Sa isang liblib na nayon, kung saan ang hangin ay bumubulong ng mga salaysay ng mga ninuno, dumating ang isang paring banyaga sa anyo ngunit may wikang hinubog na ng lupaing ito. Si Padre Theodore Ambrose, makisig at tila may ningning ng kalangitan sa kaniyang mga mata, ay ipinadala upang tanglawan ng krus ang mga pusong sinasabing naliligaw. Datapwa't sa kaniyang pagdating, higit niyang natagpuan ang katahimikang tila may iniingatang hiwaga. Dinala niya sa kaniyang dibdib ang isang lihim na pagsuway. Sa halip na tupdin ang kautusang lipulin ang lahat, itinira niya ang isang babae. Si Mari Elena. May tinig na tila pumapailanlang sa gabi, at mga mata na waring nakababasa sa kaluluwa ng sinumang tumingin. Ang mga matatanda'y bumubulong na siya'y isinilang sa gitna ng unos at may dugo ng mga nilalang na hindi ganap na tao, datapwa't walang nangahas magpatunay. Sa mga gabing malamig at matahimik, natagpuan ni Padre Theodore ang kaniyang sarili sa harap ng tukso. Isang pagsubok sa kaniyang pananampalataya, sa kaniyang dangal, at sa kaniyang sariling laman. Sa pagitan ng krus na kaniyang tangan at ng aninong sumusubaybay sa anyo ni Mari, nagsimulang umikot ang isang kasaysayang di-kaylanman dapat mabunyag sa liwanag ng araw.

The words tumbled out, a desperate, unguarded plea. "Westley..." I blurted out, my voice thick with need and a raw vulnerability I hadn't intended to reveal. "...make me your girlfriend." Nevan Ambrose is the very definition of ethereal beauty, na dapat may kasamang warning sign: "Caution: Too stunning. May cause heart palpitations, existential crises, at biglaang pagiging marupok." Para siyang masterpiece na napagod sa pagiging static, bumaba mula sa frame, at naglakad sa mundo na parang siya lang ang may karapatang mag-exist. Career? Umaapaw sa success. Confidence? Hindi matinag. Sexuality? Walang duda. He is gay. Period. So bakit, sa dami ng puwedeng pumasok sa isip niya, si Westley Fawn pa rin ang hindi niya mabura? An introverted painter with questionable social skills and a talent for making everything feel ten times more intense than it should. At first, it was cute. A little flattering. Just another artist hopelessly obsessed with painting him. He gets it. Sino bang hindi ma-o-obsess sa kanya? Then, things get weird. Her paintings made him feel things he didn't know was possible. Kahit ilang ulit niyang sabihing hindi siya affected, bumabalik at bumabalik pa rin siya. Curiosity turns into obsession. Obsession turns into something worse. He found himself lingering outside her studio, drawn in like a moth to a very suspicious, possibly cursed flame. What began as a playful exchange between muse and artist is slowly turning into something far more disturbing, because Westley is not merely painting him... She is changing him. Nakakapagpabagabag. Baka 'pag napagtanto niya kung anong ginagawa nito, baka huli na ang lahat. She Painted Me with Blood asks: What if the art that captures your soul refuses to let it go?

"You've had your revenge, sweetheart," I purred, massaging the spot where she may or may not have injured me. Kunwari'y nasasaktan, pero sa totoo lang? Kinilig ako. Thrilled to see her again. Araw-araw kong pinagdasal na makita ko siya ulit. "Kung galit ka talaga sa pangalang 'Ambrose', bakit hindi mo na lang ako pakasalan so I can have yours, Fawn?" Nevan Ambrose is back. Paano? Wala ring nakakaalam. Pati siya, honestly, medyo unsure pa rin. All that's certain is this. After a night soaked in blood, pain, and a kiss that almost happened pero hindi, yes, galit pa rin siya about it, he returned. Not quite the same, though. Maybe hotter. Definitely more unhinged. Dati, he was the muse. The painting. The obsession. Ngayon? He is more determined than ever to get his woman, finish the kiss, and act out every single delusional scenario he stored in his mental slide presentation titled: "Reclaiming What Was Almost Mine: A Strategic Plan for Love, Closure, and At Least Five Sex Positions." His Westley Fawn was supposed to move on. Paint him out of her system, i-frame ang sakit, isabit sa pader, voilà. Period. She even tried to erase him like a rough sketch. Cute attempt. Kasi ngayon, Nevan's not just the muse, he's the director, lead actor, production designer, at isang walking temptation na may dalang sariling self-written script. Will Nevan finally get the kiss he's been longing for? Will Westley let him back in, or lock the door he barely escaped from in the first place? And if the feelings come back stronger, deeper, and way more physical... what then? She Painted Me with Love is the second half of Nevan and Westley's twisted little duology. A story about second chances, unfinished business between enemies, and what happens when the muse stops posing and starts fighting for the ending he wants. This time? He's not just a work of art. He's the whole damn gallery.

Nevan and Westley were officially engaged. Yes, engaged, kahit na minsan hindi pa rin makapaniwala si Nevan kung bakit siya, isang certified golden boy na "gay as the rainbow," ay napunta sa sitwasyong ito. Pero ayun na nga, here they were, glowing like freshly polished sapphire pair of rings, basking in that post-engagement kilig na parang gusto mong i-frame. Before flying to Italy for their two-week internship, isang passionate moment ang nangyari na parang nagbukas ng pinto na dapat yata ay naka-lock. Isang spark na hindi lang basta spark kundi yung tipong kailangan mo nang magdasal pagkatapos kasi hindi mo alam kung temptation ba 'to o kasalanan na. Now, with every stolen glance and lingering touch, parang countdown na lang kung kailan sila muling bibigay. Italy was supposed to be simple. Magtrabaho, kumain ng pasta, magpaka-professional, and go home in time for graduation. Pero siyempre, life said, "Ha-ha, no." Kasi along the cobblestoned streets and candlelit corners, may mga piraso ng nakaraan na bumabalik. The past na pareho nilang pinangako na ililibing na habang-buhay. At ang masaklap, these weren't just here to haunt. They were ready to blow up everything they've built. So now the question is. Kaya ba nilang sabay harapin ang trabaho, ang temptations na parang gelato for a couple of euros sa summer, at ang mga pinta ng nakaraan? O, baka naman Italy will be the place where their love, hard-earned, stubborn, and oh-so-complicated, finally shatters into pieces and become one?

Isang gabi. Isang apoy. At isang Villa na nawala sa abo. Pagkatapos ng trahedyang sumunog sa Villa Azul de Ambrosia at kumitil sa tagapagmana nito, naiwan ang mga tao na may tanong na walang kasagutan. Ano ang totoong nangyari? At... sino ang may kasalanan? Sa kwentong ito, maririnig mo ang boses ng bawat karakter. Ang kanilang sikreto, takot, at mga lihim na pagnanasa. May Boys' Love tension, Girl x Girl undertones, at isang mapanganib na paglalakbay para hanapin sina Myrna at Tomas Ambrose, ang susi sa pagtatayo ng Ambrose University. Pero habang papalapit sila sa sagot, mas lalong nagiging malinaw na... hindi lahat ng nagngingiti ay kaibigan, at hindi lahat ng nawawala ay gustong matagpuan. Handa ka na bang sumilip sa likod ng carnival lights? Heartbreak. Desire. Destiny. It's all waiting behind the gates of Villa Azul... if you dare to step inside.