Sunday – Late Evening, Empty Chapel
The last candles flickered low.
The pews were silent.
The chapel — empty, except for Bella.
She stood before the altar, dressed in black. Not mourning, but commanding. The shadows wrapped around her like velvet.
Father Elijah entered from the side door, his steps hesitant.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, voice tight.
"I needed to pray," Bella replied sweetly. "To be forgiven."
He looked away. "Forgiveness only matters if you want to change."
She stepped toward him. "What if I don't?"
Silence.
Then she whispered:
> "What if I want to be exactly who I am — with you?"
---
The Confessional Booth – Again
This time, he wasn't behind the screen.
He sat beside her.
Their knees almost touched. The air was thick.
"I've broken my vows in my thoughts," he said softly.
Bella turned her face toward his. Inches away.
"Then stop thinking."
And before he could protest — she kissed him.
Not forceful.
Deadly soft.
A kiss like silk, soaked in sin.
And he kissed her back.
For a moment.
Then he broke away, breathless. "No. No. This is wrong."
Bella smiled.
"You already said yes. You just want me to keep pulling you under."
---
One Hour Later
His Bible lay on the floor.
His collar — undone.
Bella straddled his lap in the priest's chair, fingers tracing his chest, his throat, his lips.
"You feel like a man again," she whispered. "Not a priest."
He closed his eyes, guilt washing over him — but it was too late.
She had him.
Mind, body… soul.
She leaned in close, her voice a dark melody:
> "Do you love me now, Father?"
He swallowed hard.
"Yes," he breathed. "God help me… I do."
---
Bella's Bedroom – That Night
She walked in slowly, like a queen returning from war.
She opened the hidden box beneath her floorboards.
Took out the heart.
Set it gently beside a new jar.
Inside: a white priest collar. Folded, still warm.
She stared at both trophies. Smiling.
> "One heart. One soul.
It is so easy to claim."
She lay back on her bed, humming a church hymn, slow and haunting.
---