The voice of despair

It is often said that love is an invincible force, a fire that consumes everything in its path, but what happens when that love binds you to something dangerous? Some ancient stories speak of sirens, those enchanting creatures who lured sailors with their beauty and song, only to lead them to certain death. Others tell of men and women who loved monsters, to the point of sacrificing their own humanity.

But in all these stories, there is one constant: love for what is dangerous does not extinguish fear. It nourishes it, makes it grow, until it becomes an insurmountable shadow.

Ted did not believe in these stories. Not until today.

He opened his eyes, his blurred vision gradually clearing. The familiar walls of the room surrounded him, but nothing seemed normal. Every detail appeared more intense, heavier, as if the weight of the revelations from the previous night was pressing on every object.

He slowly sat up, running a hand over his face. His head buzzed, and a dull pain pulsed at the back of his skull. Everything came back to him: the night before, Jenna, the curse, his own blood... and the paralyzing fear that had overwhelmed him.

Ted got out of bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor. He instinctively headed toward the window, pulling back the curtains to let the morning light in. The sun shone faintly, and the world outside seemed peaceful, as if nothing he was experiencing was real.

But it was all very real.

He placed a hand on the window ledge, his eyes fixed on the horizon, lost in his thoughts. How was he supposed to handle this? How was he supposed to keep loving Jenna, to live with her, knowing that a part of her was tied to something as... monstrous?

He took a deep breath, but the air seemed heavy, almost suffocating. And then, as if the tension inside him had to burst, he turned his head and shouted, in a loud, desperate voice:

"JENNA!"

The silence that followed was deafening. No response, no sign of movement in the house.

Ted furrowed his brows, worry rising within him. He stepped away from the window and quickly moved toward the bedroom door, calling out again: "Jenna, are you there?"

No response.

Ted searched the house, running from room to room, calling Jenna's name over and over. He looked everywhere: in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bathroom, but there was no trace of her. The silence grew heavier, each step echoing like a sound in the vast emptiness of the house.

His worry turned into panic. What had happened? Where could she be? A lump of anxiety formed in his throat, and he felt his heart race. He couldn't understand why she had left, why she had disappeared without a trace. Every second that passed seemed to amplify this terror, as if reality itself was slipping away beneath his feet.

After searching unsuccessfully through the house, Ted returned to their bedroom. He stopped dead in his tracks in front of the bed, noticing something he had not seen before. An envelope. A letter.

He approached slowly, his hands trembling slightly. His eyes fixed on Jenna's neat handwriting, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. He hesitated to open it, as if, somehow, this letter would change him forever. But curiosity and fear urged him to gently tear it open, revealing the message Jenna had left behind.

He sat on the bed, his eyes filled with uncertainty, and began to read.

---

My dear Ted,

I am sorry. I am sorry for putting you in such a disastrous situation. It was selfish of me to ask for your blood, to hope that you would accept this sacrifice for me. I knew it would destroy you, that it would break something inside of you, but I couldn't help but think that, perhaps, you would accept out of love. But I was wrong.

You deserve better than this. You deserve a life without this curse, without these invisible chains. I don't want to see you suffer because of me. I don't want to make you carry this burden, let alone lose you in this whirlpool of pain and fear. That's why I'm leaving.

I never wanted to lose you, Ted. But it's too late. I'm too far from you now, and I'm a threat to everything you are. We've had beautiful moments, moments I will cherish for the rest of my days. You gave me love, warmth, laughter… I can never forget what you've given me. But from today, I will disappear from your life. I will never come back.

I love you more than anything, but you must let me go, for your own good, for our good.

With all my love,

Jenna.

---

Ted remained there, his eyes fixed on the letter, unable to say a word. Tears began to fill his eyes, rolling silently down his cheeks. He felt his throat tighten, each word of the letter piercing his heart like a sword of pain. This letter was a goodbye. A goodbye he hadn't wanted to hear, one he had never imagined he would have to face.

He cried, cried like he had never cried before. Each tear seemed to carry with it a part of himself, a part of what he had shared with Jenna.

Then, after a moment of intense pain, he looked up at the door. A painful cry escaped his lips, a cry that carried all the suffering he was feeling.

"I'M SORRY, JENNA!"

He jumped to his feet, trembling hands, his heart pounding wildly. He couldn't let her go, not like this. Not without a fight. He rushed toward the exit of the house, determined to find her, to save her, to bring her back. No matter the price to pay.

He opened the door frantically and ran into the street, his legs carrying him through the morning darkness. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to find her. He had to tell her he loved her, that everything could still be fixed. That the curse wouldn't separate them.

But as he ran, he knew deep down that what he was doing might already be too late.

Ted ran at full speed, his feet pounding the ground with an urgency that bordered on desperation. The morning air whipped his face, but he didn't even feel it. All that mattered was finding Jenna, fixing what was broken. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not after everything they had been through together.

But as his thoughts spiraled in his mind, another story resurfaced, a story he had read in an old book years ago. The story of a man, an ordinary man, just like him, who had lost the love of his life because of fear, pride, and stupidity.

This man was married to a woman he adored, a beautiful, sweet, lively woman. But their happiness was threatened by the woman's boss, a powerful man with influence and relentless authority. The boss, mad with desire for the woman, began to harass her, threaten her, and make her life a living hell. The man, fearful of losing everything he had, chose to detach himself, to make a sacrifice he thought was necessary. He divorced his wife, hoping to protect her by freeing her from this burden.

But what he didn't know was that his wife, devastated by the divorce, devastated by the idea of being rejected, chose to take her own life rather than marry her boss. She couldn't live with the humiliation, the misunderstanding. She couldn't bear to be separated from the man she loved, but more than that, she couldn't live in a world where that love had been sacrificed.

The man learned the news too late. When he heard about his wife's death, the way she had left this world, his heart shattered. He went mad with grief. His life lost all meaning. He had lost everything, and the truth gnawed at him: he had sacrificed the love of his life out of fear, out of cowardice.

Even though the story of this man wasn't exactly the same as his, Ted couldn't help but draw parallels. The fear of losing Jenna gnawed at him. He felt like everything was beyond his control, that he was too weak to protect her. But he knew, deep down in his soul, that if he did nothing, he risked losing her. Not because of a cruel boss, but because of the curse, the blood he had to give her every week, the promise he didn't know if he could keep.

He shook his head, pushing those dark thoughts away. He wasn't like that man. He didn't want to make the same mistake. He had to find Jenna, tell her he would do anything for her, that he would accept bearing that burden, no matter the cost. No matter how much it would destroy him, he was willing to do anything to keep her.

Ted quickened his pace, his heart racing, fear and hope blending into a whirlwind of emotions. He couldn't imagine a life without her.