Chapter 9: Breaking Point
1391 Words
The morning air feels thick with foreboding as I walk through the quiet streets of Blackwood, each step heavy with uncertainty. Damon’s words from last night ring in my mind like a haunting melody I can’t shake. "The curse demands betrayal, Amelia. You have to break it before it breaks you.” I’m not sure I even know what betrayal means in this context—leaving Luca, or something far darker.
Damon's intensity, his unwavering conviction that the curse requires a betrayal, had shaken something in me. And then there was Jared, his face etched with concern, his voice gentle as he urged me to think of my own safety, to consider the danger I was putting myself in by staying with Luca. "He won’t ever let you go, Amelia. And the curse... it's stronger than both of you. If you keep clinging to him, it’ll devour you whole." His words have been gnawing at me since, their meaning sinking in like cold iron.
The question is, can I live with that? The idea of leaving Luca sends a fresh wave of nausea through me, a knot twisting in my stomach. But Damon and Jared’s warnings replay in my mind, building a dark kind of resolve I didn’t know I had.
---
By afternoon, I find myself walking toward Luca’s place, even though my body is screaming at me to turn back. My hands are shaking, and my heart feels like it’s on the verge of breaking out of my chest. I don’t want to leave him, not really. But I have to, for both of us. Damon had insisted on that—"You’ll only condemn him further by staying. This is the way, Amelia."
When I reach his door, I pause, taking a steadying breath before knocking. I’m about to back out, to run away, but then the door opens, and there he stands. Luca’s eyes are intense, searching, as if he already knows why I’m here.
“Amelia.” His voice is low, clipped, and guarded. “What’s going on?”
I look down, unable to hold his gaze. “We need to talk,” I manage to say, forcing the words out.
He watches me, his expression hardening as realization dawns. “So, that’s it, then. You’re leaving.”
I bite my lip, feeling the sting of his words, their finality settling over me. “It’s... it’s for the best, Luca. The curse—it’s tearing us apart. You can’t deny that.”
His jaw tightens, and his eyes flash with anger. “Is that what you think?” He steps closer, his voice a low growl. “You think this is all because of the curse?”
I swallow, the words catching in my throat. “It’s not just the curse, Luca. It’s... everything. I can’t keep living in this darkness with you. I can’t... I can’t watch you destroy yourself. And I can’t let this curse destroy me too.”
He shakes his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “So you’re just going to walk away? After everything?”
“It’s not that simple!” I snap, my voice breaking. “You think this is easy for me? You think I don’t want to stay?”
“Then stay,” he says, his voice fierce, pleading. “Fight with me, Amelia. Don’t let Damon and Jared fill your head with lies and fear. You’re stronger than this.”
I turn away, my fists clenched, fighting the urge to collapse into his arms. “They’re not lies, Luca. They’re the truth. Damon told me what I have to do. To break this curse, one of us has to—” My voice catches, and I can’t bring myself to say it.
He takes a step closer, his eyes dark with suspicion. “One of us has to what?”
I shake my head, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. “I can’t... I can’t do this.”
“Tell me,” he demands, his voice rising. “Amelia, tell me what Damon said. What did he tell you to do?”
I close my eyes, the words slipping out in a whisper. “To betray you.”
He stares at me, his face a mixture of shock and hurt. “So that’s it. You’re going to betray me to break the curse.”
“I don’t want to!” I cry, my voice breaking. “But what choice do I have? Damon told me... he said it’s the only way. I can’t keep living like this, Luca. I can’t keep watching you destroy yourself.”
“And you believe him?” he snarls, his hands clenched into fists. “You believe Damon, who’s wanted to tear us apart from the beginning? Who’s been feeding you lies to make you doubt me?”
“He’s not lying,” I say, my voice wavering. “I’ve seen it, Luca. I’ve seen the darkness inside you. I’ve seen what this curse is doing to you. And I can’t... I can’t save you. I can barely save myself.”
He steps closer, his face inches from mine, his eyes blazing. “You want to save yourself, Amelia? Then go. Run. But don’t pretend that this is for me. Don’t pretend that you’re doing this out of some twisted sense of self-sacrifice.”
I swallow hard, his words cutting through me like a blade. “It’s not like that. You have to know... I care about you, Luca. I care more than I should. But this curse—it’s bigger than both of us. And if breaking it means... if it means I have to leave you, then I’ll do it.”
The anger in his eyes fades, replaced by something darker, something wounded. “So that’s it, then. You’re choosing the curse over me. You’re choosing Damon and his lies over us.”
I reach out, my hand trembling as it brushes against his cheek. “I don’t want to lose you, Luca. But I can’t keep fighting this... this pull between us. It’s killing us both.”
He grabs my wrist, holding it tight, his gaze fierce. “You think leaving is going to save you? You think walking away will break the curse? You’re wrong, Amelia. This isn’t just a curse—it’s us. It’s who we are.”
“Then maybe who we are is what’s killing us,” I whisper, feeling the weight of my words settle between us.
For a moment, he just stares at me, his grip loosening, his face a mask of pain. Then, without another word, he lets go of my wrist and takes a step back, his expression hardening.
“Fine,” he says, his voice cold and distant. “If that’s what you want, then go. Walk away. But don’t come back. Don’t ever come back.”
The finality of his words sends a shock through me, and I feel a pang of regret, of something deeper than fear. But I force myself to turn, to walk away, even as my heart feels like it’s shattering with every step.
---
Back in my room, the silence is unbearable. I feel hollow, numb, as if a part of me has been ripped away. Damon’s words echo in my mind, his insistence that this was the only way. But now, alone in the dark, I’m not sure if I can believe that anymore.
As I lie in bed, the visions come, stronger than ever—images of Luca, alone and broken, of me standing over him, his face twisted in pain. And then another image, darker, twisted—a flicker of me holding something sharp, something deadly, my hand trembling as I raise it.
I jolt awake, my heart racing, a cold sweat covering my skin. The realization hits me like a punch to the gut: if betrayal is the only way to break the curse, then leaving him might not be enough. Damon had hinted at something more, something darker—a sacrifice. And suddenly, I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to go through with it.
I close my eyes, the image of Luca’s face haunting me, his eyes full of hurt and betrayal. And I wonder if, in trying to save myself, I’ve already doomed us both.
- Writer
