TAMING THE HEARTLESS VAMPIRE

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1:

ARIA

The air in the doctor’s office felt recycled, sterile, and suffocatingly thin. I sat on the edge of the plastic chair, my fingers digging into the worn leather of my handbag.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair. We’ve reviewed the biopsy and the latest scans. You only have a few months left. Six, perhaps. Maybe less if the aggressive strain continues at this pace.”

Para akong binagsakan ng langit sa narinig ko. The world didn't end with a bang; it ended with the soft clicking of a ballpoint pen and the hum of an air conditioner.

I couldn't speak. My throat felt like it had been lined with ground glass. The doctor’s voice continued, a distant drone explaining something about palliative care, treatment options, medication to manage the pain, and possible surgical procedures to "buy time." But the words slowly faded into meaningless static.

Cancer.

Stage four.

Few months left.

Paulit-ulit lang iyon sa isip ko. It was a rhythmic, cruel chant. I stared at the mahogany desk, focusing on a small scratch in the wood because looking at the doctor’s sympathetic eyes was more than I could bear. My hands were trembling slightly on my lap, a physical manifestation of a soul coming undone.

Ganito pala ang pakiramdam kapag nalaman mong malapit ka nang mamatay. It wasn't like the movies. There were no dramatic violins. It was just quiet. Heavy. Parang biglang huminto ang mundo habang ang lahat ng tao sa labas ng bintana ay patuloy sa pagtakbo.

“I suggest starting treatment immediately, Aria,” the doctor continued gently, leaning forward. “It won't cure the underlying issue, but it might help slow the progression. It could give you more time to… settle your affairs.”

Settle my affairs. As if my life were a series of messy files on a desk.

Tumango lang ako kahit hindi ko alam kung ano ba talaga ang sinasabi niya. Treatment? How? Where would I get the strength, let alone the money?

“How much, Doc?” I whispered, my voice sounding like it belonged to someone else. “The chemotherapy. The admissions. How much will it cost to stay alive for an extra month?”

The doctor sighed, shifting his papers. “It’s expensive, Aria. Thousands of pesos per session. There are government subsidies, but the waitlists are long.”

I originally planned to seek treatment abroad—I had a small savings account, a dream of escaping to somewhere better—but reality hit me hard. Hindi ko kayang tustusan ang gastos. Kahit dito sa Pilipinas, napakamahal pa rin ng gamutan. To stay alive was a luxury I simply couldn't afford.

Maya-maya pa ay nakalabas na ako ng ospital. The smell of antiseptic followed me out into the humid afternoon air. Doon lang tuluyang bumigay ang katawan ko. My legs felt like they were made of water as I walked down the hospital steps. The sun was too bright, the honking of the jeepneys too loud. Parang hindi ko maramdaman ang paligid ko.

Then suddenly—

Napaluha ako.

At hindi ko na napigilan. I collapsed onto a concrete planter, my chest tightening painfully as tears streamed down my face. People passed by, some casting curious glances, others too busy with their own lives to notice a girl breaking apart in broad daylight.

“Paano na…” bulong ko sa sarili. “Diyos ko, paano na?”

My mind immediately went to the only person who mattered.

Adrian.

My younger brother. He was only nineteen, still full of dreams about becoming an engineer. Siya na lang ang natitira kong pamilya. Both our parents died years ago in a strange accident—a hit-and-run on a rainy night that no one could properly explain. The police had closed the file within a month. Since then, kaming dalawa na lang ang magkasama sa buhay.

Ako ang ate. I was the provider, the protector, the wall between him and the harshness of the world. Ako ang dapat na matibay. But how do you protect someone when you are crumbling from within? Paano na siya kapag wala na ako? Who would make sure he ate? Who would pay for his tuition?

Napahagulgol ako habang nakaupo sa gilid ng kalsada, the grief for a life I hadn't even finished living washing over me. My breathing became uneven as fear and helplessness flooded my chest like rising tide water.

Then another thought suddenly entered my mind. A flicker of hope.

Aaron.

My boyfriend of three years. He was my rock, or so I thought. He deserved to know. I needed him to tell me that we would find a way, that he would help me take care of Adrian, that I wasn't alone in this darkness.

I wiped my tears quickly with the back of my hand and pulled out my phone. My fingers trembled as I dialed his number.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Walang sumasagot.

I tried again, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Still nothing.

A small frown formed on my face. “Baka busy lang,” bulong ko sa sarili. He was supposed to be at his condo, working on his freelance designs. But something felt wrong. A cold prickle of intuition crawled up my spine.

After a moment of hesitation, I made a decision. I wouldn't wait for a call back. I needed him now. Pupuntahan ko na lang siya.

