𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄, ꜱ. ꜱᴀʟᴠᴀᴛᴏʀᴇ (𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆)

"Every time he touched you, it felt like I was dying all over again. And I envied him for it. But, I hated myself even more for just standing there, and allowing him, of all people to kiss you, and stand by your side, when I knew, deep down, that it should've been me. Do you know what it does to a man? To have to stand there, To close your eyes and try to pretend that it's anyone else─because it's the only way you know how to survive the pain of seeing the woman you love be paraded around like some object. When all you've ever wanted is to be able to have the chance to love her, protect her, hold her, and keep her safe.

And I know how I feel doesn't change anything. I know it doesn't fix the truth─that I can't have you. But that doesn't mean it hurts any less. Loving you, from a distance like this-it's unbearable. But, I just can't stop."
━
Karter Knowles learned early on: walls keep you safe, and she built hers high-sharp tongue, guarded heart, and a rule carved into her bone: never let anyone close enough to be the cause of your destruction. Because in Mystic Falls, ruin is inevitable, love curdles into betrayal, loyalty demands blood, and the past never stays buried. Then Stefan Salvatore returns-haunted eyes, centuries of blood-stained hands, whispering honey-soft promises he's far too dangerous to keep. And with Elena Gilbert circling like a spark searching for gasoline, the air itself feels ready to ignite. And Karter is caught between loyalty, lust, and the kind of love that doesn't save you. But, the kind that consumes. In Mystic Falls, love is not salvation. It's an inferno. And an inferno leaves nothing but ash.