For the past five years, I've loved him from afar. He became my awakening. My escape.
Being the daughter of a serial killer has never been unicorns and rainbows. I've hidden in the sea of criminals from a young age, waiting to strike at the perfect...
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DOLLHOUSE MELANIE MARTINEZ
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They say unfortunate events make villains. I say one decides to be the villain of their story. One evaluates the pros and the cons of whatever one contemplates. How could I possibly say that someone else, other than myself, had forced me to become who I am? I took the steps to get there.
I choose this.
I had let the darkness become me.
All I ever desired then was to not lose the thing that mattered most to me: my children. Yet, once they found out the truth behind the man, they left me behind one by one. My wife had chosen death over forgiveness. Death over living with the man who had skeletons in his closet.
My eldest daughter tried to take her own life. So, I did what I thought best - send her far away from the chaos under my roof. Send her away to a house of God where she would recover. Where she would learn right from wrong because Valentina deserved to find her peace.
The second sacrificed her sanity to keep her brother safe, but never wavered from my side. Everything Genesis did, she sought my approval. One day, she would waver. One day, she met her monarch. My sweet little beginning would spread her wings and soar. She would leave the nest that was holding her behind.
Marcos, my one and only son, felt like a castaway. Genesis did her best to save him from my darkness. Her efforts can only go a long way. She could not save him from living a teenage life. Marcos had deflected. It came with the name Valerie and Jacob Clayton.
But after the death of my wife Alexandra, I found something I never thought I would. Another chance at love was delivered to my very own doorstep, along with her daughter. Emily and Sarah quickly became an addition to my family needs. Emily became a solace in my grief. Sarah became another daughter to me and a sibling to Marcos and Genesis. They grew up together, loving each other as if they were all biologically mine.
Genesis found a loophole despite my attempts to use situations for my gain. She always had a plan under her sleeve. What began as a seduction to gain ownership of one of the most popular magazines in the state of California, turned into something else entirely. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken advantage of her little crush. Genesis had found freedom she'd never tasted and wanted more.
I was blindsided by what came next.
In my newfound darkness, I felt even further away from my children. It's only a matter of time before the body cannot comply with the demands of the brain. The brain was no longer functioning as it should. My eyes would never lay on my children again or on my wife, Emily.
After everything that's happened, did they hate me?
I suppose I'll never know.
Dad, I need you to open your eyes to tell me something.
Daddy, the doctors say you won't get better. So, I suppose I'll have to tell you what I've been waiting for.
Dad, she's here.
I got married today. I missed you.
Daddy... you can go. We'll be okay. We love you.
Then nothing. There was nothing. I could barely feel their touch. My children were all together now, and I wasn't there to witness it. Whatever was left of my life was snuffed out.
Death became one with me.
Life had never been at my side.
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