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Short filmTranscript
00:00One week before the wedding, Camila flew from New York to Los Angeles to help me get everything ready.
00:05That night, while she was still in the shower, her phone rang.
00:08Water hissed behind the half-open bathroom door.
00:11Steam drifted into the room.
00:12The damp heat made me uneasy.
00:14And the succubus mark beneath my collarbone began to warm.
00:17Warning me that someone's desire was getting close.
00:19Vivian, check who it is for me.
00:21I smiled and picked up her phone.
00:22Mailed and afraid I'll find some hidden man on here?
00:24Even as I said it, I thought it was ridiculous.
00:26After all, Camila hated men more than anyone I knew.
00:29She had been my friend since childhood, and like me, she was a half-blood succubus living quietly among humans.
00:35Half-blood succubi could smell desire, enter dreams, and when hunger or emotion pushed us too far, draw a little
00:41energy from a kiss, a touch, or the warmth left behind in someone's dream.
00:45Camila was proud, cold, and openly hostile toward men.
00:49She looked down on flirting with men.
00:50She looked down even more on feeding through intimacy, so I never guarded myself against her.
00:55I showed her photos from my wedding dress fittings, drafts of my vows, even the private dream boundaries between Luca
01:01and me that I had never told anyone else.
01:02I thought she was the last person in the world who would ever use my weaknesses against me.
01:06But when I unlocked her phone, I saw a message from the contact pinned at the top of her list.
01:11Baby, want to come into my dream and fuck me tonight?
01:13I'm all ready.
01:14Below it was a photo, black bunny ears, a velvet corset, pink handcuffs, a thin chain engraved with succubus contract
01:21marks, in one corner of the photo, I could just make out a hotel keycard.
01:25My fingers tightened around the phone but Luca, impossible.
01:28He's my fiance, how could he possibly be in contact with my misogynistic best friend?
01:34Then the man sent a voice message.
01:37I've missed you, Camila.
01:38His voice was low, rough with the rasp of a man who had barely dragged himself back from the edge
01:43of desire.
01:44Don't torture me only in dreams tonight.
01:46You know I can't handle that tail of yours wrapped around my wrist.
01:49I froze.
01:50That voice was too familiar.
01:52So familiar that every drop of blood in my body went cold.
01:56It was not some stranger.
01:58It was my fiance Luca.
01:59It really was him.
02:01Los Angeles was cool on winter nights, but the hotel room was too warm.
02:05The sound of water from the bathroom hit my nerves again and again, wearing down the last of my reason.
02:10I stared at the private account on Camila's phone, an account I had never seen before.
02:15I read the chat between her and Luca, all those bold, intimate messages hinting at dreambinding, and all I could
02:21think was how absurd it was.
02:23Luca, my fiance.
02:25The man who knew I was a half-blood succubus and still held my hand and told me he loved
02:29me.
02:30I even tried to make excuses for them.
02:33Maybe the voice only sounded like his.
02:35Maybe it was a cruel prank.
02:37Maybe some low-level glamour had stolen Luca's voice to sabotage our wedding.
02:43But now his profile picture and Camila's were a matching pair.
02:47In the chat, he called her baby.
02:50Tonight I bought a brand new clitoral ring.
02:53I thought you hated being controlled.
02:55If it's you, I'm willing.
02:57I can't wait to be fucked by you.
02:59Tears welled up in my eyes, and my hands trembled uncontrollably.
03:04The man who was supposed to marry me in a week actually cheated on me with my best friend.
03:11I stood there, stiff from head to toe.
03:13Some numb instinct made me scroll upward.
03:16She never enters your dreams, does she?
03:18She's too clean.
03:19Too boring.
03:21Who can do it as well as you?
03:22It's unforgettable.
03:24In that moment, what chilled me more than the flirting was that every line.
03:28Camila used to tempt him stepped directly on secrets I had told her myself.
03:32I had told her I refused to cry into my lover's dreams.
03:35I had told her Luca was terrified of abandonment.
03:38I also had told her that I wanted to save my virginity for our wedding nigh.
03:43She had taken all of it and turned it into a knife.
03:46When Camila first met Luca, disgust was written all over her face.
03:51She looked him up and down, a dark red glint flashing in her eyes, the kind only half-blood
03:56succubi had.
03:58So you're the human who wants to marry Vivian?
04:00Luca smiled and offered his hand.
04:02I'm at Luca.
04:03Camila did not shake it.
04:04She only stared at him, her mouth cold.
04:07Human men's promises are worthless.
04:09If you ever hurt her, I'll make sure you dream every night of being torn apart by your
04:13own desire.
04:14Later, Luca complained to me about it.
04:16I only held back because she's your friend.
04:19Otherwise, I would have thrown her out of my club.
04:22Every time he mentioned Camila, his dislike sounded so real.
04:26So real I never doubted it.
04:28Back in the hotel room, I stared at the words until my fingers started shaking.
04:32Half-blood succubi could smell desire.
04:35Even through a scream, I could smell it now.
04:38Desire leaked from those messages.
04:40Hot and sticky and burning.
04:42This was not a misunderstanding.
04:43This was Luca's real desire for Camila.
04:46An impatient sexual desire.
04:49The shower stopped, as if the phone had burned me.
04:52I locked it at once.
04:53Then I picked up my own phone and video called Luca.v.
04:56A few seconds later, the screen lit up.
04:59Baby.
05:00Luca's familiar face appeared.
05:01He was in Chicago, or so he had told me, meeting investors for a new private club.
05:05The camera shifted, and several partners sat behind him, raising their glasses at me.
05:10Surprise call from the bride-a-bee.
05:12Don't worry, at Vivian.
05:14We're watching him for you.
05:17Jackson's friends mentioned you about 800 times tonight.
05:19If he keeps going, we'll be forced to hear the entire wedding vow speech.
05:23I looked at the man smiling gently on the screen.
05:25His eyes were clear.
05:27His voice was soft.
05:28He looked like nothing had happened.
05:30Sweetheart, did you miss me?
05:32He leaned closer to the camera and lowered his voice.
05:35I'm almost done here.
05:37I'll be back with you before the wedding.
05:39I promise.
05:41My heart felt like something had seized it.
05:43It hurt, but some desperate part of me still refused to give up.
05:47I paused, then asked like it was nothing.
05:49Luca?
05:51What do you think of Camilla?
05:54On the screen.
05:55His expression froze for the briefest second.
05:58Only one second.
06:00Then he was natural again.
06:02That crazy man-hating snob?
06:04He gave a short laugh, his tone full of disgust.
