*Chapter 13: The darkness unleashed*

As days turned into weeks, Sean's obsession with Evelyn deepened. Eliza could feel the tension between them growing with each passing day. She watched as Sean's behavior became erratic, as though he were torn between the love he felt for Evelyn and the curse that kept him chained to her side.

And then, one night, it happened.

Eliza had followed Sean to a secluded park where Evelyn and he had been spending more time together. The night was cool, the city lights casting a soft glow on the path ahead. Sean was there, his eyes filled with an intensity that sent chills down Eliza's spine. But it wasn't just the love he had for Evelyn that was frightening—there was something darker in him now, something twisted.

Eliza approached, her footsteps light but determined. "Sean," she called softly, her voice breaking through the silence. "You need to stop this."

But he didn't respond immediately. He was staring at Evelyn, a strange, almost predatory look in his eyes. His hand twitched at his side, and for a moment, Eliza felt the cold rush of fear that she had only ever experienced when facing the entity in the house.

"Sean, stop!" Eliza shouted, her voice full of desperation. "Don't do this."

Evelyn turned, startled by Eliza's sudden appearance. Her eyes were wide with confusion. "What's going on? Sean—?"

But before Eliza could stop him, Sean's gaze turned to her—cold, unrecognizable. "This is my choice, Eliza. *I won't let you stand in my way anymore.*"

In a blur of motion, Sean moved toward Evelyn, his eyes flashing with something dangerous and ancient. Eliza's heart pounded in her chest as she realized what was happening. Sean was losing himself, and the battle for his soul was unfolding before her eyes.

"No," Eliza whispered, stepping forward. "Sean, please. This isn't you."

But it was. It was him—*and it was the curse.*

Sean had crossed a line. He was falling in love with a human, yes—but he was also allowing the darkness inside him to consume him. He was breaking the rules, and in doing so, he was becoming something far more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

Evelyn's confusion quickly turned to terror as she backed away from Sean, realizing too late that the man she had fallen for wasn't *human* at all. Eliza could see the horror in her eyes—the same horror she had seen in the mirror when she first realized what they had become.

"No!" Eliza shouted, but it was too late.

Sean reached out to Evelyn with a hand that glowed faintly with the strange, otherworldly power that had taken root within him. Evelyn screamed, stumbling backward, but the grip of Sean's power was too strong.

"Eliza, you're too late," Sean said softly, his voice distant and cold. "She's mine now. And you'll have to *kill me* to stop it.

The air was heavy with tension. Sean's hand reached out toward Evelyn, his fingers brushing against her skin as though trying to pull her toward a future he had only just begun to imagine. The future of a life, *together*, without the interference of the curse, without Eliza, without the rules.

Eliza stood frozen, watching the scene unfold before her eyes. Her chest tightened with a mix of disbelief and fear. This was it—the moment she had feared would come. Sean was breaking away from her. He was leaving her behind.

"Sean, no!" Eliza's voice cracked as she stepped forward, reaching out, desperate. "You can't do this. You can't run away from what we are. You'll just—" But before she could finish, Sean turned to her, his face hardening with resolve. "I've made my decision, Eliza. I'm not like you. I can't live like this, *forever*. She's what's real, what's human. I want a life, not this endless existence."

Eliza's heart broke, the bond she had shared with him—the only tie that had kept her anchored—was slipping away. She had always known that the curse would come to this, but she never imagined it would feel this way.

Sean reached for Evelyn's hand, pulling her close. "We're leaving. We're going far away from here. Somewhere you won't be able to find us."

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, confusion clouding her eyes. "Sean… what's happening? I don't understand."

Sean's grip tightened around her, and he looked at Eliza one last time. "It doesn't matter. We're going to be together. No one can stop us. Not even you, Eliza."

Without another word, Sean turned to leave, pulling Evelyn along with him. As they stepped away, Eliza felt the weight of the moment. She had always feared this, but never truly understood the depths of the consequences.

However, what neither of them knew was that their departure, their flight to freedom, was not just the breaking of a bond—it was something much darker. Something beyond their control.

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