Chapter 12

I HELD the stirring wheel tightly after parking my car in front of the church. Thank God the windows were tinted so nobody from outside could see me. I waited for Ingram in my apartment, but he never came.

Yet, I still attended the wedding on my own. And now, like a fool, I couldn’t step out of the car. At the same time, I couldn’t leave. I slowly lifted my face when I heard a commotion outside. And there I saw the groom riding his big bike in his white Armani suit. He parked right beside my car.

When it became hard to breathe, I had to pat my chest a number of times. “Stop being a scaredy-cat. You can do this, Bri. You’ve been hurting for a long time. You should be immune to this by now,” I told myself as I tried to hold back my tears. I took a sharp breath before finally stepping out of the car.

All the guests were still outside the church. That’s why they all looked at me the moment I came out. I faintly smiled which disappeared when I met Kristoff’s eyes. He smiled back but it didn’t reach his eyes. I lowered my gaze. Maybe I really shouldn’t have come here.

Not long after another car stopped in front of us. I heard the guests gasp, especially the females. For sure it was Stella. She must be smiling triumphantly right now. I avoided looking in her direction, but I was stunned when I felt a hand suddenly hold mine. My heart pounded as I quickly lifted my face.

“God…” I whispered when I saw Ingram after eight days. He looked dashing in his navy blue suit. When he smiled, I felt like my ally was back, my neighbor was finally here. This was the first time I’m seeing him under the sun that’s why I feel proud. This handsome Prince was by my side again.

“Hello again, darling. Did you miss me?”

“Every single day,” I replied before embracing him. I closed my eyes when I felt him wrap his arms around me.

“Just every day? That’s not fair. Because I’ve missed you every single second, Brianna. I’ve missed being this close to you that I thought I’d die.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you show up only now? Were you mad at me?”

“I could never be mad at you, Brianna. Later, I will explain everything. You can release me for the meantime, darling,” he added in an amused tone. “As much as I want to keep embracing you, your sister’s cheeks are starting to turn bright red. She might think you’re stealing her moment,” he lowered his voice. “And I can’t blame her. Because darling, you’ve captured every man’s attention right now. Heck, you look lovely. And I can’t help but feel proud I’m with you.”

For the first time in eight days, a genuine smile appeared on my lips. I released him and with a newfound courage, I finally turned towards the bride. The bridal car was now parked just a few meters away from us. Mama stood beside it along with the sullen bride. Just like before, Mama had a blank expression, but I saw a hint of relief in her eyes that I showed up, although that emotion disappeared right away. The bride on the other hand, glared at me before looking at Ingram.

My whole body tensed when I saw her sweetly smiling at Ingram. Fortunately, the program started right away. But I remained uneasy. I knew that look. Stella was like that when she first met Kristoff, too.

You’ve never seen me out of control, Stella. Try to make a pass at him and I swear, all hell will break loose.

(Ingram)

“FOR MORE than three centuries, I have watched you suffer, Ingram. I thought your suffering would end once you’ve found the doppelganger. I was wrong. Because here you go again. What is wrong with you? If you love her, then tell her. If you don't, then leave her. Why are you making it complicated when it’s just that simple?”

I laughed bitterly after hearing Erasmus’ supposed to be words of wisdom. I jumped from the third floor to the living room on the ground floor and sat beside him on the couch. He was about to drink from the blood bag when I stole it from him. I finished it in just a few seconds.

“You’re right. It’s simple. If I love her, all I need to do is just to tell her and voila! We’ll be together. And then we’ll die like what happened to those before us.”

“And what’s wrong with that? For immortals like us, isn’t dying a gift? Dying for a purpose, dying for love, Ingram, isn’t that a privilege?”

“You are aware that seeing the doppelganger was the sole purpose of my existence. It’s the reason why I’m still alive. If my life was the only one at stake here, then I wouldn’t mind. But what about Brianna’s life? If I do confess things, and she happens to accept me, how long will we last? What if she was the first to die, too, just like Levana?” I threw the empty blood bag on the floor out of distress. “I’ve heard about the curse many times from you and the Vampires I met but I didn’t believe it.