06:07If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even want to hear her name.
06:10But I was staring into his eyes.
06:12For one second, Luca's pupils darkened.
06:15That was what happened to humans after a succubus dream had wrapped around them.
06:19He thought of Camilla.
06:20He thought of the feel of her tail around his wrist.
06:22He thought about the pleasure of having sex with her.
06:25And even his breathing became a little heavy.
06:27Luca looked away.
06:29Baby.
06:30Babe.
06:31I have to go.
06:32I'll call you later.
06:33I'll bring you a gift when I come home.
06:35The video ended.
06:36The lie was gentle.
06:38That made it hurt more.
06:39The wedding I'm looking forward to may never happen.
06:44I sat beside the window, staring out at the damp night.
06:47My chest sank inch by inch.
06:49Behind me, the bathroom door opened.
06:51Vivian?
06:52Camilla had already changed.
06:54She usually wore black suits and ankle boots.
06:56And most days she could not even be bothered with lipstick.
06:59Tonight, she was in a fitted dark red velvet dress.
07:01Her long hair lay wet over her shoulders.
07:04Her lips were the color of blood.
07:06A thin black tail flashed beneath the hem of her dress.
07:08Then disappeared almost at once.
07:10I saw it.
07:11She knew I saw it.
07:12Succubi only lost control of their tails when they were starving, aroused, or about to hunt.
07:16But Camilla only walked toward me as if nothing had happened.
07:19She looked almost like a stranger.
07:21Do you have someone you like?
07:22Her hand paused in the towel, drying her hair.
07:24I wanted to warn her.
07:25I wanted to tell her the man was unreliable.
07:27But before I could speak, her face went cold.
07:30Out, Vivian.
07:30We're friends, sure.
07:32But you don't get to forbid me from having desire just because you're getting married.
07:36That's not what I meant.
07:37Then what did you mean?
07:38Her eyes slowly flushed red, not hurt, but the dark red of an angered succubus.
07:44Do you think you're the only one worthy of being loved?
07:47The only one men should worship?
07:51I'm worried about you.
07:52Camilla laughed.
07:53Worried about me?
07:54She stepped closer.
07:55The scent of black roses and absinthe rose in the air.
07:58You were never worried about me.
08:00She lowered her head to my ear, her voice low and cruel.
08:02You just can't stand the idea that one day, I could take something from you.
08:08Then she grabbed her bag.
08:10Vivian, you disappoint me.
08:12I chased after her.
08:15Camilla!
08:17As the elevator doors slid shut, the look she gave me was cold, cold enough that I finally
08:21understood.
08:22This was not only betrayal.
08:23This was hatred.
08:26I stood in the hotel hallway, my mind a mess.
08:29Camilla was a succubus.
08:31She would not be fooled easily by a human man.
08:34But what if that man was Luca?
08:36The image from her phone still burned in my mind.
08:38Black bunny ears, pink handcuffs.
08:41Succubus contract sigils.
08:42Then I remembered the hotel location Luca had sent in the chat.
08:45I grabbed my car keys and rushed downstairs without even taking a coat.
08:50The streets of Los Angeles were empty and cooled deep into the night.
08:54I drove all the way to a private hotel in West Hollywood.
08:58The moment I parked, I saw Camilla's car.
09:02Then my whole body went rigid.
09:05Luca, who was supposed to be in Chicago on business, walked out through the hotel's
09:09revolving doors.
09:10He was wearing the black coat I had chosen for him.
09:13Camilla stepped out of the shadows and walked toward him.
09:15She did not throw herself into his arms like an ordinary lover.
09:19She only stood in front of him, lifted her eyes, and looked at him coldly.
09:24Luca's throat moved.
09:25The next second, he reached out, caught her by the waist, and pulled her close.
09:31Camilla laughed softly.
09:33Her black tail slipped from under her dress and slowly wrapped around his wrist.
09:37Luca looked down at it, and his breath deepened.
09:40He did not pull away.
09:42Then they kissed in front of the hotel.
09:44Not a misunderstanding.
09:46Not glamour.
09:48Not a similar voice.
09:50It was Luca.
09:51It was Camilla.
09:53Cold?
09:55Not with you here.
09:57How did you explain leaving to Vivi?
10:00She depends on you so much.
10:01How did she let you go?
10:03I threw a little tantrum.
10:05That was all.
10:06She rose on her toes and bit his throat.
10:09You still don't know how much she cares about me, do you?
10:13I left just now.
10:15She's probably still scared I'm angry, scared I'll ignore her.
10:19She gave me the spare key to your wedding house.
10:22She even asked me to keep your wedding ring safe.
10:27She trusts me more than she trusts you.
10:31That was when I heard something inside me crack.
10:34The person I trusted most had just used my trust as a trophy in front of the man I was
10:39supposed to marry.
10:43Camilla's tail was still wrapped around Luca's wrist for a succubus.
10:46That was an act of possession.
10:48It was also a silent hunt.
10:50She said she hated men.
10:51She said their desire was cheap and filthy.
10:54But now she had her tail wrapped around my fiancé's wrist in a possessive loop.
10:58Luca could have pulled free.
11:00He did not.
11:01His thumb even stroked her tail once.
11:03Camilla narrowed her eyes slightly.
11:05Didn't you say you hated me most?
11:07Luca looked down at her.
11:08I do hate you.
11:09Then why do you keep coming into my dreams?
11:12Luca did not answer.
11:13Her tail nimbly slipped into his crotch, caressing his already erect penis.
11:17Luca reached out his hand, and I thought he would push her away.
11:21But to my surprise, he reached under her skirt and inserted his fingers into her vagina.
11:26Camilla squeezed his fingers together in unbearable discomfort, then collapsed limply against him.
11:33Good boy, you've put on a penis-locking ring so early.
11:36Admit it, Aunt Luca.
11:38You like that I look down on you?
11:39You like that I hate men, but I only let you close?
11:43You like that this is stolen, dirty, and impossible to show in daylight.
11:48Luca caught the back of her neck.
11:50Shut up.
11:51Camilla lifted her face.
11:53Then make me.
11:55The next second, Luca kissed her.
11:57The kiss was urgent and rough.
11:59His hands expertly kneaded her breasts, and Camilla's face was full of enjoyment.
12:02Your penis hard.
12:03It's hitting me, you little slit.
12:05Luca smiled happily and reached her hand, under her skirt.
12:10You're not even wearing underwear.
12:12Be careful the water doesn't drip onto the floor.
12:14I sat there.
12:15Fingers clenched around the steering wheel.
