A/N: I’m back with a second part! This was another commission, I didn’t think people liked the first part enough to want more of these two, but I guess I was wrong! My commissions are still open, with three slots available currently, so if you like what I do feel free to hit me with your own requests!
Summary: It’s been years since the incident on Westwood Road, and the two of them have long since gone their separate ways. But when an opprotunity to be reunited presents itself, will the risks be worth the reward?
He doesn’t know how long he sits in the dark.
For all he knows, the dark is all he’s ever known. He sits there, waiting. Waiting for what exactly, he doesn’t know for sure. He just feels like this is the calm before the storm. Though he feels, upon thinking about it a bit longer, that this is more like the eye of the storm.
After all, he was just killed by someone he loved.
No, that doesn’t quite sound right either. He does still love her. He knows he probably shouldn’t, given the way she had just ripped him apart like a rabid animal, but he can’t bring herself to harbor any negative feelings about her. His only regret is not asking how she’d ended up in such a tragic situation. If the tears that streamed down her face as she finished him off were anything to go by, it must have been devastating.
He continues to just sit there in the all encompassing darkness. He wonders if he’ll ever be reunited with her again. He wonders if he’ll ever get to see her smile again, or hear her voice.
While he’s lost in thought, memories drifting in and out of his mind, he doesn’t notice the way things are beginning to grow brighter around him. He doesn’t notice until the light is near blinding, and he finds himself losing consciousness again.
It’s been years since she did what she did.
She’d convinced herself that she would move on and, in a way, she has. She continues to feed, preying on men and women alike as she sustains herself on their souls. In all this time, none of them had the same effect on her. She was able to do the same process that she had done with him with very little trouble. She was so certain this meant she had moved on.
Deep down she knew she hadn’t.
Even after all this time, the way he had looked at her before she took his life sits at the back of her mind, coming forward at the worst possible moment without fail.
Sometimes it comes to her just before she falls asleep, rendering her unable to do so for several hours, if she gets to at all. Other times, it comes when she’s about to feed, when she’s already planning where she’ll go to catch her next one. Suddenly, her prey becomes the predator, looking back at her with his forgiving eyes rather than the terrified ones they’d replaced. She’s taken back to the moment before she committed what she considers to be her greatest sin. Though he wasn’t fully composed, the fear of death as paralyzing as ever, his eyes told a different story. It was one of forgiveness, of acceptance.
Sometimes she wonders if she’ll ever see him again. Perhaps he’d be traveling the world as a spirit, unable to move on from his mortal dwelling. Though she figures he’s likely become an angel by now. Helping others where he can, protecting them from things that may come to harm them. Protecting them from beings like her.
She knows he couldn’t have become something like her. It’s not in his nature.
While he had been able to accept his end, remembering all their moments together with fondness rather than regret, she hadn’t been able to do the same. Instead of remembering any good that had happened between her and the man that had ended her life, she found herself thinking about all the red flags that she had looked past. The way she had ultimately pushed away her friends and family who tried to warn her floated through her mind. She wished she’d listened to them.
Now she was doomed, her soul tainted with spite and vengefulness. She was to wander the earth, inflicting the same pain tht had been done unto her, only able to survive by causing heartbreak that could rival her own.
She wonders if the man who killed her had wanted to do the same. Reveling in the damage he had done to her, for fun rather than for survival. She thinks he was her first encounter with a demon. No person could be that evil without corruption. Though she fears she’s become like him.
She wonders if the cycle will ever break. If she’ll ever be free of her curse.
When he wakes up again, he’s disoriented.
The room is covered in a blinding white. The white curtains that hang in front of the window move slightly, a light breeze flowing into the room. There’s not a single sound coming from inside or outside of the room. He takes in his minimal surroundings, noting the chair sitting at the edge of the bed. The walls are as bare as the rest of the room, save for a rather intricate painting of clouds that rests near the door. It’s redundant, he thinks. It’s as if whoever was responsible for designing this pace felt it was too plain, but decided any sort of color would disturb the flow of the room.
He continues scanning the room, searching for something, anything, that could tell him where he is, when there’s a knock at the door. He freezes. Should he be hiding right now? Would making any sounds alert whoever, or whatever was on the other side of the door?
