❝ 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ❞ ʲᵃˢᵖᵉʳ ʰᵃˡᵉ ( EN )

☇ 𝟮𝟲

That evening, after spending some time with her family, Theodora felt at peace. Her father had returned from a long business trip, and they had shared a meal together, the three of them, just like before. They talked about everything and nothing, laughed at little anecdotes her father told about his work, and her mother had cooked one of those dishes that reminded Theodora of her childhood. It was a rare, almost precious moment, where the shadow of everything she was going through with the Cullens seemed to fade away.

After dinner, Theodora slipped away to take a shower. Under the hot water, she let her thoughts wander, enjoying the tranquility. But the idea that she would soon see Jasper again kept crossing her mind, a mix of apprehension and desire making her nervous.

When she returned to her room, fresh and calm, dressed in her black pajamas, an oversized T-shirt slipping off her shoulders, and her still damp hair tied in a loose braid, she immediately realized that Jasper was already there. He stood silently, facing her wall of photos, pictures of her at different stages of her life. Childhood photos, teenage moments, shared memories with her parents or friends.

Jasper was studying each picture intently, his golden eyes scanning the details as if trying to better understand the life she had led before he had intruded into her daily existence. He didn't turn around when she entered, but she could feel his presence more intensely than she would have liked.

"You're looking at my memories," she said softly, almost timidly, as she gently closed the door behind her.

Jasper finally turned his head towards her, a barely perceptible smile on his lips, and nodded slightly. "I wanted to see the moments you experienced before all of this," he murmured, his eyes moving to a photo of her as a little girl, holding a kite on a sunny beach. "Those moments when you were... free."

Theodora moved closer to him, her heart beating a little faster at seeing him so absorbed in these fragments of her past. "I guess that was another life," she said, a faint smile on her lips. "But they're still here, somewhere. Just like me."

Jasper's eyes met hers, a soft yet intense gleam in his gaze. "I'm glad I can see a bit of it," he whispered. "It reminds me that even though we come from two different worlds, there's a part of you I can still understand."

Theodora stepped even closer, her heart now pounding harder. "You're already part of my present, Jasper," she replied softly. "These memories are just part of who I am."

They stayed like that, their gazes locked on each other, as the wind outside continued to make the branches sing against the window, like a gentle melody wrapping around this intimate moment.

Jasper finally broke the silence, looking her up and down, his golden eyes sparkling with amused light. A slight smile appeared on his lips. "You know," he said, observing her with a mixture of tenderness and mischief, "you'd look much better in one of my sweaters." He gestured to the loose t-shirt she wore, his smile widening a bit.

Theodora rolled her eyes, a playful grin spreading across her face. "Oh really? Because I doubt you have one that fits me," she teased, crossing her arms.

"Maybe not," Jasper conceded, stepping a little closer to her. "But that doesn't matter, you'd still be perfect."

Warmth rose to Theodora's cheeks as she looked away, feeling her heart race. Why did he always have to be so disarming? she thought. She tried to regain her composure and changed the subject. "Sit down," she said, patting the space next to her on the bed.

Jasper sat beside Theodora, but instead of staying seated, he laid down on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. After a moment's hesitation, Theodora moved closer, nestling herself against him, her face resting against his chest. She felt the comforting presence of his body against hers, and a sense of safety washed over her.

With a gentle gesture, Jasper began to play with the strands of hair escaping from Theodora's braid. His fingers moved slowly through her curls, twisting them around his fingers before letting them go. It was a soothing, almost hypnotic action that sent a shiver through her.

Each touch seemed to erase a bit more of the young woman's worries, and for the first time in days, she felt completely at peace. They remained silent for a while, simply listening to the wind brushing against the shutters. The soft light of the bedside lamp gave the room a warm glow, contrasting with the darkness outside. Theodora glanced at her hands, then at Jasper's scars, now visible in the dim light.

"You promised to tell me," she whispered, finally daring to ask the question that had been burning on her lips. "The scars... What do they really mean?"

Jasper seemed to tense, his gaze lost in the flickering light of the room. "Every scar is a story," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "They tell of battles I've fought, mistakes I've made, and pain I've endured."

He pointed to a long mark running down his forearm. "This one, I got during my first battle as a vampire, shortly after Maria turned me. I was still young, inexperienced, and thought strength alone was enough to win. But I quickly learned it wasn't."

A shiver ran down Theodora's spine as she imagined the scene. How did he find the strength to go on?

"How did you keep going after that?" she murmured, captivated by his words.

"I didn't have a choice," he answered, shrugging slightly. "Maria didn't tolerate failure. Each wound was a reminder that I needed to be stronger, faster, that I had to perfect myself if I wanted to stay alive. For her, it was either becoming the perfect weapon or being discarded."

Theodora's eyes lingered on the numerous bite marks scattered across Jasper's arms. How many times had Maria hurt him to ensure he stayed under her control?

He turned to her, his gaze darkening. "And then, there are the ones I inflicted on myself." He indicated several small scars on his wrists, barely visible, but real. "When the guilt became unbearable, when the faces of those I'd killed haunted me day and night... I sought a way to escape the pain. It was my way of punishing the man I had become."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Don't be," he said gently, though the tension remained palpable. "These scars are a reminder of who I was. Of what she forced me to become."

Theodora bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. Her hatred for Maria intensified with every word, with every detail Jasper shared. How could one person inflict so much suffering? she thought, heart clenching. She wanted to scream, to shout about how much she despised the woman who dared to break the man she loved.

Maria. This woman had dared to mutilate Jasper, to torture him until he lost himself. How could she pretend to be so powerful when all she did was destroy? A fiery anger ignited in Theodora's chest, an anger she'd never felt before. You will never touch him again, she vowed silently. I won't let you lay a hand on him ever again. I hate you for every scar, for every moment of pain, for every part of his soul you tried to crush.

"Jasper," she said suddenly, her voice trembling with rage and sadness, "I want you to know that I will never let you face this alone. Maria will never have you again. I will fight, I will protect you from anything she tries to do."

Jasper's gaze softened, and he captured Theodora's hand in his, holding it tightly as if drawing strength from her presence. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice breaking with emotion. "Thank you for believing in me, for loving me despite everything."

But Theodora, her eyes shining with determination, couldn't help but think about how much she hated Maria. I want to see you suffer as much as you made him suffer. I want you to understand just how wrong you are to think you can still reach him. Each time her eyes landed on Jasper's scars, her hatred only grew, urging her to fight harder, to be ready to do anything to protect him.

You will never have him again, Maria. I promise.

Lying together in the silence of the room, bathed in the warm light of the lamp, they stayed entwined, aware of the bond strengthening between them with every passing moment. Jasper felt, for the first time in a long while, that he was no longer alone – that there was finally someone ready to face his demons with him, no matter the dangers ahead. As for Theodora, eyes wide open, a certainty burned within her: she would fight until her last breath to protect him from the shadows of his past.