12:18Half-blood succubi could smell desire.
12:21So I knew better than anyone.
12:23Luca was not fully controlled.
12:25He was sinking in with his eyes open.
12:28He picked her up and carried her into the hotel.
12:31Hurry up.
12:32Vivian will be looking for me soon.
12:36I remembered the first time I confessed my identity to him.
12:40It had been another wet, rainy night.
12:43I told him I was not entirely human.
12:46I dreamed differently.
12:48I could sense desire.
12:50If I was too hungry, I could draw a little life from someone's dream.
12:55I thought he would be afraid.
12:57Instead, he held my hand.
12:59So you've been forcing yourself to endure it all this time?
13:02I nodded off.
13:03His eyes turned red.
13:05Vivian, you don't have to pretend to be normal with me.
13:09If you're hungry, take it from me.
13:11I almost cried.
13:12Luca, a donor gets weak.
13:15Then I'm willing.
13:17He had sounded so serious.
13:19Serious enough that I thought the world had finally held me gently.
13:23Later, he pursued me so openly that all of West Hollywood knew about it.
13:28I mentioned once that I liked jazz, and he booked out Midnight Bar that same night.
13:34I said church bells frightened me, and when we passed the Cathedral of St. Viviana, he covered my ears.
13:42When my first business failed and I hid in the attic of the old house refusing to see anyone, he
13:47stood outside in the rain all night.
13:49He pulled me out of my shame as a half-blood succubus and told me again and again,
13:53You are not a monster.
13:57Vivian, you just haven't learned how to love yourself yet.
14:01Back in the car, those memories were too heavy.
14:03Now those memories hurt more than the betrayal itself.
14:07The man who once told me I was not a monster was now proving that monsters could wear the face
14:11of love.
14:14I remembered the first time I confessed my identity to him.
14:18It had been another wet, rainy night.
14:21I told him I was not entirely human.
14:24I dreamed differently.
14:26I could sense desire.
14:28If I was too hungry, I could draw a little life from someone's dream.
14:33I thought he would be afraid.
14:35Instead, he held my hand.
14:38So you've been forcing yourself to endure it all this time?
14:40I nodded Doc, his eyes turned red.
14:43Vivian, you don't have to pretend to be normal with me.
14:47If you're hungry, take it from me.
14:49I almost cried.
14:50Luca, a donor gets weak.
14:53Then I'm willing.
14:55He had sounded so serious.
14:57Serious enough that I thought the world had finally held me gently.
15:01Later, he pursued me so openly that all of West Hollywood knew about it.
15:06I mentioned once that I liked jazz, and he booked out Midnight Bar that same night.
15:12I said church bells frightened me, and when we passed the Cathedral of St. Viviana, he covered my ears.
15:20When my first business failed and I hid in the attic of the old house refusing to see anyone, he
15:25stood outside in the rain all night.
15:27He pulled me out of my shame as a half-blood succubus and told me again and again,
15:31You are not a monster.
15:35Vivian, you just haven't learned how to love yourself yet.
15:39Back in the car, those memories were too heavy.
15:42Now those memories hurt more than the betrayal itself.
15:45The man who once told me I was not a monster was now proving that monsters could wear the face
15:49of love.
15:52I looked up and saw Luca having sex with Camila through the floor-to-ceiling window upstairs in the hotel.
15:58Camila's face was flushed, her red dress was lying at her feet, and she was only wearing sexy lingerie.
16:03I picked up my phone and called Luca.
16:06When the phone rang, Camila saw my name and her face cooled at once.
16:10She reached for it.
16:11Luca lifted the phone out of her reach.
16:13I told you, I don't ignore Vivian's calls.
16:16Jealousy flashed through.
16:17Camila's eyes, the call connected.
16:20Baby, miss me?
16:22I bit my lip hard enough to keep the sob from escaping.
16:26He was right in front of me.
16:27He was answering my call while playing with Camila's tail with his fingers.
16:32Even the penis was still inside her.
16:35Camila stared at my name on the screen and suddenly smiled.
16:39She tiptoed and kissed Luca's sensitive Urlo.
16:43Deliberately moaning.
16:44Luca's fingers paused, her tail hooked around his buttocks and slowly rubbed against them.
16:49Through the phone, I heard his breath turn heavier.
16:52I'll be back tomorrow.
16:54I bought you a gift.
16:56You'll like it.
16:57I looked at him for the first time.
16:59I understood that tenderness could be a blade.
17:04Luca, do you love me?
17:06He stopped moving for a second.
17:08Of course.
17:09Then would you betray me?
17:12Silence fell on the other end, right in front of me.
17:15Camila suddenly dripped the wax from a nearby low-temperature candle onto Luca's lower abdomen.
17:22Luca let out an excited groan.
17:27It was quiet, but I heard it clearly.
17:31Vivian, don't overthink.
17:35I'll be back by your side before the wedding.
17:37Camila's tail wrapped tighter.
17:39She held a candle dripping wax onto Luca's body little by little.
17:43From his collarbone, chest muscles, abdominal muscles, and finally onto his lower abdomen near his penis.
17:49Be good. I have something to handle.
17:53I'll call you later.
17:54The call ended.
17:55He had just lied to me with the same voice he used to promise me forever.
18:00After the call ended, Luca caught Camila by the waist and leaned down to her ear.
18:06You did that on purpose.
18:08Camila laughed.
18:09Of course.
18:10Isn't that exactly what you like?
18:15Luca gripped her chin.
18:17Camila, you're gonna drive me insane.
18:20She placed her finger in Luca's mouth and stirred it gently, red light in her eyes, teasing and cruel.
18:26Then go insane for me.
18:28He fucked her hard, with a frenzied excitement.
18:31The semen was ejaculated on her body, some of it staining the glass window, making it particularly noticeable.
18:40I sat in the car until dawn.
18:42When the first light fell, Camila came out of the hotel, her mouth bright as if she had just drunk
18:47from a dream.
18:49Luca followed behind her.
18:50A few partners walked with them, laughing and talking.
18:54Camila acts so untouchable.
18:56But put her in a dress and she's not that far behind Vivian.
19:00Camila laughed and smacked his arm.
19:03Don't compare me to Vivian.
19:05A delicate little princess like her?
19:07What can she do except be spoiled?
19:10Luca did not argue.
19:12He only smiled.
19:13That smile was the last straw.
19:16Camila opened the passenger door.
19:18That was my seat.
19:19Every time, Luca had opened that door for me and said it was reserved for his fiancée.
19:24Now Camila was about to sit there.
