andres quickly stood up and faced me. "Don't make a sound, Isadora."
"Alejandro? Who are you talking to?" asked the gentle voice. Even her accent in Italian was captivating.
"Nobody, Ana!" Alejandro answered. "I'll follow in a minute!" Then he turned to me.
I held my chest. For the longest time, I felt like a human again… feeling this pain after being a creature of the dark for so long...
"And Ana is the one you'll marry, right?" I asked him softly, my attention fixed on the floor. "Is that why you can't introduce me to your parents?"
"No… No, Isadora..." He was about to reach for me, but I pushed his hand away. I looked up at him with a cold stare.
Maybe love was never meant for me. Katarina was right.
"You'll leave with Ana in a few days to marry her. You'll start a family and be happy while I remain here, alone, holding on to your promises…" I laughed bitterly. "I even taught you my language," I said in Italian. I shook my head and looked out his window. "You are a traitor, Alejandro."
"It doesn't matter if I explain, does it?" he asked coldly, making my chest feel even heavier. "After all, this will be our last meeting."
"You're right." I smirked sarcastically. I looked at him one last time. "I hope you find happiness, my love."
There was a strange emotion in his eyes that quickly disappeared. But I no longer cared. I stepped onto his window and silently jumped.
But I wouldn't be called a monster if I weren't truly a monster.
That night, I visited Alejandro. Before they could leave for a sunny place where I couldn't follow...
I could never follow him… so...
I laughed as I dropped Ana's lifeless body. His childhood friend, who stayed with him until now. Alejandro stood before me, horrified, staring at me with wide eyes. My love was truly handsome.
"There's really something special about the taste of a virgin's blood," I said, standing straight. My white dress was covered in blood, my hands and mouth smeared with fresh blood. I tilted my head to look at Alejandro's face. "Why do you look like that, my love?"
"You… you killed my family…" he said, both frightened and furious. "Why did you do this, Isadora?"
I laughed. "Why?"
I heard the laughter of my companions outside Alejandro's room. Katarina and the others. Of course, I wasn't the only one feasting tonight.
"You're asking me why?" I asked bitterly. I approached him slowly. I wanted to hug him and ask for forgiveness. But I couldn't. Even if I wanted to, I shouldn't. I knew how he truly felt—he no longer loved me.
"I could walk under the sun just for you!" I screamed at him. "I could die for you, Alejandro! You made me believe you felt the same!"
I didn't let my tears betray me. "And now, you'll pay for everything."
"Isadora…" he called me gently. "I love you so much, you know that..."
"You're so good at loving," I mocked, rubbing my neck. "Don't make a fool of me, Alejandro. I know your feelings for Ana are stronger. I can see it in your eyes."
"You're wrong—you're wrong, Isadora. I don't..." He couldn't finish his sentence when I glared at him.
"I no longer want to live a long life, Alejandro. I'm tired of breathing."
And I leaped across the room. I bit his neck hard, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't push me off.
I wouldn't kill him.
I just gave him… poison.
And his screams were all I could hear… when I finished, he was unconscious.
I laughed hoarsely.
Because the truth is, I lived for him.
I had no family… the Church in the Philippines had slaughtered them because they were related to a monster like me.
So I carefully laid Alejandro on his bed and silently sat in the middle of his room.
I couldn't feel anything anymore.
I heard a knock on the door. "Isadora? We need to go." It was Katarina.
"I'll follow," I replied shortly and quietly.
Katarina knew the pain I was feeling right now.
For many years, I loved Alejandro.
If only he wasn't uncertain about his feelings, he shouldn't have given me words to hold on to. I would have been fine if one day he just left me suddenly… what hurt the most was believing he loved me as much as I loved him.
And on this long night, for the first time, I cried. It had been so many years since I was bitten by an unknown creature, a long time since I became a monster… I didn't mind it because, for the first time, I wasn't afraid.
I wasn't afraid of anything because I knew I was strong.
So now I cried because of the weight I felt.
Until Alejandro moved. I stopped sobbing and waited for him to wake up.
When his eyes opened, he looked around the room before his red eyes settled on me.
If he was already captivating before, he was even more magnificent now. His hair fell down to his cheeks. He was mesmerizing to look at.
"Isadora..." His voice was deep and baritone, almost hoarse. "Isadora, my love, don't stay there..."
I didn't pay attention to him. I looked at him sadly.
"And now, Alejandro… you'll live alone. Even if you love someone, they'll eventually grow old. There's no guarantee that the body of the one you love can handle the poison if you turn them into a creature like us..." I began, hugging my knees as I sat by his window. "Maybe you deserve to live alone..."
"No, Isadora… I'm with you—" He groaned, holding his neck where I bit him. I could already smell the change in his blood. No longer human.
"Maybe this is enough for revenge? Maybe I'm also a traitor for killing your family." I shifted my gaze from the floor to him. He was struggling to sit up now. He must be feeling the transformation in his body.
"Don't stay there!"
Even though my skin hurt, I didn't mind it. The sunlight entered Alejandro's window and hit me first.
"Isadora!"
I leaned on my knees. My back was now burning. I heard Alejandro fall to the floor, but it was too late. I was already lying on the ground as my arms slowly turned to ashes.
I just stared at him. He struggled to approach me. But the burning spread quickly across my skin. Until darkness consumed me. This was enough for me.
This revenge was enough.
I lied to him that I wouldn't hurt his loved ones… maybe I was also a… traitor.
"Isadora!"
As I lay there, I remembered the beginning of it all. I had been a simple village girl in the Philippines. Life was harsh but simple, and I had my family. We were not wealthy, but we had each other. Then, one night, a creature I could not name attacked our village. It was a beast, unlike anything I had ever seen. It tore through our defenses as if they were nothing. The beast killed my family before my eyes. But instead of killing me, it bit me and left.
I should have died from the wounds, but I didn't. Instead, I transformed. My senses heightened, my strength increased, and my hunger for blood began. I fled my village, unable to face what I had become.
Years passed, and I roamed through countries and continents. I tried to stay away from humans, knowing the danger I posed. But then I met Alejandro. He was different. He was kind and gentle, and he made me feel human again. For the first time since my transformation, I felt hope. I believed that I could have a future with him.
But now, as I lay here turning to ash, I realized how foolish I had been. Love was not meant for monsters like me. Alejandro's betrayal cut deep, but it was my own fault for believing that I could have a normal life.
The sun's rays continued to burn my skin, and I welcomed the pain. It was a release from the torment of my existence. As my body disintegrated, I thought of Alejandro. I hoped that he would find peace, even if it meant that I had to suffer. In my final moments, I whispered a silent farewell to him, hoping that someday he would understand why I did what I did.
And then, there was nothing but darkness.
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