Prologue
The breeze came from the open window, swirling the curtains in the motion, rinsing over her face. She furrowed her brows, stretched herself to reach out to his side. The palms met the surface of the sheets on the bed, making the realization of the emptiness in life for now. She didn't want to open her eyes, to see the reality. As long as her eyes are closed, nothing is real, and everything is perfect in her world.
It wasn't.
Her mind kept telling her to keep her eyes shut, however, the essence of his cologne was so strong, she couldn't help but to see him herself. But, there wasn't anyone. It was just her wearing his jacket.
She should have remembered it when she wore it and dozed off.
"Stefan," she shouted his name, as if that was going to change the fact that he was gone to god knows where.
Until yesterday, he was there with her and everything was beautiful, but now that he is gone, the facts have started to sink in her head, and it is hurting way too much. Christmas is supposed to be spent with the family, and looking at herself being far away from him, from Josie and Lizzie broke something inside her. She was all alone in the giant house, in his house. She got off the bed, and went out of his room, roaming in the hallway, thinking that it might soothe her mind.
It didn't.
On the contrary, it made everything worst. She could literally imagine him standing there, smiling at her, the way he always did in the morning, making breakfast for her.
"You don't have to cook breakfast every morning, you know that right?" said Caroline.
"I know, but it doesn't mean I couldn't. Besides, I love to make breakfast for you," he smiled at her adoring the way she walked towards him.
"Mmm… aren't I the luckiest girlfriend in the world," she pulled him closer to give him a soft peck on his lips.
"Then you are competing with me for the title of being the luckiest one."
"And why is that?"
"Because Caroline Forbes said yes to be my wife."
She could still hear him laughing with her in that kitchen, looking at her with love, the way which is reserved only for her.
She checked her phone millionth time, hoping to see his name popping on the screen. She knew he had to cut his ties with her to serve Cade, but it was still difficult to convince her heart. It was way too weak when it came to him.
Her phone buzzed which made her jumped to pick it up. Her smile disappeared after seeing the name on the I.D.
"Hey," said Bonnie on the other end. "Is everything okay there?"
"Yeah, except for the fact that Stefan is no more here."
"How are you holding it up?"
"Surviving, I guess. Besides, he said that it will be a matter of one year."
"One year?" Bonnie asked in confusion.
"Stefan made some changes in the deal," Caroline explained slowly, "I don't know the details, but he said that he will be back in a year."
"That's good news Caroline. You should be happy."
"Yeah," agreed Caroline. However, her gut feeling was screaming that something wasn't right. She knew that whatever he agreed upon doing was something ugly. And her mind had been occupied in the same thoughts since last night, hoping that he is fine in all of this.
"Anyways, is there something you wanted to tell me?" asked Caroline.
"How do you know?"
"Bonnie, you are my best friend, and if I wouldn't know it who would?"
"I…uh,"
Bonnie was clearly struggling, and Caroline could hear it in her voice.
"Enzo asked me to with him to Paris," Bonnie said finally.
"And you are telling me this in such tone? Isn't it romantic for you girl?"
"It is, but I can cancel it you know."
"And why would you do that?"
"With everything happening, what if you need me?"
"Bonnie, I am fine okay, and you are not cancelling on Enzo because of me. After such a long time, you are finally happy, and I am not going to be the reason of pulling you away from it."
"But-"
"Bonnie, when the time is with you, you have to enjoy it, and I promise you, I will call you if anything happens, okay?"
"At least Ric is here for few more days,"
Caroline didn't answer to that. How was she able to accept the fact that everything is changed, her whole world is ripped apart, leaving her alone to survive all of this?
"Yeah, at least that's there. I hope they all are fine," said Caroline.
And by all, she meant all of the three most precious people of her world.
[***]
"I am going to get you back, you know. I am going to free you."
He smiles at her, because he knows if she wants something she will do anything to get it. But, he also knows that nothing is going to change the fact that he has lost the battle, and can't take the chances of dragging her in with himself.
"Right now, I just want to be with you. No distraction, no other worries to occupy our heads," he slipped his hand towards hers and held it softly. There was no one around them, and even if there was, it wouldn't have mattered. In that moment, he was simply Stefan, and she was just Caroline, and the world simply didn't exist.
"Why?" She asked Stefan, who was looking at the ground in the whole conversation. She waited for his answer.
"Why was I playing with Josie?" he threw a question instead. She turned her head to look at him smiling and staring at her back.
"That's not what I asked Stefan, and you know it."
Caroline was irritated, and why wouldn't she? After all, in few hours everything his whole life was going to turn upside down.
Stefan turned his head and looked far away across the river. His eyes were hover over the twinkling stars over the trees, but his mind was occupied with the images of the whole life he had been thinking of having with her, the one which only exists in the dreamland now.
"It's all because of me."
The whispered voice came out of Caroline.
"If I wouldn't have told you to-"
"I would have still done it," he cut her in the middle. He couldn't bear to see her blaming herself for all of this.