19:26I suddenly did not want to endure another second.
19:28I pushed my car door open and walked toward them.
19:30Luca saw me first.
19:32His face went white.
19:33At Vivian?
19:34Camila's smile froze.
19:37I took off my engagement ring.
19:39Inside the band was the vow Luca had written by hand.
19:42I will never betray you.
19:44I threw the ring into his face.
19:45We're done.
19:47Luca.
19:48I don't want you anymore.
19:50As soon as the words left my mouth, heat surged through my chest.
19:53A dark red contract mark slowly surfaced beneath my collarbone.
19:57My skin felt as if fire had kissed it.
19:59I froze.
20:00Luca saw it too.
20:01His pupils shrank.
20:02Vivian, your mark.
20:03Camila's face changed.
20:05I looked down at the succubus blood mark that had never appeared before.
20:09The next second, I smelled the desire of everyone around me.
20:13Shock, fear, jealousy, greed, guilt.
20:16And on Luca, regret so strong it was almost bitter.
20:20So betrayal could awaken a half-blood succubus.
20:23So when pain reached its limit, blood would tear away the final layer of disguise for me.
20:29Mila stared at my collarbone.
20:30Her shock turned into envy.
20:32How did you awaken?
20:33Why you?
20:35She had always thought I was a weak half-blood succubus.
20:38Too scared to feed.
20:39Too scared to cast glamour.
20:41Too scared to enter someone else's dreams.
20:43That was why she dared take my fiancé.
20:45That was why she dared step on my feelings to prove herself.
20:49I smiled.
20:50Because you pushed me this far.
20:52I turned to leave.
20:53Luca grabbed my wrist.
20:54Vivian!
20:55The moment his palm touched my skin, the contract mark burned.
20:58I saw his desire.
21:00It was not lust.
21:01It was fear.
21:02He was afraid I did not want him anymore.
21:04But this time, I did not soften.
21:07Don't touch me.
21:09The color drained from Luca's face.
21:11Vivian, listen to me.
21:13His hand was still shaking.
21:15It wasn't me who started it.
21:17It was Camila.
21:20She entered my dreams.
21:22She amplified what I already felt.
21:24She said it would only happen once and you would never know.
21:28Camila snapped her head toward him.
21:30Luca!
21:31But he had finally found an excuse.
21:32And he shoved all the blame onto her.
21:34Vivian, I really love you.
21:36I was influenced by her.
21:38I looked at him.
21:39Once, I had thought Luca understood betrayal better than anyone.
21:42He had told me his mother betrayed her marriage and left with his father's best friend.
21:46His father did not want him.
21:48His mother did not want him either.
21:50He said he felt like an old suitcase kicked from one door to another.
21:54Back then, my heart ached for him.
21:56I stayed with him through one nightmare after another.
21:59When he dreamed of being abandoned, I took his hand and led him out.
22:02I never took more life from him than I needed.
22:05Even when hunger left me cold all over, I only kissed his forehead while he slept.
22:10And took a little harmless warmth from the edge of his dream.
22:13Now he was telling me he cheated because someone tempted him.
22:17I suddenly laughed.
22:19At Luca.
22:21You're pathetic.
22:24You don't even have the courage to admit you're rotten.
22:27Camila suddenly laughed too.
22:29Half hate.
22:30Half madness.
22:31Now you're blaming me?
22:32She walked toward Luca.
22:34Who was the one holding my tail last night and refusing to let go?
22:38Shut up.
22:39Who said At Vivian was too clean and you couldn't bear to use those thoughts on her?
22:44At Luca.
22:45Do you want me to repeat every word you said in my bed?
22:48Shame flashed through Luca's eyes.
22:50The last warmth in my heart finally died.
22:55So she had not led him astray.
22:57He had not been controlled.
22:59They had shut me out of those dreams a long time ago.
23:02One of them enjoyed being tamed by a proud succubus.
23:05The other enjoyed dragging the man I loved down from his pedestal.
23:09I got into my car to leave.
23:11Luca rushed in front of it like he had lost his mind.
23:14Vivian, you can't go.
23:16You said you would never leave me.
23:18Camila ran after him, grabbing his arm, her voice sharp.
23:21She doesn't want you anymore!
23:24Why are you chasing her?
23:27Luca, look at me!
23:28I'm the only one who can accept the real you!
23:31I looked coldly at the two of them tangled in front of my car.
23:35One betrayed me, one used me.
23:37Perfect match.
23:38I stepped on the gas.
23:40The car lurched forward.
23:42Luca's face went white.
23:43Camila screamed and dragged him out of the way.
23:46They fell hard onto the ground.
23:48Both of them a mess.
23:49The engine roared as I drove out of the parking lot, leaving their voices behind.
23:53In the rearview mirror, they looked ugly and helpless, still trying to drag each other down.
23:59I did not stop.
24:00I did not look back again.
24:01The city was waking up around me, but something in me had already gone cold and quiet.
24:08I returned to the wedding house.
24:10It was the house Luca and I had bought together.
24:12Only my name was on the deed.
24:14At the time, Luca had held me and said,
24:17What's mine is yours.
24:19What's yours is still yours.
24:21Vivian, the greatest achievement of my life is making you happy.
24:24Now, everything in the house seemed to laugh at me.
24:28The matching keychains by the door.
24:30The jazz playlist we had tested for the wedding in the living room.
24:33The wedding dress hanging in the bedroom.
24:36And in the mirror, the dark red mark under my collarbone.
24:39Growing clearer and clearer.
24:41I did not take much.
24:42Only the black pearl necklace my mother had left me.
24:45And an old book recording the taboos surrounding Succubus' true names.
24:49I had just reached the door when Luca caught up.
24:51The mark from my slap was still on his face.
24:54His eyes were terrifyingly red.
24:56Vivian, where are you going?
24:59He blocked the doorway, his voice shaking.
25:03This is our home.
25:05You said you would stay with me forever.
25:08I looked at him and found it almost funny.
25:11You also said you would never betray me.
25:15His face turned pale.
25:17I walked around him.
25:18But he suddenly dropped to his knees, grabbed my hand, and pressed my palm to his face.
25:24Hit me.
25:25Curse me.
25:26Do anything you want.
25:27Just don't go.
25:29Please.
25:30If this had been before, I would have softened.
25:33But now, all I smelled in his regret was selfishness.
25:36It was not that he could not lose me.
25:38It was that he could not accept being abandoned.
25:40I pulled my hand free.
25:42Luca.
25:43You lost me with your own hands.
25:46I opened the door and saw Camila standing outside.