As if able to sense his apprehensiveness, the door opens slightly. It continues slowly, and he doesn’t dare move an inch. When it does open, he’s met with a young woman. She wears a simple white dress, and carries a clipboard with a few sheets of paper attached to the front of it.
“There’s no need to be alarmed,” she says. “You’re safe now.”
“Where am I?” He asks immediately. He can’t quite explain it, but her presence soothes him instantly. He finds any worries he has have melted away, and now he only has questions that need answers.
“Heaven, of course. You do know that you’re dead, right?” He nods. “Well, you’re certainly handling this better than most people your age do.”
“I didn’t think heaven would be so… clinical.”
“We’ve tried modernizing the way we welcome new angels.”
“There’s no real reason for that. Just how it is.” He nods again. “Were those all your questions?”
“What’s the clipboard for?”
“Oh! That’s actually what I’m here to go over with you. You see, once you die, the place you end up after assigns a job to you.”
“So we don’t just get to enjoy the afterlife?”
“You do, just as long as you’re on top of assignments. It’s just so we can keep things running smoothly. Gives the people here a purpose.”
“So it’s like having a job.”
“Exactly! Only the payment is living in paradise.”
He considers this for a moment. Everything he’d been told about what Heaven is like has been a little misleading, it would seem. Though, he guesses that angels who visited humans in all the stories he’d heard were just doing their job. He tries not to think too hard about what that implies.
“So how do I choose my job?”
“Oh, you don’t choose. Your assignment is chosen when it’s decided where you’ll go after you die. Easier to get both of those examinations done in one go. Much faster that way.”
“But what if someone gets a job they aren’t happy with?”
“They learn to be happy with it eventually. Each job is rewarding in its own way.”
“You’ll understand more the longer you stay.” The woman clears her throat. “Now then! Let’s talk about your job. Your file says that you tend to go out of your way to help people. You were fairly popular in high school. A shame that you died so young. You really didn’t get to live much of your life.”
“I’d rather not think about that too much.”
“Your manner of death, though, that’s what really interests us.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Oh, this is a great thing. It’s the reason you’re getting the job you’re getting. We’ve been trying to deal with this type of demon for a while now. So many souls, unable to be saved.”
“Well, we don’t really base where you’ll go on your whole life. We base it on your emotions during your final moments. Really says a lot about you as a person. Much more than you realize.”
“So the people who died the way I did? What were they feeling?”
“Rage. Vengeance. Bloodlust. They wanted the person who had betrayed them to pay for what they’d done. They wanted them to suffer as they had.”
“But isn’t that normal? Isn’t it reasonable to be angry that someone you loved would hurt you?”
“Maybe. But forgiveness should follow. That’s what we’ve all been taught. And that’s why you’re the only one who’s been saved.”
“Understanding. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Those were the last things you felt before your death. We’d never seen that before. More interesting, though, you felt love. You were still under the spell of that demon.”
“A spell?” His voice raises slightly at the mention of her. “She never used any spell on me. I love her.”
The woman eyes him for a moment, mild concern written on her features.
“You poor boy. One day you’ll be free.”
“Nothing. Now, your job is similar to a guardian angel, albeit a bit more dangerous. You’ll be helping more people free themselves from these demons. Or, at the very least, you can warn them by telling them what will happen if their emotions lean too negatively when the time finally comes.”
“Okay. I think I can do that. But why is it so dangerous?”
“In doing your job you're essentially taking away a demon’s source of food. Much like a wild animal, this will make them more dangerous. We usually leave a job like this to our more experienced angels, but seeing as you know first hand how these demons work, you should be just fine.”
He’s silent for a moment. He didn’t think there were very many demons who operated the way she did. Certainly not enough to cause such a problem that it would be considered dangerous. His heart hurts at the thought of so many people suffering the way she had. He wonders if there’s a way for him to help the demons themselves as well as their prey.
“Will I ever find her again?” He opts to ask.
“I doubt that. None of us know her name?”
“Demon’s names hold power. If someone knows the true name of a demon, then they’re basically owned by that person. They usually go by cover names.”
“And you don’t know hers?”
“No, I do. But you can’t know that information. You could end up going rogue, and we can’t have an asset as valuable as you doing something like that.”
“You know them as fallen angels. You’d essentially become a powerful demon. I’m sure you can understand why we wouldn’t want such a thing.”
“Could a demon become an angel?”