He pulled her close so that he could see her face clearly under the moonlight. "In my whole life, I have committed millions of crimes, have done horrific mistakes, have taken terrible decisions, but this isn't one of them. When you got Josie and Lizzie back, your eyes were shining with relief and love for them, and when I saw you smiling back, in that moment I knew that I can give anything and everything just to see you smile. I did it back there, and I would do it over again if I have to."
"We were supposed to get married," Caroline had started to sob. The whole day she had been in denial, not letting the truth cloud her emotions. She wore her best smiling face she could have had, and hosted the Christmas party. And now in that twentieth hour, everything started to crumble down on her.
"Marriage is just a ceremony, a smudge of the ink on a paper. So, officially you would have been my wife soon, but in my heart, you already are my wife, Caroline Elizabeth Forbes, from the moment you said yes, from the moment you forgive me for everything I did to you three years back and let me be the part of your life again."
"This isn't fair with you or me, with us."
"It's not, but don't you dare blame yourself for all of this. I love you, and it's my selfish heart that couldn't see you hurt. Promise me that you will always be happy, will never stop laughing, and most importantly, you would not stop living your life."
He didn't realized when and how his forehead reached hers, and touched the temple of her head. Her touch soothed the creases of his worry. This habit needed to be stopped. After four hours, she wouldn't be there in his arms, he wouldn't be able to hear her laughter, she wouldn't be one touch away from, and he could feel the ache in the middle of his chest increasing by the minutes.
[***]
Darkness follows the light, and is always on the brim to latch it on and engulf every bit of the shine. He is not a fan of the dull and mundane night, but who is he to complaint. He had lived in the shadows, lurking and looking at the world from afar. The ripper of the Monterrey has nothing to be ashamed of. He loves to play with the food, and the euphoric feeling he gets when the taste of that blood touches his lips and slowly peers into his tongue through the taste buds. He loses himself in that moment every time. The ripper has no regrets in his life, and walking in the pitch black night is kind of fun. It might not be fun for the person walking in front of him. The ripper inside him smiles thinking about the ways he is going to rip his body apart.
The human turns his head, and starts to walk faster. The ripper laughs silently at the fun fact. A human can never outrun a vampire. He still doesn't use his vamp speed, waiting for his prey's next move. But, for the past five minutes the innocent haven't done anything other than walking faster. And now he is bored.
The moment he thought, he got pinned to the wall opposite to him.
This will be fun to watch. He thought.
"Who are you and why are you following me?" asked the innocent.
Innocent, funny word it is. For the guy with the potentiality of being a murderer. The ripper chuckled wondering about it.
"Wrong question! What you should have been asking to yourself is 'what crimes have I done in my life, and whether I am worth this world or not?' That's the important question," finishes the ripper, still pinned to the wall.
"I have no idea what you are talking about?"
"Oh, you will have once you get there."
"Get where?"
"To the place everyone dreads."
The human furrows his brows in confusion.
"It will be quick, no promises," the moment he says it out loud, his hands grips his shoulder tightly, "and you are free to shriek and be scared."
His eyes turned its color to blood red; making the veins emerge beneath the eyes He saw the fear in his prey's eye and the euphoria was mesmerizing.
It was the loudest shriek he had heard after a long time now and just like that, Stefan added yet another name to the pile of names. He has been a ripper before, there is nothing to imagine new. Yet, something felt changed, not the same as it used to. The difference is not in being the ripper. It's all about the feelings that the ripper has started to feel now. The beast was addicted to the blood he tasted after so long, but the pain, the agony is too much to bear, and the Ghost of the Monterrey ripper is laughing at the ripper he has become now. His eyes are numb but not wet, his face didn't show any kind of remorse, and yet there is a vast hole created in the middle of his chest, the one which can never be filled again.
"I am sorry," Stefan whispers to the lifeless body lying on the ground.
The ripper never apologizes ever; the ripper doesn't know the definition of being in agony. How did he change so much? He wondered. And every time the question arises, his head points to the single name.
He closed his eyes to shut himself off from thinking about her. There is no point. The ripper is emotionless, he can't love anyone.
Shut up.
He scolds the other guy, the one in his head making him feel it.
You are not in charge, and will not be ever again.
"You are pathetic," the voice comes from the other corner and the ripper rolled his eyes.
"I don't need your comments," answered Stefan.
"You will apologize to your food and then will expect me to be quite is like not knowing me at all brother!" said his so called, good for nothing big brother, Damon Salvatore.
"Geez, stop acting like a girlfriend, big brother."
"I don't have to, because certain someone's voice is already doing that part," commented Damon. "Unless you shut her thoughts, you won't focus and your one year contract will terminate."
Stefan laughed so loud that his voice echoed in the empty streets of Philadelphia.
"The ripper doesn't do relationships, and if you or anyone else thinks that it will be easier to shut me down so soon, is absolutely wrong. Your brother was a fool who thought was way too strong and would be able to shut me off whenever he would like. He thinks he turned me into some reformed ripper who is weak and in control. Reformed, yes… in control, yes again… but weak? Not at all. Ripper isn't going anywhere, not now, not after a year.
If his words weren't clear, the cunning smile on his face made it all crystal clear.
A/n: Ola, I am back with a new story, hopefully worth enjoying :) So let me know in the comment section how excited you are for this one ;)