25:50Her eyes were red.
25:51Her makeup was ruined.
25:53Compared to Luca, the pain Camila brought was duller.
25:56And much deeper, Camila raised her hand and slapped me across the face.
25:59Pain burst open.
26:01Luca froze.
26:02So did I.
26:03Camila looked as if she had finally torn off years of disguise.
26:06Her voice was sharp and shaking.
26:09Vivian, why is everything always better for you?
26:13Why does everyone circle around you?
26:16Why did the sucker for a blood choose you too?
26:19The red in her eyes grew darker.
26:21Her black tail lashed restlessly behind her.
26:24Do you know how much I hate men?
26:26The way they look at me makes me sick.
26:29Their desire sticks to me like mud.
26:32Camila looked at Luca and laughed while crying, wild and broken.
26:36But Luca was different.
26:38He loved you.
26:40The more he loved you, the more I wanted to take him.
26:44I didn't like him.
26:45I just wanted to prove that you could lose to me too.
26:48Camila stared at me.
26:49Tears in her eyes and no softness in her face.
26:52Do you know the funniest part?
26:53The first time I entered Luca's dream, it wasn't because I wanted him so badly.
26:59It was because you, you sent me the playlist for your first dance.
27:05And asked which song fit the wedding better.
27:08I looked at that message and suddenly wanted to know
27:10what would happen if I stole your groom from inside his own dreams.
27:15At Vivian, the more you trusted me,
27:17the more I wanted to destroy that trust with my own hands.
27:20My heart sank slowly.
27:22So that was it.
27:24Camila had not suddenly fallen in love with Luca.
27:28She hated me.
27:31I remembered the year we applied to college.
27:34She had hugged me and cried,
27:36saying she did not want us to separate.
27:38Back then, I had already received an acceptance letter
27:41from a top school on the East Coast.
27:43My admissions counselor said it was the best opportunity of my life.
27:46But Camila cried and asked me,
27:49Vivian, will we grow apart?
27:51If you go to New York, what will happen to me?
27:53At that time, I truly believed we would always be
27:56the most important people in each other's lives.
27:58So I turned down the acceptance.
28:00I stayed in Los Angeles and went to the same local university as her.
28:04It was the first time my parents were disappointed in me.
28:07My counselor also talked with me for a long time,
28:10but I had thought it was worth it.
28:11Because Camila had said,
28:14Vivian, let's never be apart.
28:15Back in front of the wedding house,
28:17looking at her face twisted by jealousy,
28:19I finally understood.
28:21Maybe the sacrifices I had thought were precious
28:23had only given her another reason to hate me.
28:26Camila, my voice was very quiet.
28:29I never tried to compete with you,
28:32but you treated me like your enemy the whole time.
28:35Camila laughed even more bitterly.
28:37Because you never have to compete.
28:40People hand everything to you.
28:43She raised her hand to hit me again.
28:44This time, I caught her wrist.
28:46The succubus mark under my collarbone burned.
28:49For the first time, I did not suppress my power.
28:52If she wanted to tear open every old wound,
28:55then I would finally look directly into hers.
28:59I saw the deepest desire inside Camila's heart.
29:02She wanted to become me.
29:04She wanted to be accepted by a family like mine.
29:07She wanted to be praised by counselors.
29:09She wanted to be seen by friends.
29:11She wanted, when Luca looked at me,
29:14to tear my face out of his eyes.
29:16I saw more.
29:17I saw her sitting beside my wedding dress,
29:21fixing my veil while leaving the scent of black roses
29:24in Luca's dreams.
29:25I saw her helping me choose wedding vows
29:27while secretly texting Luca.
29:29She said never betray.
29:31Did that make you laugh?
29:32I saw that every time she hugged me, comforted me.
29:35Or said she would stay with me until the wedding was over.
29:38There was a vicious thought hidden underneath.
29:41She wanted to watch me put on the dress,
29:43then push me down herself.
29:45So her so-called hatred of men,
29:48her pride, her cold disdain,
29:50had only been armor.
29:52Under that armor was jealousy rotting for years.
29:54I let go of her wrist.
29:58My palm came down hard.
30:00Her face turned with the blow.
30:02She staggered back,
30:04covering her cheek,
30:05staring at me in disbelief.
30:07My tears finally fell.
30:10Not because of Luca.
30:11Because I had buried years of friendship with my own hands.
30:16Camila,
30:17from today on,
30:18we are not friends anymore.
30:20The red light in her eyes trembled.
30:23I turned to Luca.
30:25He stood there,
30:26looking as if he wanted to come closer,
30:28but did not dare.
30:30I smiled faintly.
30:32You two really are a good match.
30:35One uses love as an excuse.
30:37The other uses jealousy as a reason.
30:41People like you should stay tied together.
30:44Don't let either of you escape.
30:48When I walked out of the wedding house,
30:50my parents had already arrived.
30:52My father stood outside.
30:53He saw the slap mark on my face
30:55and the succubus mark beneath my collarbone.
30:57He asked nothing.
30:59He only opened his arms.
31:01Vivian,
31:02dad's taking you home.
31:03I ran into his arms and finally broke down.
31:06Dad,
31:07I'm not getting married.
31:10I don't want Luca anymore.
31:12I don't want Camila anymore.
31:13I don't want any of it.
31:14My father patted my back gently.
31:16Then don't.
31:17You will always have a home.
31:20Behind us,
31:21Luca tried to step forward.
31:23Vivian,
31:24please,
31:25let me talk to you one more time.
31:27My father looked at him,
31:29his voice cold.
31:31You've said enough.
31:33Camila stood behind Luca,
31:34one hand pressed to her cheek.
31:36For once,
31:37she had no clever words.
31:38I did not turn back.
31:40I let my father lead me into the car.
31:42The wedding house,
31:42the dress,
31:43the rings,
31:44the dream boundaries I had once protected for love.
31:47All of it stayed behind me.
31:48Through the car window,
31:49I saw Luca standing in the driveway,
31:51finally realizing that begging at the door
31:53was not the same as being allowed back into my life.
31:55The car pulled away.
31:57This time,
31:57I was not running.
31:58I was leaving.
32:01The day after I went home,
32:03Luca came to the house.
32:05I did not see him.
32:07I only heard my father's furious voice downstairs.
32:11Get out.
32:12She doesn't want to see you.
32:14The door slammed shut.
32:16My mother brought hot cocoa to my room
32:19and sat beside my bed.
32:21The wedding is canceled.
32:24Your father has contacted the planner,
32:26the venue,
32:27and the lawyers.