Aaron lived in a condominium not too far from the hospital district. By the time I arrived, my head was still spinning. My thoughts were a chaotic loop: Cancer. Few months left. Chemo. Hospital bills. Death.

The elevator ride felt unusually long, the numbers on the display ticking up like a countdown. When I finally reached his floor, my chest tightened with nervous anticipation. I just wanted him to hold me. I just wanted to hear him say my name.

Alam ko ang passcode ng condo niya. We’ve been together for years; we had shared dreams, shared secrets. I entered the numbers automatically—his birthday and mine combined.

The door unlocked with a soft, electronic click.

Pagbukas ko ng pinto, agad akong pumasok. The lights were dim, the scent of his expensive cologne hanging in the air.

“Aaron?” I called softly. “Hon? Are you home?”

Walang sumagot.

But something immediately felt strange. The apartment was usually tidy, but as I walked further in, I noticed a trail of chaos. Napakunot ang noo ko nang mapansin ang mga damit na nakakalat sa sahig. His navy blue shirt. His jeans.

But then my eyes landed on something that made my stomach drop into an icy void.

A red bra. Lace. Expensive.

Hindi iyon akin.

My heart started pounding violently, a frantic rhythm against my chest. No. No, please. Not today. Not on this day of all days. Please don’t let this be what I think it is.

Slowly, I walked toward the bedroom. Bawat hakbang ko ay parang may mabigat na bato sa dibdib ko. The floor felt like it was tilting beneath my feet.

Then I heard it.

A woman’s moan, sharp and rhythmic.

My entire body froze. My breath hitched in my throat, catching on the sob I had been holding back since the doctor’s office. The moan was followed by a man’s low, guttural groan.

Kilalang kilala ko ang boses na iyon. I had heard it every day for three years.

Aaron.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar, a sliver of warm light spilling into the dark hallway. My hands trembled as I reached out, my fingers barely touching the wood as I slowly looked inside.

And then I saw them.

Parang tumigil ang mundo ko. Everything I knew, everything I trusted, shattered like glass under a hammer. Aaron was completely naked on the bed, his head back, his eyes closed in pleasure. A woman—someone I didn't recognize, someone with long blonde hair and perfect skin—sat on top of him, moving her hips against him while moaning loudly.

Pareho silang walang saplot. Their bodies tangled together in an intimate act that felt like a physical assault on my soul.

Natakpan ko ang bibig ko para hindi ako mapasigaw. My vision blurred as tears instantly filled my eyes, hot and stinging.

I gave him three years of my life. I had worked double shifts to help him with his rent when he was struggling. I loved him with a purity that seemed foolish now. I even gave him my body because I believed we would have a future together. I believed in ‘forever,’ even when my own ‘forever’ was being cut short by a tumor.

And this… This is what I found.

Biglang sumiklab ang galit sa dibdib ko, a white-hot flash that burned through the grief. Without thinking, I pushed the door open.

Padabog.

The loud bang of the door hitting the wall made them both freeze. The woman shrieked, clutching the pillows to her chest. Aaron’s eyes snapped open, widening in absolute horror.

“Aria?!”

He quickly pushed the woman away from him, nearly knocking her off the bed, and grabbed a tangled blanket to cover himself. He looked pathetic—a panicked animal caught in a trap.

“Hon, wait! Let me explain!” Aaron scrambled out of bed, tripping over the sheets as he hurried toward me. He tried to reach for my arm, his face twisted in a mask of fake concern.

But I stepped back immediately, my skin crawling at the thought of his touch.

“Don’t touch me!” sigaw ko. My voice was a jagged edge of pain. “Kadiri ka! How could you?”

“Aria, please, listen to me. It’s not what it looks like,” he lied, the most cliché words in the world falling from his lips.

“Explain what?” nanginginig kong sagot. “Nahuli na kita! Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I’m stupid?”

“N-Nalasing lang ako,” he stammered, his eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape. “She just showed up, and I wasn't thinking straight...”

“Sinungaling!” sigaw ko. I turned to leave, the air in the room feeling poisoned, but he suddenly grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

“Bitawan mo ako! Sabi nang huwag mo akong hawakan!”

“Aria, stay! We can talk about this!”

Without hesitation, I slapped him. The sharp sound echoed inside the room like a gunshot. My hand stung, but the pain in my chest was far worse.

“After everything I’ve done to make you happy!” umiiyak kong sigaw. I began hitting his chest weakly, my strength failing me. “Lahat ng gusto mo ginawa ko! I supported you! I stayed with you! Even my body!” I cried, the humiliation tasting like bile. “Hindi ko ipinagdamot sa’yo iyon, Aaron! I thought we were building something!”

