Light and sun

The music and laughter from the hall slowly faded behind us as Edgar closed the library door. The sound of the latch echoed like a sinister echo in the air, and in an instant, I found myself trapped in a space that seemed designed to hide secrets.

Edgar was close, very close; his presence was intense and urgent. I stared at him, feeling my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. Despite the gentle flashes of happiness emanating from the banquet in the hall, a feeling of unease enveloped me, like a dark cloak I couldn't shake off.

“Hanna,” he began, with a voice that was both music and poison at the same time. “I know who you are. I know you're not Ashlee.”

My breath froze for a brief moment, my words getting stuck in my throat like thorns. “What… what do you mean?” I dared to ask, though deep down I knew Edgar wasn't joking. The revelation chilled my blood, a shiver ran through my body.

He took a step forward, a flash of malice passing through his dark eyes. “Your sister has been out of the picture for quite some time. She's not your rival, Hanna. It’s you I truly want.”

The air grew heavy with his confession. My mind was torn between disbelief and horror. “Are you saying that…? That you've been behind all this?”

My words vanished into the air, and a mixture of distrust and fear took hold of me. Edgar smiled in a way that made me feel exposed, as if every corner of my being was laid bare before him. His presence was a blend of seduction and danger, a combination that made me doubt my own instincts.

“What happened with Ashlee… was it you?” I stammered, unable to handle the reality unfolding before me. “Are you responsible for her death?”

Edgar stepped closer, his unsettling gaze fixed on my eyes. “No, Hanna. I am not the monster you think. Ashlee was… complicated. But you, you have something special. You've always had it.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered my sister's warning. “Shut up! Don’t talk about her!” I yelled, desperation coloring my words. “You don’t know anything about what we really were.

How can you say that?” His laughter echoed in the room, a sound that vibrated in my bones.

“Ashlee beside you was just a shadow. But I realized that your light was brighter. From the very first moment I saw you, I knew it was you who truly desired.”

“I am not a desire object for you, Edgar. I am Lucía’s twin sister, and I will never allow you to play with my life like that.

” My words were an echo of the determination that had begun to swell inside me. But something in his gaze, a flicker of madness, made me fear what might happen if I continued to defy him.

“What happened to Lucía was an accident, an unfortunate twist of fate,” he said, moving even closer.

“She was never able to see what we were truly destined to be. But you… you do. We know true love.”

“True love?” I repeated, feeling anger start to bubble in my veins.

“The love that killed my sister? You’re nothing but a monster!” The tension between us was palpable; every word exchanged was like an electric shock.

One part of me wanted to step back, to escape this terrifying revelation, while my other half longed to understand what was happening.

But I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way. “Hanna…

” I heard his penetrating voice again, now softened, almost melodic. “You are beautiful. You are strong. I know you can be the woman I truly desire. I know you will be my moon."

“Your moon? What are you talking about?” I asked, sensing that his words concealed a terrifying secret. The intensity of his gaze confused me. “Edgar, if you have any respect for Lucía, stay away from me.”

The warning, though serious, sounded weak compared to his growing presence. In an unexpected turn, he stepped forward and, with a swift movement, grabbed my wrists in his hands.

“Hanna, you can’t fight this. You can’t run from your true destiny,” he said, his voice almost a whisper in my ear. The touch of his breath sent shivers down my spine. My heart was pounding wildly; fear mixed with an unfamiliar adrenaline. Was I feeling something? The closeness of his body, his masculine scent, kept me paralyzed. For a fleeting moment, I fell into the trap of his charm. But quickly, my fierce loyalty to my sister surged back like a powerful wave.

“You’re a psychopath!” I shouted, forcing my wrists to free myself from his grip. Edgar’s expression darkened, as if a dark lightning bolt had crossed his handsome face.

“You don’t understand what I’ve sacrificed to be here. You understand nothing.”

His voice grew threatening, but I wasn’t going to give up. “Sacrificed? Lucía’s life?”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wasn’t going to cry for his game.

“I won’t be part of this, Edgar. You’ll pay for what you did.”

“Ashlee and you… are two halves of a whole,” he said, his voice full of unyielding conviction, as he seemed to take a step toward me.

“You must accept the truth of who you both are. Now she is near you, closer than ever, in your soul. And you can finally be with me,” he said.

For a few seconds, the room seemed to spin around us, and in that moment, the storm of emotions intensified.

Although I wanted to fight, I also wanted to run. But before I could articulate a response, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. His kiss was warm and possessive, awakening in me a mixture of desire and revulsion.

The world stopped, and time slipped through my fingers. But I couldn’t allow myself to give in to this confusion. I felt seduced, even dragged into the passion of responding to his lips, and for a moment I forgot that he was the murderer of my sister, opening my mouth to let his voracious tongue in.