32:28The cancellation
32:29and the end of the engagement
32:31are being handled.
32:33The engagement gifts,
32:34the deposits,
32:35and the expenses both families prepared
32:38have all been settled.
32:39My mother gently held my hand.
32:41As for Luca,
32:44he refuses to accept it.
32:46He keeps saying the wedding will go on as planned.
32:50But that has nothing to do with you anymore.
32:52I leaned against her,
32:54my chest tight and sore.
32:57Mom, Luca isn't even the one I hate most.
33:00I just can't understand why it had to be Camilla.
33:03Why it had to be the person I trusted most.
33:06My mother stroked my hair.
33:09Some people hate you not because you hurt them,
33:13but because you make them see what they don't have.
33:16I held the mug with both hands.
33:19The heat did not erase the pain,
33:21but it reminded me I was still alive.
33:23Outside my room,
33:25Luca kept calling.
33:26Inside,
33:26I finally stopped answering.
33:30The day before the wedding,
33:32Vivian did not answer a single call from Luca.
33:35Luca sat alone in the empty church,
33:37staring at the wedding scene.
33:39Vivian had spent three months preparing,
33:41from dusk until deep into the night.
33:43White roses covered the pews.
33:45The jazz band was still rehearsing.
33:48Every time the bells of the Cathedral of St. Viviana rang,
33:51his face grew paler.
33:53Church bells weakened the dream glamour left by succubi.
33:55That meant every ring made him a little more sober.
33:58He finally began to understand.
34:00Vivian truly was not coming.
34:02Camilla went to him.
34:03She wore a white dress.
34:04Looking like a poor imitation,
34:06she stood in the candlelight.
34:08Her black tail held tight,
34:09though red still lingered in her eyes.
34:11Luca,
34:12even if Vivian doesn't come,
34:14you still have me.
34:16Luca looked at her dot.
34:17The face that had once seemed exciting,
34:19fresh,
34:19and dangerous now only made him tired.
34:21You?
34:22He laughed once,
34:23his voice cold.
34:24What do you have that could compare with her?
34:27Camilla's face went white.
34:31You wanted me to.
34:33Luca stood,
34:34his eyes full of self-loathing.
34:36Yes.
34:37I wanted you because you made me feel like
34:39I didn't have to be responsible,
34:40because you said you didn't care.
34:42Because you made me feel like
34:44I could briefly become a piece of trash,
34:47and pay no price for it.
34:49He moved toward her step by step.
34:51But you will never be Vivian.
34:55Luca's voice echoed through the empty church.
34:58She could be shaking from hunger,
35:00and still refuse to take one extra bit of life from my dreams.
35:07She knew I was afraid of being abandoned,
35:09so she stayed with me through every nightmare until I woke up.
35:13And you?
35:14You only amplified my desire,
35:17and watched while I destroyed her with my own hands.
35:20Camilla's eyes wettled.
35:21That was still your choice.
35:23The words pierced Luca's last excuse.
35:26He stumbled back.
35:27Yes, it was my choice.
35:35So the person who deserves to die most is me.
35:38Camilla reached for him.
35:40Luca, I can stay with you too.
35:42He threw off her hand.
35:43Don't touch me.
35:44Every time I touch you, I feel a little dirtier.
35:47That sentence drove Camilla completely over the edge.
35:51Red light flared in her eyes,
35:52the candles in the church flickered hard.
35:54She lunged forward,
35:56grabbed Luca by the collar,
35:57and kissed him.
35:59It was not love.
35:59It was one last hunt to prove she was still desired.
36:02Luca froze against his mouth.
36:04She said viciously,
36:06That's not what you said last night.
36:09When you were holding on to me and refusing to let go,
36:12you didn't sound so disgusted.
36:14Luca shoved her away.
36:15Camilla staggered back.
36:16Her eyes red enough to bleed.
36:18Luca ran out of the church,
36:20wanting to find Vivian.
36:21Camilla chased him into the rain.
36:25The rain before dawn came down hard.
36:27Luca ran toward his car,
36:29soaked through,
36:30his hands shaking as he tried to call Vivian again.
36:32Pick up!
36:33Please, Vivian!
36:34Pick up!
36:35Only the cold, busy tone answered him.
36:38Camilla got into the passenger seat
36:40before he could lock the door.
36:42You can chase her all night,
36:45but she won't come back.
36:47Get out.
36:48No.
36:50Look at me.
36:52Red light filled her eyes.
36:53Luca gripped the steering wheel.
36:55Trying not to look at her,
36:57Samella tried to trap him with succubus glamour.
36:59In the illusion,
37:00Luca saw Vivian walking toward him in her wedding dress.
37:03Her veil was soft,
37:05her eyes were gentle.
37:06The church behind her was filled with white roses.
37:09Luca.
37:09For one second,
37:11Luca forgot how to breathe.
37:12But when that version of Vivian came closer,
37:14he suddenly woke her.
37:15No.
37:18She will never look at me like that again.
37:20Camilla screamed and grabbed his arm.
37:23Why her?
37:25Why is it always her?
37:27Because she loved me and I destroyed her.
37:29The car swerved.
37:31He yanked the steering wheel.
37:33The car crashed into the iron railing beside the road.
37:37In the distance,
37:37the bells of St. Viviana rang.
37:40Camilla's illusion shattered.
37:42Blood,
37:43rain,
37:43and broken glass spread across the road
37:45where a wedding should have begun.
37:48Before my flight took off,
37:50I received a video call from a friend.
37:53I did not want to answer.
37:55But the call came again and again.
37:58So I finally swiped the screen.
38:01In the frame,
38:02Luca lay in a hospital bed.
38:04His face was ashen.
38:05Gauze wrapped his forehead.
38:07The moment he saw me,
38:08his eyes reddened.
38:11Vivian.
38:12He started crying as soon as he said my name.
38:15I know I was wrong.
38:18I really know I was wrong.
38:20His voice broke,
38:21like the little boy who had once been trapped in nightmares.
38:25It wasn't that I didn't love you.
38:27I was greedy.
38:30I thought that as long as I hid it well,
38:32I wouldn't lose you.
38:34I thought you would always forgive me.
38:38But I was wrong.
38:40He cried until he could not continue.
38:42The friend beside him sighed.
38:45Vivian, he was trying to go find you.
38:48Camellia stopped him.
38:49They fought over the steering wheel.
38:50And the car crashed.
38:53Camellia still hasn't woken up.
38:55Luca keeps calling your name.
38:58Could you maybe-
38:59No.
