Luzbel broke down.
The crying didn't come little by little… it tore out of her from the deepest place within, as if something inside her had been irreparably ripped apart. Her hands trembled, and her breathing shattered into sobs that barely allowed her to stay on her feet.
She couldn't meet Morgan's gaze.
She couldn't.
Because when she looked at him… she didn't see only him.
She saw her sister.
She saw what once was.
She saw everything she felt she had destroyed.
Shame burned inside her.
Regret was suffocating her.
It was too much.
And then… she completely broke.
She cried uncontrollably, desperately, as if each tear carried fragments of everything she had kept buried for so long. It all came out at once: the pain, the guilt, the fear… that unbearable weight that had been silently consuming her.
Her crying was raw.
Painful.
Deeply painful.
But even in the middle of that collapse… there was something that hurt her more than anything else.
Morgan.
The idea that, after hearing her… he would reject her.
That he would look at her with contempt.
That he would hate her.
That he would walk away.
That he would stop giving her that warm smile… the one that, without her even realizing it, had been the only thing keeping what little remained of her standing.
Her lips trembled, and through her sobs she barely managed to speak:
—I ruined it… I ruined everything… how did I think I could protect you… if I can't even make anyone respect me…?
Her voice broke even further, drowned in tears.
—This is too much for me… I can't anymore… I can't…
Her hands clutched at herself, as if trying to hold together what little hadn't yet fallen apart.
—I'm… I'm not qualified for this…
And there she remained.
Broken.
Exposed.
Trembling… finally, she stopped pretending she could bear it all.
—Miss…
Morgan stepped a little closer, cautiously, as if getting too close might shatter something already on the edge of collapse.
But he didn't make it.
—That's enough! Luzbel shouted, her voice torn apart, trembling between tears that wouldn't stop falling. I told you no… I can't!
Her words came out rushed, broken.
—I'm not my sister!… If she were here… she would know what to do… she could protect you without a problem… her voice cracked. But I'm not her… and she… she's not here… because of me.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Luzbel curled into herself, as if she wanted to disappear. She buried her face between her knees and began to scratch at her own arms, over and over, in desperation, until the skin gave way and thin crimson lines of blood began to emerge.
—I shouldn't be here… She should.
(she whispered, broken)
And then—
Morgan rushed toward her.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, without hesitation, as if he feared that if he didn't, she would completely fall apart.
—Please… don't say that.
(he said, his voice pained)
—Never say something like that.
There was something different in him.
Pain, yes… but also firmness. A severity that didn't come from judgment, but from something deeper.
—You're right… he continued, holding her a little tighter. You may have done something wrong… you may regret it every second… and I know that if you could, you would change everything.
Morgan's voice trembled.
—But for you to despise yourself like this… to wish you weren't here… he took a deep breath, as if those words cost him more than anything else. To want to disappear… while you're here with me…
(he shook his head softly)
—I… I would never forgive that.
Luzbel froze.
In shock.
She had never heard him like this.
That voice… it wasn't punishing her for her past… it wasn't judging her for her mistakes.
It was confronting her… for wanting to stop existing.
—I know you're a good person… Morgan continued, now softer, but just as firm. It doesn't matter what you've done… what matters is that you're still here.
(he lowered his voice slightly, gently)
—And if you're still here… then we can still do something.
He held her more carefully now, as if he feared hurting her.
—Please… don't speak about yourself like that. Don't… Miss Luzbel.
Her crying didn't stop.
She clung to him, even though part of her mind kept whispering that she didn't deserve it. That warmth… that compassion… were not meant for someone like her.
And even so… she didn't let go.
Morgan, on the other hand, looked at her with sadness.
With a quiet melancholy… like someone who understood that kind of pain all too well.
Gently, he pulled back just enough to stand in front of her. He took her hands carefully, avoiding the wounds, as if even the slightest touch might hurt her.
—You've already told me about your past… he murmured.
His eyes, soft but resolute, never left hers.
—So… please… allow me to tell you about mine.
There was a brief silence.
—Let me tell you who I am… really.
Luzbel's crying stopped for a moment.
She lifted her gaze, her eyes wide, wet… confused… incredulous.
Morgan held her gaze.
—Let me tell you… who Morgan is.
End of chapter.
Next chapter: Who I Was.