After losing Eva, Denial was no longer the same.
Something deep within him shattered — and nothing could put it back together.
Unable to bear the memories that haunted every corner of the place he once lived in, Denial left it all behind and moved to another state, far away from the grave where Eva lay. Even then, the pain clung to him like a second skin.
Over the years, Denial continued to plead with the heavens — again and again — asking for the curse to be lifted, begging for Eva to be returned to him. But the divine never answered. No miracle ever came.
Time passed.
And then, one day, Denial made a decision — he would try to move forward.
He knew now that Eva would never return. No matter how long he waited, no matter how deeply he loved, some losses were eternal.
So, he began to change.
He started observing the people around him — how they spoke, how they smiled, how they dressed. Slowly, Denial began to adapt. He learned how to walk with grace, how to speak with warmth, how to wear kindness like a second skin.
He stopped hiding.
Among the many relics and artifacts he'd collected over his long life, Denial decided to open a small antique store — built with the untouched memories of his past.
The shop opened only 15 days each month, and during those days, Denial would step out — no longer as a broken soul, but as a charming, elegant man with eyes that seemed to carry a century of stories.
People were naturally drawn to him. Some came for the rare artifacts; some came just to see him. The once-reclusive vampire now stood behind the counter of a sun-drenched store, smiling gently, and offering stories with every item he sold.
Denial, for the first time in decades, began to feel... human.
The world slowly started to embrace him.
And in return, he began to embrace the world.
But beneath all that charm, in the quiet moments when the shop closed and the streets fell silent — Denial still whispered one name to the wind.
Eva.
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