ADRIAN’S P.O.V.
After her confession that day, she left .
Margaret. Her na alone felt like a whisper in my mind, one that refused to fade with ti. Days turned into weeks, but the ache in my chest remained sharp. The mory of her laughter, her warmth, was as vivid as the day she first entered that dark cave, pleading for safety. She had accepted , all of —my nature, my hunger, my flaws. She didn’t flinch when she first saw drink blood. She even reached out to wipe the corner of my mouth with a kindness so profound that it undid .
How could I let her go?
Her wedding day arrived like a death knell. I told myself countless tis to let her be happy, to step aside. But the thought of returning to the hollow existence I had known before her was unbearable. I couldn’t go back to the shadows, not after knowing the light she brought into my life.
I didn’t just want Margaret to stay with —I needed her.
The mory unfolded as we all stood in stunned silence.
I watched myself, the younger Adrian, slip into the wedding ceremony like a phantom. I moved with purpose, my eyes never leaving her. She looked radiant, a goddess in white. But the closer I got, the more the scene blurred, and all I could see was her walking away from . Forever.
Teresa let out a gasp beside . "You didn’t..." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Oh, I did," I murmured, the ghost of a rueful smile on my lips.
Juliette’s sharp intake of breath confird that they were all watching as young Adrian made his move. I took Margaret just as she reached the altar, sweeping her into my arms with a speed no human eye could follow. The priest scread. The groom froze in shock. And Margaret? She was too stunned to react.
"Adrian!" Teresa hissed, her voice climbing. "You kidnapped her?!"
Leonard snorted, his usual humor making an unwelco appearance. "Classic vampire move, really."
I shot him a warning look. "Leonard, not now."
The scene shifted to a hidden cabin deep in the woods, where I had taken Margaret after spiriting her away. I watched as my younger self, desperate and unthinking, bit her neck and let my venom turn her. The sight of her unconscious, her transformation taking hold, was as vivid now as it had been then.
When she awoke, her rage was unlike anything I had ever seen.
"How could you?" Margaret’s voice was raw, filled with betrayal. Her newly red eyes burned with fury as she shoved away, her strength already surpassing human limits. "You turned into a monster!"
"I did it for us," young Adrian pleaded, his voice breaking. "I couldn’t lose you, Margaret. You an everything to ."
"Everything?" she spat, her fangs bared. "You’ve taken everything from ! My family, my life, my humanity—gone because of your selfishness!"
Teresa’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Juliette stepped closer to , her expression unreadable but her tension palpable. Even Lucian tilted his head slightly, as though trying to process what he couldn’t see but could hear and feel.
Margaret’s fury drove her to flee, her movents a blur of speed and desperation. My younger self chased her, shouting warnings. "Margaret, stop! You can’t go back to them like this!"
But she didn’t listen. She ran faster, her new instincts driving her toward the only thing that felt familiar—her family. The group followed the mory like shadows, silent witnesses to the unfolding tragedy.
"Don’t do this, Margaret!" Young Adrian shouted, his voice filled with panic. "You don’t understand what’s happening to you. Your thirst—it’s too strong. You’ll hurt them!"
"Stay away from !" she scread, her voice cracking. "I don’t want your help! I don’t want you!"
"Damn," Leonard muttered, his tone unusually subdued.
"She’s going to..." Teresa began, but her words faltered as the mory reached its crescendo.
Margaret burst into her family ho. The joy and relief on their faces were heartbreaking, even in hindsight. Her mother cried, rushing to embrace her. Her father stumbled toward her, his arms open. Her siblings clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces.
But then they saw her eyes—blood-red and glinting with an unnatural hunger. Their joy turned to fear in an instant.
"No," young Adrian whispered, his steps faltering as he entered the ho just monts too late.
Margaret’s new instincts overtook her. The sll of their blood, the warmth of their bodies—it was too much. She lunged at her father first, sinking her fangs into his neck as screams erupted around her. One by one, her family fell. The scene was a blur of blood, terror, and chaos.
Teresa collapsed to her knees, trembling violently. "I can’t..." she choked out before turning away and retching.
"Cut it, Adrian," Juliette said sharply, her voice thick with emotion. "They’ve seen enough."
With a wave of my hand, I ended the mory, pulling us all back to the safety of my study. The quiet that followed was suffocating.
The air in my study hung heavy with the tension of what we had just witnessed. No one spoke for a mont as the room adjusted to reality once more. Teresa sat rigidly in her chair, her face pale as she stared into space. Juliette’s hand was trembling on my arm, her usual composure shattered. Leonard, for once, didn’t have a witty comnt, his mouth pressed into a grim line. Even Lucian, with his blind eyes fixed on nothing, carried an intensity that made the atmosphere even more suffocating.
I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice. "That... is the cost of desperation. A lesson I learned too late."
Teresa looked up at , her eyes wet but fierce. "You did this because you loved her?"
"I did it because I couldn’t bear to lose her," I corrected, my tone soft.
"But love without consideration, without respect, is not love. It’s possession, Adrian." Teresa shot back but I could hear the hidden aning in her words.
"Damn, Adrian," Leonard said, shaking his head. "When you screw up, you really go big, huh?"
I shot him a dry look, but a faint smile tugged at my lips. Leave it to Leonard to lighten the mood, even now.
"Adrian..." Juliette’s voice was gentler now, her eyes searching mine. "How did you co back from that?"
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