“That’s not possible. Their place was already decided. There is no way for them to rise in status, no matter how much they believe they have redeemed themselves.”
“I know. It seems harsh, judging someone based on a single moment. But that’s the way things are here.”
He’s speechless. He wamts to do this job, that much is for sure. He wants to save people from having everything taken from them the way he had. He’s got all the motive he needs to do the tasks given, not really afraid of the potential danger of this new proffession.
He just wishes there was a way from him to save her.
This is probably the worst attempt at feeding she’s had to suffer through in a long time.
It seemed easy enough when she first stumbled across him. A strange man who’d never even been in a relationship. He would be quick work, she’d thought. He’d fall for her in a week, three at the most. That’s what she’d assumed.
It’s been about four weeks now, and she can’t lure the guy away from his house for long enough to finish the job.
It wouldn’t be as bad, all things considered, if the guys weren't also a total freak. He’s definitely not someone she feels any sympathy for. He’d started pressuring her into sleeping with him a week into the relationship, which would’ve been the first red flag to anyone who knew how to spot them. She’d managed to convince him that she wanted to wait, and he agreed, deciding that her reluctance made her more “worthy” of him when the time came.
She thinks he’s full of shit.
She’s tried everything to lure him away, from telling him that she wanted to take him out to dinner to telling him that she had some sort of surprise for him that needed to happen outside the city. Just her luck she’d find prey that was essentially a hermit. She’d only come across him when he was out buying computer parts. Today, though, she was at her limit.
It was when he’d berated her for her choice in clothing, a simple tank top and jeans combination, that she’d decided that she’d let his pathetic existence go on for much longer than what was necessary.
It takes finally giving in to his request of hooking up with her to pull him away from the basement he was living in. She imagines his soul won’t be particularly tasty, but at this point, she’s more worried about having someone like him taking up valuable space on earth than anything else.
She brings him to the outskirts of the city, his greasy hands finding their way all over her body on the way. She can’t wait to be done with him. He’s so focused on trying to make her focus on him that he doesn’t notice the way her eyes flash red with every press to her skin.
She’s so focused on trying not to kill the man right then and there that she doesn’t notice she’s being watched.
She managed to convince him that allowing him to tie her up would be a good idea, and he agreed, noticing that the building they’re in is run down, but too concerned with what he thinks is about to happen to interrupt her.
“C’mon, Miranda, when do we get started? I’ve gotta be back home for this tournament.”
She flinches at the use of her name, or at least what he thinks is her name. Somehow it doesn’t make her feel any less dirty.
“Oh, you poor soul, you don’t realize the danger you’re in. Not that it matters.”
“What danger? Does this building have asbestos or something? Why would you bring us here, are you really that stupid?”
Her eye twitches at the comment, but she makes the decision to ignore it. He’s the fool here, after all.
“It’s not that you should be worried about, though you’re probably right about the chemicals. This building has been around for centuries. Great place to harvest a soul.” The man lets out a nervous chuckle.
“What are you, like, one of those fake vampire people?”
“A vampire? You don’t even know enough to know what it is they do? The most explored mythical creature in existence?”
“I don’t need the likes of you telling me what I do and don’t know. Let me go, you’ve ruined the mood. Maybe I’ll let you try again in a week.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what? Let me out of here!”
“Ah, you’re another one that doesn’t get it. Frankly, I’ve wasted enough time on you, so I’ll just spell it out for you. I’m a demon and I’m here to consume your soul.” His eyes widen, but he says nothing. She continues. “Ideally I would’ve been done with you a week ago. But you’re such a pathetic waste of a person that I couldn’t even get you out for long enough.”
“So this is what you do? Trick men so you can eat us?”
“Yup. You made the hard part easy, too. You were wrapped around my finger the second I rejected you. Strange behavior, if you ask me.”
“You bitch, you won’t get away with this!”
“You’re not even that original. A misogynist named Kyle? Give me a break”
Her eyes begin to change from their warm brown to a harsh crimson. She opens her mouth, rows of inhumanly sharp teeth appearing seemingly out of nowhere. When she does, she can feel her body begin regaining energy, his soul draining from his body and entering hers. She watches as the life drains from his eyes, growing duller the more of his soul he loses. When the light is gone, she reverts back to her human form, and breathes a sigh of relief.
“Wow, that was exhausting. Never going after one of these types ever again.”
