Fright

Love is Blind

Loving Daphne was hard work. She was constantly all over the place. I mean, I knew what I was getting into. She told me she would never be tied down to just me. But I was always so drawn to her. Always. I began to notice a pattern with her.
On the days she stayed home with me just hanging out, she seemed different. So...empty and dead. No life. But when she came back from her escapades, from bar hopping all over town, Daphne would have a special glow to her. Her skin would be radiant and her smile would be bright. At first, I wondered if maybe she did drugs. Yes, my suspicions were rising.
So one day, I followed her. I'm not proud, but I needed to know if I was chasing some junkie like a sad puppy. I followed her to a sketchy bar on the other side of town. I waited outside, garnering strange looks from passers-by. I was ready to give up and drive off before the cops came, but then I saw Daphne come out. She was giggling like a schoolgirl, holding onto a muscular guy's arm. They got into a vehicle together and zoomed off. I couldn't tail it for long.
I went home and waited for her. Close to midnight, I jumped out of my sleep at the sound of jingling keys and a turning lock. Daphne was home.
As expected, her skin was glowing. She looked more beautiful than I had seen her in a long time. I enjoyed my time with her that night, and as usual, I felt slightly drained the morning after.
I went out for a jog the next day, while Daphne told me she was going to go visit a friend.
I whizzed past trees, trying hard to get my energy up, when suddenly I saw something that made me stop in my tracks. I stumbled over my own feet and nearly faceplanted the ground.
There on a park bench was a man who looked near death. He was eerily skinny and ghostly pale with hollowed out cheekbones and sunken in eyes. I might not have recognized him if it weren't for a very distinctive tattoo on his arm. This man was twice my size the day before.
That was when I began to doubt that Daphne was human...
Of course! How had I not noticed the signs? I went on a search attempt on Google. I needed to know what she was. All that came up was that she could possibly be a succubus. But my Daphne was no demon! Still, I was afraid to confront her.
But I had to.
When she got home that night, I spoke to her with all the confidence I could muster. And then she did not even hesitate once to tell me, "Yes, Sean, I am. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I wish I could be faithful to you but as you now know, I cannot".
I cried with her that night.
But, you know the saying - love is blind. And me? I'm such a stereotype. After all, I was always drawn to Daphne. I could never leave her.