The Devil Tainted Us (A Gothic, Age Gap and Forbidden Romance)

I expect the cold and gloomy atmosphere to welcome me but when my eyes open gradually, it is the streaming sunlight through the window that greets me.

I blink a few times as my vision focuses clearly and I find myself in a different room that is nowhere near the rooms Magdalene has.

A heavy blanket covers me down from my waist as I lay in a comfortable and soft bed. The walls have striped light blue and white wallpaper with a wardrobe, a dressing table and a small sitting space, filling the room.

I frown in confusion but hesitancy and worry are present as well as I sit up slowly. I lightly hiss in pain and look down at my wrists that are bandaged. I drag up the blanket lightly and find my ankles bandaged too.

And that’s when the horrific memory of Geryon nearly choking me to death fills my mind- the Magdalene being set on fire…Agnes dying…the women burning…Eryx…

Eryx.

Where is he?

I vaguely remember him coming to save me from Geryon despite his injuries. And finding myself in a different place and alive can only mean he not only saved me but also helped me get free from that living hell.

I remember planning to kill him with a knife after he would take me to the boat. I had it all arranged where after killing him I would take the boat and escape the place but when I was about to leave my room, one of the nuns came into the room and out of nowhere injected me with something. Before I could fight her off, I fell unconscious and next thing I knew I was tied down and supposed to be sacrificed.

But Eryx saved me. He saved me even though he knew I hated him for what he did to me, and yet he did everything possible to set me free…even endangering his life and the chances of saving his own brother.

Just then the front door opens with a man I have never met before entering with a small wooden box in his hand. When he sees me sitting upright there is a slight surprise in his face before it gets exchanged with a casual smile.

“Finally, you are awake,” he mutters with a deep, rough voice before sauntering towards me and placing the box beside me.

“Who are you and where am I?” I ask.

He snickers. “The bastard didn’t even mention me to you and yet he asked for a favor.”

He sits at the end of the bed keeping a respectable space between me and him. “I’m Julius, a friend of Eryx. You are in Vailburg and this is my house. And before you ask how you got here, Eryx got you here with the boat I sent to Mery Heights and from there we took you to the hospital. But you went through a lot of fucked up shit so you kept coming back and forth for a couple of days.”

“How many days?”

“It’s been six days now. But it seems like you are finally awake.”

“Where is Eryx?” I ask.

He is silent for a few seconds which only makes my heart plummet with tension and dread because last time I saw Eryx he was badly injured and lost a lot of blood.

“Please don’t tell me he…” I can’t even say the words, “i-is he…”

His expression softens as he offers me a small smile.

“He is safe and alive but he isn’t here in Vailburg.”

I frown in confusion. “What do you mean? Where is he then?”

“He left for Brinecliff yesterday to find his brother, Eros.”

“When is he coming back?”

He shakes his head looking down with a sigh. “He isn’t. He said to inform you after he finds his brother he will move to a different place.”

My breathing turns shallow as I feel my throat clogging with emotions. “W-What?”

He nods at the box before speaking, “He left this for you and said it has everything you will need.”

I immediately get the box and open it, and find some papers inside it. I pick up the first one and unfold it, reading what’s typed and find it’s a statement letter from Eryx proving that I have no mental illness and I’m absolutely normal and sane to be the holder of my family’s inheritance. The second letter contained the death certificate of Tristen that stated he died in a car accident.

Tristen is dead?

Did Eryx have something to do with it?

As if Julius can read what I am thinking from my expression he answers my question. “Eryx didn’t do anything. Sometimes fate punishes the sinners and your brother-in-law got what he deserved.”

My gaze returns back to the box where the final paper sits and it is a letter from Eryx.

Agatha,

The day you came into my life I swore to be the villain of your story and I did become one, putting you in misery, suffering and heartache. But I no longer want to be the reason for all your agony anymore.

You are free from me…from this sinner who fell in love with his angel.

And just for that love I don’t deserve you because my angel deserves to have a life where it’s filled with happiness, hope and beauty. And in that life a monster like me can never be a part of it.

But nobody will ever replace your place in my heart and soul. Nobody.

I have submitted a copy of your medical statement to one of your lawyers and he will be dealing with your family house and wealth that will soon be yours. You are even free from Tristen…you are free from Geryon and the Magdalene.

You finally have what you have been yearning for, my little girl. It’s all yours now.

It’s time for you to have a life that was taken away from you but I know how brave and strong my Agatha is, and in no time, she will be living a blissful life. And just that thought is enough to make me happy for eternity. Our paths may have crossed but it didn’t lead to one journey. We are different and so are our paths.

I know you will never forgive me for what I have done to you and I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But if you ever need me then I will be willing to lay my life for you in a heartbeat.

Just like I trusted you with my truth, I hope one day you can trust me again with my truth…and the truth is I love you, Agatha.

I love you with every living being within me and even in the afterlife you will be the only one that will be inked in my heart.

Forever yours,

Eryx.

He left…he has left me forever.

I feel my cheeks getting wet from my streaming tears. My gaze returns to Julius who wears a sympathetic expression.

“He left without telling me goodbye,” I whisper as my hands tremble while I lower the letter.

“He wanted to stay but he said if he saw those tears in your eyes then he wouldn’t have the heart to leave you. He was absolutely miserable when he left and his eyes carried nothing but pain. I saw him, Agatha, and I could tell he was heartbroken to leave you. He truly cares about you and that’s why he took this step.”

I shake my head, breathing shakily. “I can tell but he didn’t care enough to give our love a second chance. He made the decision for both of us, without knowing what I wanted.”

I wipe away the tears with my palm and look at the letter in my hand. “What he did was unforgivable and he had no other choice at the time. He promised to save me and help me get free from the Magdalene, and when the time came, he kept that promise.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and lick my dry lips. “Even I vowed to be there for him and I won’t break my promise.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to take me to Brinecliff. I have to meet him.”

“You can’t leave Vailburg until you fully recover, Agatha. And it was strictly instructed by the doctors,” Julius mutters and gets up, going for the side table and grabbing some pills and a glass of water.

“And you have to let him be for now because he finally found his brother after a long time. So, he needs to figure things out with him first. But I don’t think he would want to meet you anyway. He knows what you feel…he knows you hate him.”

My eyes look at the words Eryx wrote for me and I can’t help but snicker sadly.

“That’s the thing about feelings…it can fuck you up in every scenario. When you feel love for someone, you don’t see the darkness they carry. And when you hate that person, then you don’t see the goodness that was hiding within them.”