“That’s a good idea. I didn’t like the way he treated you.”
She freezes. It’s happening again. She hasn’t imagined his voice in such a long time. It hasn’t crossed her mind in months. Why now? Why after all this time?
“I know you’re not real,” She says. “I’m just hearing things again. Go away.”
“Again? So you’ve heard me before?”
“How could I know that? I haven’t seen you since the day I lost you.”
“Since you lost me... You don’t talk like that. Where’s the ‘you did this to me’ speech?”
She’s unconvinced. She knows this is her mind playing a dirty trick on her. A simple rewording of what it usually tells her won’t get her hopes up. Still, she decides to play along. She turns, slowly, like a model on a runway showing off their every angle. She figures that she’s already on the edge of her sanity as it is, and she closes her eyes too, making it a bit of a game. Her turning comes to a stop.
“Alrighty, go ahead and tell me when I can open my eyes. Really make me look even more unhinged than I feel. Let’s have fun with this.”
He can’t believe that after all this time, she’s right in front of him.
She’s just as beautiful as he remembered. He’d just watched her consume a soul, a soul which he’d been sent to save, but he can’t find himself feeling anything other than pure joy at the sight of her. He thanks his lucky stars that he was assigned to this case, he was starting to lose hope that he would ever see her again.
He’s thinking about what she said. She’d been hearing his voice before he found her. Killing him really had taken a toll on her, it would seem. At this realization, he thinks back to what he had been told so long ago.
“Her kind don’t form connections to the people they kill,” the woman says. “They’re heartless creatures. It’s best that you accept that now rather than finding out later.”
“Is it just something that doesn’t happen often? Or is it difficult for them to do it?”
“No. It’s impossible. You really need to let that girl go. She’s out there right now forming the same type of relationship with other people as she did with you. You were nothing but something for her to use.”
“Exactly. You’ll feel better once you move on. For now, just focus on your work.”
He did exactly that. He’d managed to save many people in the time since he'd begun his job. Luckily, he’s been able to avoid every demon he’s managed to swindle out of a meal. Until now, that is.
This is the first mission he’s ever failed. Surely, he would be questioned about what happened, and he knew he would have to make something up. But seeing the way this particular person acted, especially after he found out it was her he was talking about in such a disrespectful way, he decided he had no qualms about letting him die, taking advantage of his luck so that he could get the answers to his questions. He needed to know if he really should be moving on, or if he should be looking for a cure.
“You can open your eyes. It really is me,” He says. She scoffs.
“You better leave me alone for good after this.” She wastes no time in letting her eyes fly open. When she does, she looks unimpressed. “Oh, you haven’t done this little trick in a while. I suppose you expected me to run forward only for you to turn to dust, right?”
“You can touch me. I’m real. I came to see you.”
“Prove it then. Walk forward. All the way over here to me. I’m just dying to see what you’ll do when you get here.”
He obeys immediately, making his way over and resisting the urge to run over to keep from alarming her. He stands right in front of her now, and she continues to give him the same unimpressed gaze. She still doesn’t believe what she’s seeing.
It’s when he makes the bold move to wrap his arms around her that she goes quiet.
This isn’t real. It can’t be real. This is just an intense delusion of hers.
He’s warm, that’s the first thing she takes note of. He’s got a tight hold on her, almost as if he’s afraid that he’ll leave him again. Against her better judgement, she leans into his embrace, taking in his scent.
“You’re real,” she says. “You’re really here.”
“I’m real,” he confirms. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“But why?” She asks. “I’m the reason you ended up this way. You’re supposed to hate me.”
“I could never hate you. Not when I understand why you do what you do. I won’t punish you for doing something out of your control.”
She finds herself relaxing in his hold. She hasn’t been able to relax in such a long time. It’s not what she was made to do. It’s entirely out of her nature to do such a thing. She’s never been able to stick to her own rules when it comes to him, though. Still, she pushes him away.
“You shouldn’t be here. Not with me. You could get in trouble.”
“You’re worried about me?”
“Of course I am, don’t be ridiculous.”
He seems to consider her words for a moment.
“I need you to listen to me, okay?” She thinks a moment before nodding. “There’s a way for me to cure you, I know there is, but I need to know that this is what you want.”
“What? That’s not possible.”
“No, there’s a way. I just need time. I’m not gonna let them keep us apart like this. I just need you to trust me.”