“I mean, who on Earth could tell who our hearts will desire? I don’t believe in destiny either. But damn it. I fell for the doppelganger. And I know if I only wanted to, I could have had Brianna that night. If I didn’t leave, then maybe she and I would be in a relationship now,” my chest constricted. “Because I didn’t believe in the curse, I searched for her. I made a vow to myself that I’d protect her, that I’d make it up to Levana through Brianna. But this stupid thing meddled the first time I laid my eyes on her,” I said as I pointed my chest. “I thought I could control this, but I can’t. Why can’t we control our hearts for once? It's just a heart, a tiny little thing, damn it.”

“If we can control all the things in our lives, then how can we be happy? The heart is there to be our guide about the things and the people that could make us happy.” Erasmus patted my shoulder. “You are so full of what-ifs. Haven’t you realized yet that it was because of your what-ifs that Levana died? Such as what if Levana lives longer? What if she’s not sick? What if you help her? What if someone can really heal her? Ingram, Levana was destined to die then. And so is Brianna as a mortal. Don’t be blinded by your what-ifs this time around. Tell Brianna the truth and let her decide for herself.”

“But—”

“In the past, you denied Levana the chance to make a decision of her own. She was supposed to die. And she was ready to die. But you meddled with her destiny. The truth is Sullivan wouldn’t be able to succeed in messing with the doppelgangers if only they had a strong resolve. See? Despite what you did, Levana still died early. And you know what’s worse? She died unhappy. She could have died the other way around. She could have died happy while being with you in the final hour of her life, but you took that chance away from her.”

I’ve stopped reminiscing when I heard a round of applause. Only then did I remember that I was inside the church. When I glanced at the altar, I saw the newlyweds kissing. I quickly turned towards Brianna’s direction. I saw how she lowered her head.

I clenched my hands tightly. Brianna and Kristoff’s relationship was not something that could be taken lightly. I know that he still had a special place in Brianna’s heart since he was her first boyfriend. And… I’m jealous.

After more than three centuries, I was able to feel something towards the opposite sex again through Brianna. She may look like Levana, but I have different feelings for the two of them. What I felt for Brianna was deeper, more powerful, more passionate, and more aggressive. Levana will always be my one sweet love from the past while Brianna was proving to be my dark, wild, sinful, and intense reason to be alive.

When I left for a while, I went to my mansion in Tanay where Kiara and Erasmus were currently staying. I had to be away to think because if Brianna was afraid, so was I. And that fear started when I fell in love with her, when I realized that the curse was real. One wrong move and the thing from the past could happen again. I could lose Brianna.

I was also anxious that once I decide to reveal the truth, she might not be able to accept me. While I was away, I had Kiara guard her. She couldn’t be alone especially now that Sullivan was also in the country. I was confident about taking some time off because, according to the Shaman I talked to, Sullivan wouldn’t be able to mess with Brianna for the time being since he was busy scheming something. Whatever that was, I didn’t care anymore. I was just relieved that Brianna was still safe from his grasp.

But there were days when I couldn’t hold back. When the night came, I’d go back to my apartment and watch Brianna sleep. I would lay beside her and would leave only when she was about to wake up. There were also moments when I’d follow her to the places she went. The recent one was when she was at the mall. I wanted to tell her everything right there and then.

But I hesitated.

Erasmus’ words made me realize a lot of things that’s why I finally decided to show up. And today was the day I plan to take a risk. I will let Brianna decide. When I could no longer stand seeing her wince, I closed my eyes and stopped the time.

I walked towards her and lifted the person sitting beside her. I was the one who sat there. I held her hand and kissed her lips with all the love I feel before the clock started turning again.

Brianna’s eyes widened after seeing me. But it didn’t take her a while to close her eyes and respond to my kisses. If not for the guests who cleared their throats, we wouldn’t have stopped. She smacked me on the chest with that adorable, embarrassed expression on her face. Her cheeks were red.

“How did you get here?”

“I stopped the time and sat beside you.”

She giggled. “You’re crazy.”

“I know.”