I Killed Myself, but I Did Not Die

Edward’s head snapped up. His face was no longer just arrogant; it was monstrous. The veins in his neck pulsed with a dark, predatory violet.

"You've finally crossed the line, Sonya," he hissed, his voice vibrating with a killing intent I knew all too well from my past life. "I gave you a roof, and you repay us by attacking the only woman I love? You want to leave? Fine. But you’ll leave with a reminder of what happens when you touch what is mine."

He began to stand, his fangs slowly extending, the air in the hallway dropping to a freezing chill.

And the next second, I was pulled closer to him. His hands pressed against my neck as he slammed me against the wall, his fangs almost scratching the delicate skin of my neck.

"Apologize to Beth!" He groaned, "Right now!"

"Apologize to her?" I giggled, "She fell by herself!"

Edward's hands raised in mid-air, ready to slap me. Just then Beth's pitiful voice echoed.

"Ed, please stop!" She begged, her eyes wet. "If you hit her because of me, she will tell Uncle and Aunt and they will blame me for that."

He released me instantly. But, his eyes turned dark and laced with the hatred that always hurt me to see in his eyes for me.

"This is real you. Scheming and manipulative!" He sneered.

Scheming and manipulative?

That's what he called me when I did literally nothing.

If it was in the past, I would have sunk to my knees, pleading and explaining things to not make him misunderstand me.

But, the present me did not care about it. He could think whatever he wished. I was done explaining.

Once Beth had spilled wine on her shoes that Edward had just bought her and blamed me I did it out of jealousy.

I slit my wrist and offered Edward to drink it to see the truth through my blood. But, he held my bleeding arm and threw me aside.

"I don't need to see anything. I believe Beth!" He spat, "As for you, your punishment is that you will clean Beth's boots by licking the wine with your tongue."

"You can think whatever you want. I'm done telling my truth." I spat before I grabbed the handle of my luggage and walked past them.

I didn't look back at the obsidian doors or the silver sign that labeled me as less than a hound.

But as I reached the bottom step, a terrifyingly familiar warmth touched the back of my neck.

I froze. My eyes traveled to the horizon.

The sky wasn't the deep, protective indigo of midnight anymore. It was a bruised, bleeding orange. A thin gold of the sun was peeking over the edge of the world.

No. Not now.

In my past life, the "Eternal Sun" had been Edward’s favorite tool of torture. Even for a vampire, the dawn wasn't an instant death, but for a low-born like me, it was an agonizing slow-burn that blistered the soul before it charred the flesh.

I had miscalculated the time. The confrontation inside had stolen the precious minutes of darkness I needed to reach the mortal Zone.

I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. I reached for the door handle, desperate to step back into the safety of the manor’s shadows—just until the sun fully rose and I could call for a specialized sun-shielded transport.

The handle didn't budge.

Click.

The heavy iron bolt slid into place from the inside. Through the narrow, reinforced glass slit of the door, a pair of Edward's eyes appeared.

Edward stood on the other side of the glass. He leaned in, his breath fogging the pane. He didn't say a word, but his lips curled into an evil, slow-spreading smile.

Behind him, I could see Beth, leaning against his shoulder, her "injured" ankle miraculously healed.

"If you want me to take you in, apologize to Beth right now." He commanded, "And, call my parents, tell them you are not interested in me anymore, tell them not to force me to be with you because you like somebody else."