She already trusts him, though. She doesn’t need any convincing. She only worries about what will happen to him if he’s caught.
“You can’t help me. It’s against your rules. You could get in serious trouble.”
“I don’t care. As long as your burden is lifted, I’ll be happy.” She says nothing. “I’m going to get you out of this. But we’ll need to be apart again for some time. Stay safe until that day.”
She doesn’t bother arguing with him. He’s always been this way, setting his mind to something and not stopping until he gets what he wants. It’s a trait of his that she always admired. She’s afraid that this time, it may be his downfall. He’s challenging forces he’s only just begun to understand.
But she’s tired of them too. She doesn’t care what happens to her, but if this is something that can cause a change, she’ll do it.
“Okay,” she says. “I want this. I trust you.”
He grabs her by the waist and pulls her close to him again, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, before backing away again.
“I’ll see you soon. I promise.” With the flash of a bright light, he disappears, leaving her alone with nothing but her thoughts, and the shell of the soul she had eaten.
For the first time since she lost him, she breaks down.
When he returns home, the first thing he does is report what happened to him.
Not all of it, of course, he can’t mention that he’d finally found her. That would only anger them. They would likely restrict his activities, making his mission more difficult than it likely already will be. The people in charge tell him that because of his great work in other cases, one failed case was nothing to worry about, so he could just go about his day until he received his next assignment.
While he waited, he went to visit the person who would help him to do what he needed to do. He knocks lightly on the door, and upon hearing the quiet “come in” on the other side of the door, he lets himself in
“Oh, it’s you again. Don’t tell me you’re here to find more ways around the curse.” The woman says.
After being here for several years now, he’s met tons of people. Though, he’s never bonded with someone the way he has with Kora, an elderly woman whose death came to her in her sleep. In her life she had been a witch doctor, dabbling in spells that could transform things into different objects, cause misfortune for others, and yes, lift curses.
“I don’t need to do that.”
“Sure,” Kora says. “I just made tea, come have some.”
He sits down at her kitchen table, and she turns to pour him a cup, placing it in front of him before pouring one for herself and taking a seat.
“I really don’t need to find a way around the curse, Kora. I found her today. She wants to do this.”
Kora looks up at him, expecting him to tell her he was just joking. But when she sees the way his eyes sparkle, unbridled hope written in them, she knows he’s serious. She lets out a sigh.
“Well, I did say I’d help you. I’m a woman of my word.” He smiles. “But you’re risking a lot here. If it doesn’t work, you could risk everything. Not just for you, but for both of you.”
“That’s fine. Whatever it is, we can handle it.”
“So, it’s not the procedure that takes much effort. It’s the aftermath. The main step is finding the man who killed her, in order for her vengeance to be achieved. Lucky for you, he’s still alive.”
“Sounds easy enough. It didn’t take much for her to tear me up,” he says with a chuckle.
“However, once she does this, she’ll be reborn. This would separate the two of you, leaving you behind to deal with the consequences, on top of defeating the purpose of you doing this.”
“I can’t accept us getting separated from each other. Not again.”
“There is a way for the two of you to be reborn together. But it is difficult. You’ll have to have bonded to her. Seeing as she’s a demon, the only way for you to do that is for you to get her name.”
“She didn’t even tell me that when we were alive.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. In the end, will she have trusted you enough to give you this information? Will she love you enough to make herself so vulnerable?” He says nothing. “Even so, there’s no guarantee that in your next life the two of you will meet. That will also depend on how strong your bond is. You could end up in entirely different countries, even.”
He thinks about this. Now that he knows what will be required, he’s hit with the weight of what exactly it is he’s risking here. If he’s unsuccessful, he'll have to face the wrath of the angels he’d betrayed. If he succeeds, he doesn’t even know if he’ll get the result he’s really after.
But then he thinks of her. No matter the outcome, she’ll be freed from her curse. She’ll get to live the life she didn’t get to before. More than his desire to be with her, he wants her to have the life she deserves.
“I’ll do it. I don’t care about the risks. I’m going to do it.” Kora sighs.
“Alright, then. I’ll tell you where the man is, but the rest is up to you.” He rises from his seat and makes his way over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug.
“I’ll be okay, Kora. Everything will be fine.”
He makes his way out of her home after talking a bit more with her. He knows that regardless of what happens, he won’t see her again after this.
