Twelve Dates to His Heart

Performance of the Century

Safe to say, I won the battle. And I didn’t just win—I dominated, leaving no room for debate.

We left my apartment with me dressed in my little black dress and a faux fur coat draped over my shoulders, adding a touch of effortless elegance to the look. I looked like sin incarnate, and I knew it. But the tension in the car was suffocating. Theodore sat beside me, silent and simmering, his jaw tight enough to snap steel. His fury was palpable, coiled just beneath the surface, daring me to poke the beast.

"What type of event is this?" I asked finally, unable to stand the quiet any longer.

"Kelly Ann Wuthering’s birthday party," he replied without so much as a glance in my direction.

The name was like a blade sliding between my ribs. My stomach churned as the memories of her flashed through my mind.

"You brought me to her party?" I hissed, the disbelief and betrayal coiling into something venomous in my chest.

He said nothing.

Kelly Ann Wuthering was no ordinary girl. In high school, she reigned as Queen Bee—the one everyone either idolised or feared enough to avoid at all costs. Somehow, I missed the memo and became her main target, a role I never asked for but couldn't escape. She didn’t stoop to physical attacks; she was too smart to leave behind evidence of her torture. Her cruelty was psychological, an art form of pure evil that she had mastered. She had a sinister talent for unearthing her victims’ insecurities and wielding them like weapons, slicing deeper with every twist of her words. And for reasons I’ll never understand, I was her fixation. Her favourite prey.

As if that weren’t enough, Kelly Ann was also the reason Theodore shattered me so mercilessly all those years ago. She was the poison that infected everything, including him.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the grand venue, and I could already hear the muffled thrum of music and laughter spilling out. Theodore didn’t say a word; he just stepped out and rounded the car to open my door.

"You really think I’m going in there?" I snapped, refusing to budge.

His expression was neutral, but there was something dangerous flickering in his eyes. Without a word, he extended his hand toward me.

I glared at him. "I'd rather die tha—"

Before I could finish, he gripped my elbow firmly and started pulling me towards the grand stairs to the entrance.

"Theodore!" I hissed, yanking back slightly, but his hold didn’t waver. "I am not going in there!"

"You signed the contract," he said, his voice cold enough to freeze fire. "You go where I tell you to go. If you have a problem with that, I’ll call Joe, and we can start planning our wedding."

I gritted my teeth and looked at him with pure hatred. I was not ready to face Kelly Ann, and if he cared about me at all, he would not have forced me to be here in the first place. He knew of the trauma she put me through. He was there. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my arm free from his grip with a sharp jerk.

"You'll regret this," I warned. My eyes burned into his before I turned on my heel and stomped toward the entrance. Each step was heavy, my pulse pounding in my ears like a war drum, drowning out the rising tide of panic clawing at my chest.

And then I saw her.

She hadn’t changed at all. If anything, she looked sharper, colder, and more dangerous than ever. That same calculating smile tugged at her lips the moment her eyes locked onto mine like a predator finding its favourite prey. The years between us evaporated in an instant, and I was seventeen again—small, broken, and utterly powerless. That look on her face told me everything. I knew whatever she was about to say would cut deep, dripping with venom designed just for me. My fists clenched at my sides, bracing for impact, but then her gaze shifted.

The moment her eyes landed on Theodore, her entire demeanour transformed. Her smirk melted into a delighted squeal, her icy mask breaking apart as she rushed past me with her arms outstretched.

"Theo!" she cried, her voice bright and saccharine as she flung herself into his arms. He barely flinched, his expression unchanged, his eyes flicking briefly to me before turning back to her with a cool, almost indifferent smile. He wrapped his arms around her, but it wasn’t with the warmth she was clearly hoping for.

"Kelly Ann," he said, his tone flat, like he’d just greeted a distant acquaintance on the street. There was no spark, no excitement—just the same old Theodore, always composed, always distant. She didn’t seem to care. Her fingers curled into his jacket as though marking her territory. But her triumph was short-lived.

As Kelly Ann clung to Theodore, her eyes still sparkling with triumph, something inside me clicked. I wasn’t that scared, broken girl anymore. I was an adult now, and I had nothing to fear.

I strode toward Theodore, my eyes fixed on him and without hesitation, I wrapped my hand around his, pulling him away from Kelly Ann’s grasp.

"Kelly Ann, it is so nice to see you!" I said, my tone dripping with honey as if we were the best of friends. I kept my grip on Theodore’s hand, my fingers tightening slightly, using him as a steadying anchor as I prepared for what felt like a psychological war.

Kelly Ann blinked, momentarily thrown off by my sudden warmth. Her smile faltered, but she quickly masked it, her icy blue eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"It’s been a while," I continued, my voice silky and laced with venom she wouldn’t see coming. "You look so different. I almost didn’t recognise you."

That was obviously a lie. She looked the same, only more beautiful. But my words were ominous, and I knew she'd obsess over whether that was a compliment or not. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as her insecurities bubbled beneath the surface. Why not give her a taste of her own medicine for once?

"Lila," Her eyes flickered over to Theodore, our entwined hands and then back to me, "I didn’t expect to see you here."

"I hope I’m not crashing your party," I said sweetly, giving Kelly Ann a flashy smile. "I am Theodore's plus one tonight."

"Of course not," she returned my fake smile with one of her own. "A friend of Theo's is a friend of mine. Though, I didn’t realise you two were so... close."

I tilted my head as a smirk played on my lips. I let the moment linger, savouring her unease. Before I could say another word, though, Theo’s voice cut through the room.

"We're not just close; she is my other half," he announced, not just to Kelly Ann but to the small crowd that was beginning to gather around us. For a fraction of a second, his eyes flicked down to me. There was something dark and dangerous lurking in his gaze, making my pulse quicken. "I can’t stop thinking about her. Not even for a second. I crave her. She’s under my skin, in my head, and in my blood." His free hand brushed against my waist, featherlight but enough to send a jolt through me. "Every breath she takes feels like it’s mine. Every time she’s near, I can’t think about anything else."

My stomach dropped. Had I not known that he was performing for the crowd, I would have swooned. This was all my teenage self dreamt of: the moment when the handsome and romantic Theodore Delacroix confessed his love and desire for me. Yet now that my dreams had become a reality, I felt angry and disgusted. Even if his words did shatter the evil Kelly Ann, I couldn't feel anything but hatred at that moment.

"Theodore," I managed barely above a whisper, "stop."

He didn't. He just smiled—a slow, predatory smile that made my knees weak and my stomach churn all at once.

"I am obsessed with her."