UNTIL DEATH ( Love should Never be this deathly )

CHAPTER 12

The night had stretched into an agonizing eternity, each moment steeped in a potent blend of fear and an unbearable loneliness. She had fought against the encroaching shadows of sleep, her mind a tumultuous sea of despair, as the weight of her circumstances bore down upon her.

It felt as if the very fabric of her existence, her dreams and aspirations, were teetering on the brink of collapse, all due to the relentless fascination of one man: Vincent Salvatore. The mere utterance of his name sent a shiver through her, a visceral reaction fueled by a hatred that ran deep.

When he had laid bare his feelings, the fervor in his gaze had revealed a darkness that chilled her to the bone. That moment, a twisted confession of love, had unveiled the madness that lurked beneath the surface, and in her heart, she had recoiled in horror.

In this time of turmoil, she felt utterly alone, unable to confide in anyone, the silence around her amplifying her sense of isolation. The absence of her parents weighed heavily on her soul; their wisdom and guidance would have been a balm to her troubled spirit. If only they were still here, they would know the right words, the right course of action to navigate this treacherous path.

For the first time in her life, she found herself adrift, lost in a world that had once felt so familiar, now transformed into a labyrinth of uncertainty and fear.

"Mom, Dad," she choked out between sobs, her voice trembling with anguish. "I don't know what to do!" Each word felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating her with despair. "I don't want to marry that man." The thought of Vincent Salvatore twisted her stomach into knots.

"You wanted me to marry Dylan... but—" Her breath hitched, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He's threatened to destroy Dylan's life if I go through with it, and I can't let that happen, Mom."

The terror flowing through her was tangible, an intense and overwhelming anxiety, "I don't want to marry him!" she cried out, desperation lacing her voice. "What should I do? I don't even know what kind of man he really is... or what he'll do after marrying me!" The sobs wracked her body, each one a painful reminder of her isolation. "I... I miss you, Mom." The ache of longing was almost unbearable. "I miss you too much. I miss your warmth, your soothing embraces that always made everything feel right when I was hurt."

Her heart felt as if it were shattering, fragments of love and loss mingling together in a chaotic storm. "I'm hurt, Mom. I need you..."

As she spoke, her tears fell steadily onto the framed photograph of her parents, their smiles frozen in time. She wiped her eyes with delicate fingers, but each attempt to clear her vision only intensified the blur, the image of their faces becoming increasingly obscured by her grief.

The weight of her sorrow hung in the air, a heavy silence enveloping her as she clung to the memory of their love, desperately wishing for their presence to guide her through this dark hour.

The night loomed over her like an infinite stretch of torment as she contemplated his words, each word resonating in her thoughts like a chilling refrain.

Escape felt impossible; the thought of abandoning Dylan and the children was a burden she could not bear. The reality of her situation weighed heavily upon her: Vincent was a dangerous man, capable of unimaginable violence.

She shuddered at the thought of what he might do to Dylan, the mere idea of it sending icy tendrils of fear spiraling through her. And the children—her heart ached for them. What fate awaited them in the hands of such a man?

After hours of anguished tears, a choice crystallized in her mind, one that would irrevocably alter the course of her life. It was a decision that would shatter Dylan's heart into a million irreparable pieces, a choice that would strip away her dignity and leave her feeling hollow.