Chapter 18: The Truth Behind the Monster

Aurora’s body felt weightless, her mind slipping into a dark void. The last thing she remembered was the horrifying sight of severed human body parts in the freezer.

The smell, the cold, the lifeless eyes staring back at her, it had been too much.

Her world faded into black.

A sharp pain shot through her skull as she slowly regained consciousness. Her body felt heavy, weak. She could feel the warmth of a bed beneath her, the rough texture of a blanket against her skin.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

She was back in the room.

For a moment, she dared to hope it had all been a nightmare. But then she saw him.

Ardian sat on a chair beside the bed, his gaze fixed on her. His expression was unreadable, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.

The dim light in the room cast eerie shadows across his face.

"You fainted," he said, his voice disturbingly calm. "I had to bring you back."

Aurora’s lips trembled. She wanted to scream, to push him away, to escape.

But her body was still weak, and fear wrapped around her throat like a noose.

Ardian leaned forward, his intense eyes locking onto hers. "Do you want to know why I am like this?"

She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. But at the same time, she knew she had no choice.

Ardian exhaled, rubbing his temple as if recalling a painful memory.

"My mother was sick," he started, his voice barely above a whisper. "She had a serious medical condition. She needed constant care, but my father..." His jaw clenched.

"He never cared. He never paid for her treatments. He let her suffer while he wasted his money on his mistresses."

Aurora’s hands gripped the blanket tightly.

"He made her beg," Ardian continued, his fingers curling into a fist.

"Beg for medicine. Beg for his attention. And still, he ignored her. I was the one who had to take care of her. I was the one who ran around to get her tablets, to make sure she was still breathing."

His voice grew colder.

"And my father?" His lips twisted into a bitter smile.

"He was busy cheating on her. Even on the day she died, he was with another woman. My mother was gasping for air, and he was out ruining someone else’s life. When I found her, she was already gone. Alone. In pain. And he wasn’t there."

Aurora felt her stomach roll...

"He used to beat me, you know?" Ardian chuckled dryly, pointing to the long scar on his cheek.

"You thought I got this from bullying in college? No. My father gave it to me. He beat me for every little thing. If I spoke too loud, if I looked at him the wrong way..." He let out a slow breath.

"Every scar on my body is a reminder of him."

Aurora’s throat tightened. She could see the pain in his eyes, the deep rooted trauma that had shaped him into the person he was now.

But that didn’t change the fact that he had become a monster.

"Then one day," Ardian continued, his gaze darkening, "he found out about you."

Aurora’s breath hitched.

"I don’t know how," Ardian muttered.

"Maybe he saw me looking at you. Maybe he overheard something. But he knew. And do you know what he said?"

He let out a bitter laugh...

"He said I could never have you." His hands trembled slightly, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

"He told me that you would leave me. That you’d betray me. Just like my mother trusted him and got destroyed, he said I’d end up the same way."

Aurora’s pulse pounded in her ears.

"Do you understand, Aurora?" Ardian’s eyes gleamed with something unhinged. "

After he said those things, how could I let him live? How could I let him breathe after he cursed you like that?"

Aurora’s lips parted in horror as his words sank in.

"You... you killed him?" she whispered.

Ardian nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes. I killed him." His fingers twitched slightly. "I killed him like a monster. I became what he said I would be."

Aurora’s stomach twisted. "He was your father, Ardian."

"He was a curse." His voice sharpened. "He was nothing to me. And now, look at me, Aurora." He spread his arms, his smile chilling. "This is who I am."

Aurora’s breathing quickened. Her entire body screamed for her to run, but she was trapped.

She gathered every ounce of strength she had and whispered, "You are insane."

Ardian’s smile faltered.

"What did you say?"

"Let me go," she pleaded. Her voice cracked as she tried to keep herself calm.

"Please. I have nothing to do with this. I am not related to anything. Just let me go."

Ardian’s eyes darkened. He slowly shook his head.

"Aurora," he said, his tone eerily gentle. "I did everything for you. And you are telling me to let you go?"

She nodded desperately. "Please, Ardian."

His jaw clenched. He shut his eyes tightly as if trying to control himself. But when he opened them again, his expression was unreadable.

"No," he said simply.

Aurora felt her heart drop.

"This is not happening," Ardian whispered, shaking his head.

"You don’t understand. You belong with me. And if you don’t realize that now, then I will make you see it."

Her hands shook violently.

"I will give you one last chance, Aurora," Ardian said, stepping closer. His voice was low, dangerous.

"Accept me. Yourself. Because if you don’t..."

He leaned down, his lips brushing against her forehead.

"Then I’ll become a real monster."

Aurora’s breath hitched.

"This time, it was my father who talked badly about you," Ardian whispered.

"Next time, it’s going to be your fiancé."

Aurora’s entire body went rigid.

"I don’t mind cutting people into pieces, Aurora," Ardian said, his tone disturbingly casual.

"You’ve seen that, haven’t you?"

Aurora’s breath came in shallow gasps.

"Don’t make me do it," he whispered.

"But if I have to... I will."

A single tear rolled down Aurora’s cheek.

Ardian smiled...

"Good girl," he murmured, brushing his fingers against her trembling lips.

Then, without another word, he turned and left, locking the door behind him.

Aurora sat there, shaking like a leaf, knowing one thing for certain...

She was running out of time.

TO BE CONTINUED...