She watches him leave, and for his sake, she hopes that if she is to hear about him again, it won’t be a story of a young man who risked everything for the wrong person.
When they arrive at their destination, she feels a chill run up her spine.
It’s late. They wanted to be certain that no one would be around when they did what they came to do. Things would be less messy that way.
“He’s in a church?” He asks, confused. She rolls her eyes.
“I expect nothing less from him. He always did hide behind a facade. This is the best one yet.”
The two of them head in, and hide amongst a few churchgoers that linger inside. She assumes that there was a late night church service being held here. They must’ve come at the end, and she’s thankful. The thought of having to actually listen to him pretend to be a good man makes her sick to her stomach.
They linger until the church is empty, and she sees him head to the back, leading to the basement that she knows all too well. She grabs his hand and leads him in that direction, bringing him to the door that leads deeper into the church.
“Are you sure you’re ready to face him again?’
“I’m sure. It’s about time I see him again. This is long overdue.” Her eyes flash red for a moment, and he decides to stop asking questions.
She pushes the door open, and makes her way down the stairs with him following close behind her. She sees the man at the back of the room, rifling through boxes, and wastes no time in letting him know she’s here.
“Well, well, well.” The man freezes. “Been a while since we were down here, huh? Sure brings back memories, doesn’t it?”
“You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real,” the man mutters to himself.
“Oh, so you do feel guilty about what you did to me? Could’ve fooled me. Your little holy man cosplay is quite interesting.”
“Look me in the eye, coward.” Afraid of provoking her, he turns to face her, slowly. “Much better.”
“How are you here? What are you?”
“This question gets more annoying the more i hear it, you know. Figure it out yourself, holy man.”
“What do you want from me? Please go away.”
“Oh no. Not yet. See him?” she points to where he stands, standing a little distance behind her. “I want you to tell him what you did to me.”
“You heard me. Tell him why you thought my life needed to end.”
“I had to. You know what would have happened.” the man turns to him. “She knew what she was doing.”
“You didn’t have to do anything.”
“They would have disowned me!”
“So a little premarital sex is an issue, but murder is cool? Got it. Anything to keep your dirty little secret, right?”
The room is silent. Now that the truth is out there, now that he knows what happened to her, he understands why no one knows her name.
“I guess I should’ve expected this, right?” She continues, “After getting involved with the preacher’s son? And you got to go on, right? Continued living? Taking up after your dad? And what did I get? Cursed. Dooming people to the same fate you forced me into. But today, that changes.”
“You dare to claim that what I did wasn’t justified? You wanted to ruin me!”
“I wanted to be with you. In public. I didn’t wanna be a secret.”
“You convinced me to commit a sin. You haven’t earned the right to love, I could’ve been great. Instead, I’m stuck in this town, in the middle of nowhere, trying to make up for something that you did.”
“You did this to yourself.” she says. Her eyes quickly change to that harsh red he had seen before, and he knows what’s about to happen before the man does. “I don’t need to prove my worth. To you, or to anyone. You were nothing in life, and now, you’ll be nothing in death.”
Before he can even get a word in, she’s latched onto him, ripping him apart in the very same room where her existence was cut short.
A few moments of silence go by before she begins to glow slightly.
“It’s happening. I did it, I broke the curse.”
“You did. You’re free now.”
“But what about you? Why aren’t you glowing too?”
“We haven’t bonded enough. It’s okay though, I wouldn’t have wanted you forced into doing something. You’ve been through enough.”
“No! No, tell me. I’ll do it.” He knows she won’t, but she won’t remember him when she’s reborn anyway.
She looks at him. She’s so close, so close to being free from that person. She can’t be bound to her again. She can’t say her name.
Taking note of her silence, He grabs the sides of the face, and pulls her in for a kiss, putting everything he has into it, as he knows it’ll be the last time. He whispers an “I love you” before looking her in the eyes to be sure she knows.
It’s at this moment, as her glow is becoming blinding, that she realizes this is a decision she can make herself. Finally, she’s the one who gets to make a choice. Instead of misery, this time, she chooses happiness. She just hopes it isn’t too late.
Somewhere, in another part of the world, a baby girl is born to a family that had been trying to conceive a child for years. They know this is the most precious gift they’ll ever receive.
Minutes later, in that same hospital, a baby boy is born.
