"I do hate it when you are right, darling'' she said and released him

"And I do like this shade of confidence. So masculine...''

She started moving closer and closer to him until she could sense his heart beating off his chest. She was very confident of the power she had over him and was prepared to play that last card.

"Are you sure you can't help a girl out? For old time's sake?"

"Not a chance!" he exclaimed with determination and tried to avoid her

They looked at each other for several seconds; both their eyes ablaze, revealing truths no words could speak. It was Isaac who first decided to break the awkward silence

"Why?" he heard himself asking with a hint of pity he would have never believed he'd ever utter

''Why what, darling?''

"Why did you do that? We could have been happy. We could have had everything. Why didn't you want to make a fresh start?"

''You don't get this, darling, do you? That girl you danced with, never really existed. I was faking it the whole time. I never loved you, Isaac. I was looking out for myself" she added bitterly, "The only true thing about that night was our last meeting in the attic". Her words cut like a knife and she knew it perfectly well. But they were both past the point of turning back now, so hurting his feelings only seemed insignificant.

"I really loved you. I still do" The words flew from his lips without processing but little did he care how vulnerable he must have seemed

"Oh, please. I'm a psycho killer!'' -at least I was- she thought to herself, "After all, you can't fall in love with a person you hardly know.'' She glared at him, her eyes giving off sparks.

''But I did. I did fall in love with you. And yes, that was one of my life's biggest mistakes but I will never regret it.''

"Oh, darling, stop reading those novels. They are, indeed, affecting you". What was it that made him so naive? Love! What an overestimated state of mind! Love has never been an answer. If anything, it always made everything more complicated.

A sad smile was drawn on his face. He was well aware of how cynical she could be but somewhere deep inside him he knew this was only a facade.

"What were you afraid of?" he decided to ask, although he was well aware she would defend the wall she had raised between them with all the strength she had.

His question took her by surprise. She acknowledged her nature. She knew she could never be happy with him. She was just not cut out for this. But no matter how certain she felt for herself, this was the first time, as back as she could remember, she felt something old and familiar burning deep inside the place that others called a heart. Something long forgotten that she never thought it still existed. An odd sense of fear. She felt her knees weaken at the very idea of that despicable feeling still lurking inside her. She was afraid of hurting him. And that, she would. Eventually.

Still, this was a realization she had to keep to herself. But his eyes were still fixed on her, questioning, awaiting for a response. At least one she owed him

"My madness!" she cried. Her blue eyes were now sparkling with fury

Isaac looked at her confused. He grabbed her wrist as firmly as he could and shouted:

''We could have fought it!"

''No we couldn't! And after all, darling, who said I wanted to fight it?''

"No one wants to live in the darkness. Why would you?"

''Oh, trust me, darling, walking on the dark side is really fun!''

''Is it? Have you ever thought about love or happiness?''

''Who cares? All I need is my ability to kill! Which you are supposed to give back to me right now!"

''Why do you keep doing this? Why are you always turning it to murder?"

''Because that's who I am, darling! A murderer!"

''You might be a murderer but this doesn't mean that you can't be something else'' He came closer to her and he noticed the fear in her eyes. Ηe touched her cheek with a smooth move. She didn't move. She kept looking at him

He didn't intend to try anything, after all he had never been the spontaneous type of man. But as though his lips had a life of their own, he surprised himself by moving closer and placing a soft, inquiring kiss on her lips, waiting for her reaction. And as if she had predicted it, as if expecting it, she kissed him right back. His heart skipped a beat the moment their lips touched. But Cruella seemed to be wanting so much more than a kiss. With slow, decisive moves, she started removing her fur while her kissing became more aggressive. He wasn't going to resist her. He couldn't. And more importantly: he didn't want to! Cruella fiercely threw herself onto him, causing him to lose balance and they both found themselves falling on the soft sofa behind him. Like a predator, she wasted no time and immediately began removing his shirt, unbuttoning each button with such precision and steadiness that left no doubt as to what her intentions were and what was about to follow. He placed his hand on her waist and started kissing her neckline. Cruella was not willing to wait any longer and she certainly wasn't going to let him be in charge. For her, time was of the essence and she didn't intend to leave any room for second thoughts. Especially hers. She removed her own blouse with a subtle move. Then she grabbed his face and gave him another aggressive kiss. Isaac moved his hands on her back and removed her bra. He was giving gentle kisses all over her body while she was touching his back in a hawkish way. His mind was trying to absorb the fact that he was making love with the woman he had sworn many years before that he would forget. He couldn't believe it. And even though she had decided to let herself go, neither could she. They were both so different and yet they were looking for the same thing. Isaac felt like he was flying while Cruella had already forgotten that stupid plan about the savior and Isaac's murder. All she cared about, for the moment, was being with him.