Chapter 15: 15: The Truth Behind the Monster

POV – Ava

I stiffened at the sound of Dante’s voice.

"You shouldn’t be in here, Ava."

The room seemed smaller, the air thicker, as I slowly turned to face him.

He stood in the doorway, his shoulders tense, his blue eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite place—anger, fear, maybe both.

But I didn’t care.

Not when the truth was right in front of me.

Not when I was staring at a painting of myself that shouldn’t exist.

I stepped back, my fingers still tingling from where they had touched the painting.

“Dante,” I whispered. “What the hell is this?”

His jaw clenched. “It’s complicated.”

I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. “No. Complicated is finding out my boyfriend is a vampire. Complicated is Lucien trying to tempt me away from you. This?” I gestured to the book, my voice rising. “This is something else entirely.”

His gaze flickered to the open book, his expression darkening further.

“Ava—”

“No.” My voice trembled. “Tell me the truth. Who is she?”

A heavy silence stretched between us.

And then, in a voice so low I almost didn’t hear it, he said:

“You.”

Dante pov

The moment the word left my mouth, I knew.

There was no going back.

Ava’s breath hitched, her pulse hammering so loudly I could hear it across the room.

“You’re lying,” she whispered.

I shook my head. “I wish I was.”

She took another step back, her fingers gripping the desk behind her like she needed to ground herself.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I should have told you sooner.”

Her eyes flashed with betrayal. “Damn right you should have.”

I inhaled deeply, my chest tight with something I didn’t want to name.

How could I explain it?

How could I tell her that she wasn’t just a lover from my past, but the only woman I had ever loved?

That her soul had been tangled with mine for centuries?

And that every time I found her… she died in my arms.

Ava pov

Everything inside me screamed to run.

This was too much.

Vampires? That, I had learned to accept.

Lucien? The danger he posed? I could handle that.

But this?

Finding out I was someone else before I was me?

I forced my legs to move, backing toward the door.

I needed air. Space.

But before I could reach the hallway, Dante was there.

Fast. Silent. Blocking my path.

His fingers brushed my arm, his touch gentle but unyielding.

“Please,” he murmured, his voice softer now. “Let me explain.”

I swallowed hard, my breath shaky.

“What is there to explain?” I whispered. “I saw the painting. She’s me.”

Dante exhaled, his gaze searching mine.

“Yes.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“How?” I choked out.

His fingers twitched at his sides. “Because, Ava… you are her reincarnation.”

Dante pov

The words hung between us like a curse.

She stared at me, her lips parting, but no sound came out.

The truth had finally been spoken aloud.

And now, there was no running from it.

I reached for her, but she jerked away, her breath coming in quick, panicked bursts.

“No. That’s… that’s impossible.”

I sighed. “I know it sounds—”

“Sounds insane?” she snapped. “Yeah, it does.”

A sharp pang shot through my chest.

I had expected this. Feared it.

But knowing it was coming didn’t make it hurt any less.

I wanted to tell her everything, to ease her fears, to make her understand.

But how could I, when the truth was the very thing that might break her?

Ava pov

I needed to wake up.

This had to be a dream—a feverish, twisted nightmare.

Because there was no way in hell this was real.

I took a shaky step back. “So what, Dante? I just… keep being reborn? Over and over again?”

His silence was the worst answer possible.

I let out a broken laugh, shaking my head. “And what happens every time? Do I just conveniently forget you? Do you go looking for me?”

He hesitated.

That was all I needed.

“Oh my God.” I pressed a hand to my chest. “You do, don’t you?”

He didn’t deny it.

I wanted to scream.

“What happened to her?” I asked, my voice raw. “To the other me?”

Dante’s throat worked, his gaze dropping for the first time.

And that’s when I knew.

“She died.” My voice was barely a whisper.

His jaw ticked.

And that’s when I knew this wasn’t a love story.

This was a tragedy.

One that had already played out.

And I was doomed to repeat it.

Dante lifted his gaze, his eyes brimming with pain.

“If you remember her… if you remember who you were…”

His voice was softer now, almost pleading.

“You may not survive it.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding.

Not survive it?

“What does that mean?” I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper.

Dante hesitated, and in that hesitation, I saw fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

Dante pov

I clenched my jaw, forcing the words out.

“You were the only woman I ever loved, Ava.”

Her breath caught, her hands shaking as she gripped the desk for balance.

“And you died because of it.”

She gasped.

I exhaled slowly, my chest tight. “You don’t remember yet, but it’s there. Buried deep. If those memories come back… if you remember what happened between us… you may not be able to handle it.”

Ava’s eyes burned into mine, searching for the lie.

But there wasn’t one.

This wasn’t some fairy tale about destined lovers finding each other across time.

This was a curse. A tragedy written long before she was reborn.

She was the one thing I had ever truly wanted.

And she was the one thing I could never keep.

Because fate had already decided how this story would end.

And in every version, she died in my arms.

Ava pov

I couldn’t breathe.

His words wrapped around me like chains, pulling me under.

I was the reincarnation of a woman who had loved Dante once before.

And she had died for it.

My body went cold, my fingers tingling.

“If I remember… I’ll die?” I whispered.