38:59I cut him off.
39:00The other side went quiet.
39:02I looked at Luca.
39:03It was not that my heart did not hurt.
39:05But pain did not mean going back.
39:07Luca,
39:09you and I are over.
39:10I have him after any of you for helping him hide this from me,
39:13because I still remember our past friendship.
39:17But that does not give you the right to speak for him.
39:20From today on,
39:21we are no longer friends either.
39:24Luca fell apart on the screen and called my name.
39:27Vivian!
39:28Don't hang up!
39:31I really can't live without you!
39:33I looked at him.
39:34For the first time,
39:35I did not soften.
39:36You can.
39:38You just aren't used to living with the consequences of losing me.
39:41I ended the call.
39:43Then I blocked everyone connected to him.
39:45When the plane rose into the clouds,
39:47the cold, rainy night of Los Angeles was left far behind.
39:51My mother held my hand.
39:52My father sat on my other side,
39:54pretending to read a travel guide,
39:57though his eyes were red.
39:59Vivian,
40:00if you want to sleep,
40:01lean on me.
40:02Or on me.
40:03I'm not really reading this thing anyway.
40:05I smiled.
40:07I'm okay.
40:08This time,
40:09I was not pretending to be strong.
40:11I had been badly hurt,
40:13but I had not died in that betrayal.
40:15I had my parents.
40:17I had a home.
40:18And I had the courage to keep walking forward.
40:21The city below grew smaller and smaller,
40:24until Luca,
40:25Camila,
40:26and the wedding that never happened became a cluster of lights behind the clouds.
40:30I pressed my palm over the mark beneath my collarbone.
40:33It was still warm,
40:35but it no longer felt like a warning.
40:37It felt like proof that I could keep moving forward.
40:42Over the next two months,
40:44we went many places.
40:46From the white sands of New Mexico,
40:48to the red rocks of Arizona,
40:51from the neon of Las Vegas,
40:53to sunsets along the Pacific,
40:56my succubus mark grew steadier.
40:59I stopped being afraid of my bloodline.
41:02I learned how to build boundaries in dreams.
41:05I learned to re-desire.
41:07I learned not to make myself responsible for the emptiness inside other people.
41:13One night in Arizona,
41:15my father found me sitting outside the motel alone.
41:19Nightmare again?
41:20Not exactly.
41:22Then what is it?
41:24I think I'm scared that
41:25if I accept this part of myself,
41:28I'll become like Camila.
41:30My father sat beside me.
41:32Power doesn't make you like her.
41:35What you choose to do with it does.
41:38The first time my black wings fully unfolded
41:40was in a motel outside Las Vegas.
41:42That night,
41:43the moonlight was cold.
41:45I woke from a nightmare
41:46and felt a faint tearing sensation behind my back.
41:50In the mirror,
41:51I saw a pair of black wings slowly open.
41:53Not evil,
41:54not a curse.
41:55Only proof that I had finally stopped denying myself.
41:59My mother knocked softly at the door.
42:01Vivian?
42:02Are you alright?
42:04I looked at the reflection in the mirror.
42:06For the first time,
42:07I did not hate what I saw.
42:09Yes, mom.
42:10I think I am.
42:11I finally understood.
42:13I was not a monster.
42:14The monsters were the people
42:16who used love and desire
42:18as excuses to hurt others.
42:22Two months later,
42:23I returned to Los Angeles.
42:25As soon as I reached the house,
42:27I saw Camila.
42:28She had lost a lot of weight.
42:29She stood outside the fence
42:31looking in again and again.
42:33She was not wearing heavy makeup
42:34and she was not in one of those bright,
42:36eye-catching dresses.
42:38Her tail was gone.
42:39Or rather,
42:40she was forcing it to stay hidden,
42:42too afraid to let it appear in front of me.
42:44My mother's face turned cold immediately.
42:47What are you doing here?
42:49Camila looked startled.
42:51When she turned and saw me,
42:52her eyes reddened at once.
42:54Vivian,
42:55can I talk to you?
42:55I did not want to go,
42:57but I knew some old wounds
42:59had to be stitched by my own hands
43:01or they would keep rotting under the skin.
43:05You don't owe her anything.
43:08I know.
43:09I looked at Camila through the fence.
43:11The girl who once walked into my room
43:14without knocking
43:15now stood outside
43:16like a stranger asking permission.
43:19Ten minutes.
43:20Camila nodded quickly,
43:22as if afraid I would take the words back.
43:27We walked to a corner cafe.
43:29We had come here all the time.
43:30She ordered an iced latte.
43:32I ordered hot cocoa.
43:34She used to laugh at me
43:35and say I was still a child.
43:37Now she sat across from me,
43:39stirring her cup again and again.
43:43Camila looked at me across the table.
43:45Have you been okay these past two months?
43:48I did not answer.
43:49She lowered her head.
43:51I haven't.
43:52The people from our old circle
43:54won't talk to me anymore.
43:55Even the counselor
43:56from our college application year
43:58called me.
43:59Her voice shook.
44:00She said,
44:01Camila,
44:01losing at Vivian
44:02is something you'll regret
44:03for the rest of your life.
44:05I didn't understand at first.
44:08Then she told me
44:09that the year we applied to college,
44:10you could have gone to that top school
44:11on the East Coast,
44:12but you turned down the offer for me.
44:15She said everyone knew.
44:17I was the only one
44:18who kept pretending I didn't.
44:19Camila cried.
44:21Vivian,
44:21I was so jealous of you.
44:25You had a good family,
44:27parents who loved you,
44:29great grades,
44:31beauty,
44:31and even succubus blood
44:33that felt cleaner than mine.
44:35You didn't have to take anything.
44:37People loved you anyway.
44:38And no matter how hard I tried,
44:40I felt like your shadow.
44:41She looked up at me,
44:43so I wanted to steal from you once.
44:45Her voice sank.
44:48Actually, that night,
44:49when I asked you to check my phone,
44:50it wasn't because
44:51I trusted you completely.
44:53I knew Luca might message me.
44:55I should have taken the phone,
44:57but I didn't.
44:58For one second,
44:59I even wanted you to see it.
45:01I wanted to know
45:02what your face would look like
45:04when you realized
45:05I could make the man you loved
45:07lose control too.
45:08So even the beginning of my heartbreak
45:10had been staged by her own hand.
45:14Camila could not quite meet my eyes.
45:17I wanted to see you lose to me once,
45:20but now I know what I stole wasn't Luca.
45:24What I destroyed was the best thing
45:26you ever gave me.
