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SHE WAS so innocent.
My little butterfly.
To everyone, she was soft and unblemished — a white lily in a garden of thorns. But the deeper I looked into those onyx eyes, the more I sensed something hidden: whenever I pulled closer, she pushed me away; whenever I tried to know her, she vanished into shadow.
Whenever she was near, a blackness took hold of me. The urge wasn’t gentle, it was fierce and filthy: to steal her from everyone, lock her away, and keep her just for myself so I could stare at her light whenever I wanted.
It was poisonous. She tore my calm to shreds, stirred up chaos, and cracked every wall I’d built, simply because she was beautiful and innocent, and I couldn’t bear it.
I’d seen pretty, giving women before—Gabby had those in spades—but she had something else too: a dark thing bottled behind her eyes, a monster she wouldn’t let out.
Her darkness called to me like blood to a starving beast. She was born for me—molded by the same shadow that shaped my ruin. She didn’t understand it before, the law that bound her to me, but now she does. In every lifetime, she was mine—inevitably, irrevocably mine.
My claws have already sunk deep beneath her skin, marking her where no one else can see. She could run, but the air would whisper my name against her neck, the darkness would echo my breath in her ear. There was no escaping what already belonged to me.
I craved her completely—her fear, her defiance, her soul. I wanted to consume her until there was nothing left to save.
Kaya no’ng sinabi nila Papa na magpapakasal ako sa anak ni Vice Governor Angelica, halos magiba ko ang buong mansion.
“Bakit ako pa? Si Saint?” Angal ko, nasa loob kami ng dining room.
Father sat at the center of the table, his presence alone enough to silence the room. The stoic lines of his face were carved in authority, and the faint sneer curling his lips warned me to lower my voice. Beside him, Mother sat quietly, her hand resting over his—a fragile gesture that did little to soften the cold command in his eyes.
“Saint is too young to marry—”
“And I am not? Bakit hindi nalang si Archangel?”
Kuya turned to me, his glare sharp enough to cut through the air—like I’d just said something utterly foolish. Yes, I knew he had Catalina, but what about me? I had Gabby. And yet, they pushed this plan on me as if she never existed, as if my feelings for her were nothing but a fleeting mistake they could easily erase.
“You are the only option—”
“No, I am not. You can marry the daughter off. I’m done with this discussion!”
Tatayo na sana ako noong tinignan ako nang masama ng aking tatay. Napahinto ako.
“You know Archangel can’t handle the job. Aside from being tied to Catalina, he’s one of the victims in all this. We need proof, Zera. We have to make them believe that we’re still under their control, make them think we’re dancing to their tune.”
