Horror x Romance

***Kai*** … I fix my wedding gown in front of the mirror and take a deep breath. This is it. The big day. I wish my parents and my brother are alive to see me married off to Charles. I feel sad that my dad won't be able to escort me to the altar and hand me over to the groom. Some of the staff is here helping me with my gown. My palms are sweaty and I'm nervous, but at the same time, I'm excited. I trace the permanent ink on my arm. Kai Benedict. That sounds pretty cool. The door opens and Charles slips in. “Charles! You shouldn't be here!” I say. “She's right,” one of the staff says. “It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” Charles ignores her and march up to me. He cleans up nicely. He's wearing a black, tuxedo suit that tailored just for him. He looks so good and I'm tempted to undress him straight away. “There's no such thing as bad luck,” Charles says. “Not when I'm about to marry m...

***Kai*** … We visit my brother the next day. There is still that painful ache in my chest whenever I think about my brother. I'm still in pain, but I am slowly healing. Charles holds my hand the entire time as I talk to my brother. Telling him I'm sorry. And telling him goodbye. “Lucas, I promise I will take care of your sister for the rest of her life. And I will make her so damn happy. I will love her with all my heart, brother-in-law,” Charles says. “Brother-in-law?” I raise my eyebrow at him. “Of course. If you are to be my wife, then he's my brother-in-law.” “What kind of proposal is that?” I push him. “Shouldn't you ask me and present me the ring first?” Charles rolls his eyes. “Fine woman, we'll buy the rings later. Will you marry me?” And that question fills the last crack of my soul with his love and strengthens me. “I like that very much,” I whisper. Charles and I walk through the fields, hand in hand. I feel like I'v...

***Kai*** … I tell Charles to take me to the old condo, where my brother and I used to live. He drives me there immediately without saying another word. I don't speak, my eyes no longer seeing the world. I enter the apartment, and immediately goes to my brother's room. There are pieces of him in this room. His drawings, his textbooks. I find the photoframe on the table, pictures of us together, smiling. There are a couple of photos with our parents at the old house, and one at my university. Letting out a strangled scream, I throw the pictures on the floor, hearing the loud shatter of glass as everything breaks into fragments. They break just like my heart. I continue throwing things on the floor, until heavy arms wraps around me from behind and I struggle, still screaming with pain. I try to push him away but Charles holds me tighter, his arms caging me. I scream with rage, and with grief, and every single emotion inside me bursts out into a wai...

***Kai*** … Charles doesn't say anything on the way back home but I can feel his eyes on me. Watching me. This time, I hate it. I just want to disappear. I don't want him to see me at all. I'm no angel. I'm a sinner. I have paid for the price of my sin. And I'm still paying for it now. I was lucky that the nightclub would take me in despite my criminal record. It was a good thing the owner of the club is a gangster himself… I couldn't get any other jobs. My options were limited after having a criminal record. I was no longer a 'citizen'. They treated me like a dangerous animal who might harm the society. I rest my head against the window, looking out at the passing trees. It's over now… As soon as he pulls the car into the garage, I leap out of the car and walk to my room. I hear Charles echoing footsteps behind me but I don't turn around. As soon as I enter my room, I quickly throw my things into my suitcase. “Wh...

***Kai*** … “Where are we going?” I ask as I got into his car. I’m wearing a white, cotton dress with jeans. My eyes look appreciatively seeing Charles in a sleeveless shirt, exposing his strong muscles. With his sunglasses on, he looks like a celebrity. “There’s this movie that I want to watch. Then I want to stroll down the high streets and have lunch.” “Sounds like a date,” I say jokingly. Charles starts the car. “Think whatever you want,” he says without looking at me. We’re in a theatre watching a rom-com movie. I never knew Charles is into these kind of stuff, but instead of watching the screen, Charles watches me instead. Sometimes he has that hungry look and I turn away, pretending I didn’t see. I feel afraid. I haven’t felt happiness for so long. I’m afraid if I get too happy, then life would throw me back into the gutter. But when the movie ends, Charles grabs my hand and takes me outside, his hand still tightly clasped on mine. He makes me fee...

***Kai*** … My first kiss. It starts off sweet first, our lips greeting each other. He brushes his lips on mine again, and presses harder and I can trace the shape of his lips with my mouth. My lips parted with a sigh and he takes that chance to deepen our kiss, his tongue tentatively touches mine. My skin burns with a fever as he pulls me closer to him, and I can feel the heat of his body. His hands roams the curve of my hips as his mouth continues to devour me. I forget about the spectators around us and focus on his touch on mine. His skin, burns on my skin. This devil, this damn devil, somehow manages to get under my skin and turn my entire world upside down. I sink my hands into his soft hair, and I pull him closer. I can’t get enough of him. Charles gives that deep-throaty laugh. “No wonder Prince Charming cease to see other women when Cinderella arrives. Because she outshines everyone else with her presence alone.” “Prince Charming is a very lucky ma...

***Charles*** ... I resist the urge to go back to the room to find her. I stand mingling with the party guests, not bothering to smile. This is my father's idea of a party, not mine. The music is too classical for my taste and I fucking hate these fake conversations as everyone starts talking about stock markets and comparing their daughters like they're livestocks. Darn women... they flock around me like sheep. They cling to my arm and it drives me bugfuck. They're all wear sexy dresses and paint their faces with so much make up. But I see them nothing as just clowns. If they want to seduce me, they should've come in naked. Not wearing feathers and shit. I sip my champagne, impatiently waiting for this party to be over. The door suddenly opens and light from the house burst into the garden. I turn and stills. My drink drops to the ground. She emerges from the door, her hair--it sets the entire world on fire with brilliant red. Her hair is tied up int...