45:27She cried so hard,
45:29she almost could not breathe.
45:30I'm sorry.
45:32Vivian, I'm sorry.
45:33If this had been before,
45:35I would have felt sorry for her.
45:37I would have handed her tissues.
45:39I would have held her.
45:40I would have said it was okay.
45:42But now,
45:43I only looked at her calmly.
45:45Some apologies came too late.
45:48Too late did not undo the damage.
45:50Too late did not erase betrayal from memory.
45:54Camila,
45:55I stood.
45:57Don't come looking for me again.
45:58Her face went white.
46:00Vivian, I regret it.
46:01I looked at her.
46:03Then live with what you did.
46:06Don't make me digest it for you.
46:08I turned and left.
46:09Behind me,
46:10she sobbed my name.
46:12Vivian,
46:13please,
46:14I don't have anyone else.
46:15I stopped for only one second.
46:17Then I kept walking.
46:18Once,
46:19those words would have chained me to her guilt.
46:22Now,
46:22they only proved I had been right to leave.
46:24I did not look back.
46:28Later,
46:29people said Luca sold his private club in Los Angeles.
46:32He went to Chicago
46:33and left their shared circle completely.
46:35Some people said he was trapped by nightmares every night,
46:38in those dreams.
46:40Vivian walked toward him again and again,
46:42only to turn into black smoke before he could touch her.
46:46Vivian,
46:47wait.
46:47But the dream Vivian never stopped.
46:50Every night,
46:51he woke with his hands stretched into empty air.
46:54He stopped attending parties.
46:56He stopped answering old friends.
46:57The man who once knew exactly how to smile for every room now sat alone until dawn,
47:03afraid to sleep and more afraid to wake.
47:05Others said he found a succubus contract lowyer and tried to trade half his life for Vivian's return.
47:10The lowyer looked through the old contract book,
47:13then closed it.
47:13Succofibra contracts can trade in desire,
47:17memory,
47:18dreams,
47:19pain,
47:19and time.
47:21Then take it!
47:22That is not the problem.
47:24Luca's face was pale.
47:26Then what is?
47:27They cannot trade in another person's free will.
47:32I don't need her forced.
47:35I just need a chance to see her.
47:37If she does not want to return,
47:39no contract can bring her back.
47:40Luca lowered his head.
47:42For the first time,
47:43there was no one left for him to blame.
47:46Because Vivian did not return for one simple reason.
47:49She did not want to.
47:52Half a year later,
47:54I opened a dream counseling studio.
47:56I specialized in helping people trapped by desire,
47:58nightmares,
48:00and low-level succubus contracts.
48:02I no longer denied my succubus blood.
48:04I no longer treated my ability like a curse.
48:07I could see desire.
48:08And because of that,
48:09I could also see sincerity.
48:11That rainy night,
48:12my last client sat across from me,
48:14fingers twisting together.
48:16Will this contract make me a bad person?
48:19No.
48:20But letting someone else use it to control you will hurt you.
48:24How do I know if what I feel is mine?
48:26I looked at the faint contract shadow around their wrist.
48:30Real desire leaves you with a choice.
48:33Control takes the choice away.
48:35The client slowly nodded.
48:37Did you learn that from books?
48:38I smiled faintly.
48:39No.
48:40From losing something I once thought I couldn't live without.
48:44After the client left,
48:45the bells of the Cathedral of St. Viviana rang.
48:49Once,
48:50those bells had made me weak.
48:52Now I only stood by the window and watched rain fall through the streetlight.
48:58The succubus mark under my collarbone warmed faintly.
49:02This time,
49:03it was not warning me of a contract,
49:06hunger,
49:06or someone else's desire.
49:08It was only reminding me that I finally belonged completely to myself.
49:13My father called.
49:15Coming home for dinner?
49:16I smiled.
49:18I am.
49:18I live a real life.
49:21And my parents' love is real too.
49:25After I hung up,
49:26I turned off the lights in the counseling studio.
49:29The glass door reflected my shadow.
49:31Black hair,
49:32red lips.
49:33A faint dark gold light in my eyes.
49:35Behind me,
49:36a pair of black wings opened softly in the reflection,
49:39then folded away.
49:41For a moment,
49:41I stood still and looked at myself.
49:44I remembered the girl who used to hide every sign of hunger.
49:48I remembered the girl who refused to enter the dreams of the man she loved.
49:53Because she thought love should never become control.
49:57I remembered the girl who trusted her best friend with wedding dress photos,
50:02vow drafts,
50:04keys,
50:05rings,
50:05and every soft place in her heart.
50:08That girl had been hurt,
50:09but she had not been foolish for loving sincerely.
50:13The foolish ones were the people who mistook her trust for weakness.
50:17The phone buzzed again.
50:18For one second,
50:20an old reflex made me glance at it.
50:22It was not Luca.
50:23It was not Camila.
50:24It was only my father sending a picture of dinner.
50:26Your mother says if you don't come soon,
50:28I'll eat your portion.
50:29I laughed for the first time that night.
50:33Don't you dare.
50:34The ordinary warmth of that message was worth more than every dramatic voe Luca had ever made.
50:40I pushed the door open and walked into the rain.
50:44This city was still bright,
50:46intimate,
50:47and dangerous.
50:49Desire was everywhere.
50:51But I would never lose myself in someone else's desire again.
50:57Luca,
50:58Camila,
50:58all the love that had vanished in midnight dreams.
51:02It was all behind me now.
51:04My life did not need me to look back.
51:06Even if betrayal had made me stumble once,
51:09I would keep walking forward.
51:12Luca's voice once told me,
51:15Vivian,
51:16you are not a monster.
51:17Camila once asked me,
51:18Vivian,
51:19we'll never be apart, right?
51:21Back then,
51:22I had believed both of them.
51:24Now,
51:24I no longer hated myself for believing.
51:27Love had been real on my side.
51:29Betrayal had been real on theirs.
51:31And I did not have to carry both.
51:33The rain softened the city lights.
51:36The succubus mark beneath my collarbone glowed once,
51:39calm and steady.
51:40I looked up at the sky.
51:42I belong to myself.
51:43No one answered,
51:44because no one needed to.
51:46The answer was already in the way I kept walking.
51:49Behind me,
51:50a pair of black wings opened softly in the rain,
51:53then folded away.
51:55I was not running from desire anymore.
51:57I was not starving myself to prove I was good.
52:00I was not waiting for someone else to tell me I was safe to love.
52:04I was alive.
52:05I was free.
52:06And I would never again mistake someone else's hunger for my home.
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