Suddenly, his face changed. The guilt vanished, replaced by a cold, ugly frustration. He shoved my hands away.

“Oo na! Fine! I admit it!” he snapped, his voice rising to match mine. “I’ve been seeing her for a month!” His expression twisted. “But remember this, Aria. I have needs too! I’m a man!”

His words hit me like physical knives.

“And because of your illness,” he continued coldly, his eyes narrowing, “because you’re always tired, always complaining, always ‘sick’... I can’t get what I want from you anymore! You’re not the same woman I started dating. You’re becoming a burden!”

Parang nawalan ako ng hangin sa narinig ko. The room began to spin. He knew. He had seen me getting weaker, and instead of holding me up, he had gone looking for a replacement.

“You’re disgusting,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I came here to tell you that the results came back. May cancer ako, Aaron. It’s terminal.”

My voice broke into a million pieces. “At ilang buwan na lang… mamamatay na ako.”

I expected a flicker of regret. I expected him to fall to his knees. But he just looked irritated, as if my impending death was just another inconvenience for him to manage.

“So what do you want me to do?” he snapped, throwing his hands up. “Die with you? Sit in a hospital room and watch you rot? Magkasakit din ako para kwits tayo---”

Before he could finish his sentence, I slapped him again. Harder this time. My whole body was shaking with a rage so profound it felt like it would consume me.

“Nagsisisi akong nakilala kita,” umiiyak kong sabi. “Akala ko ikaw na ang tamang lalaki para sa akin. I thought you were the one who would take care of Adrian if something happened. Pero nagkamali ako. You’re nothing.”

I turned around before he could say another word. I ran out of that apartment, out of that building, and into the cold, uncaring streets.

Paglabas ko ng condo, tuluyan na akong bumigay. I ran until my lungs burned, until I was blocks away from his life.

I cried. I cried until my chest hurt so much I thought my heart would actually stop. I cried until breathing felt like a chore I no longer wanted to perform. Hanggang sa wala na akong mailuha.

I didn't know where I was going. I just kept walking. The city was a blur of neon lights and moving shadows. People stared at me—a girl with puffy eyes and messy hair—but I didn't care. Their judgment meant nothing to a ghost.

Someone bumped into me, hard. I barely felt the impact. I stepped into the street without looking, the roar of an engine coming dangerously close.

SCREECH!

A car swerved, missing me by inches.

“Hoy!” sigaw ng isang driver, leaning out of his window. “Magpapakamatay ka ba?!”

I stopped in the middle of the asphalt, looking at him with hollow eyes.

“Doon ka sa tulay magpakamatay kung gusto mo!” galit niyang sigaw. “Huwag kang mang-abala ng ibang tao!”

The bridge.

Unti-unti kong inangat ang ulo ko. The word echoed inside my mind, a dark, tempting bell tolling in the distance.

Tulay.

Without thinking, I started walking again. My movements were mechanical now. I was no longer Aria Sinclair; I was just a collection of cells that were destined to fail.

The sky slowly darkened from orange to a bruised purple, and then finally to black. Night eventually fell over the city of lights. But I continued moving like a lost soul wandering through a graveyard.

Until finally… I reached the bridge.

The Great Bridge. I walked to the very center, where the wind was strongest. I stopped and looked over the edge. The river below was a churning abyss of black ink. Only the cold, indifferent moonlight reflected on the water’s surface.

Napakataas ng tulay. Napakalalim ng tubig.

Then I thought of Adrian. My little brother. He would be home by now, probably wondering where I was.

Tears slowly rolled down my face again, but they were cold now. “Sorry, Adrian,” bulong ko sa hangin. “Hindi na kaya ni Ate. I can’t let you watch me wither away into nothing. I can’t let you spend your future paying for my funeral.”

My chest tightened painfully. Every breath I took felt like a betrayal of the inevitable.

Huminga ako ng malalim, the cold air stinging my throat. Then, with a trembling hand, I climbed onto the railing.

My hands gripped the cold, rusted metal. My legs shook as I balanced on the narrow ledge. I looked down at the dark water one last time.

“Hindi ko na hihintayin ang mabagal na kamatayan,” bulong ko. “I won't let the cancer take me piece by piece. Mas mabuti ito. Mabilis lang.”

A bitter, hollow smile appeared on my face. Sa huling sandali, naalala ko ang buong buhay ko—the small moments of joy overshadowed by the immense pain. The struggles to keep us afloat. The crushing disappointments of love.

“Sana sa susunod kong buhay,” mahina kong sabi sa hangin, my voice trembling, “mas maging mabait ang mundo sa akin.”

I let go of the railing.

And then, I fell.

Straight into the welcoming darkness below.