Vinter's POV

I can't sleep—I just can't sleep no matter how hard I try. I took sleeping pills, and they still do not work for me. The news was playing on the TV, and my ears perked up when I heard Theodore Stanley's name on it. I watched the news intently. Of course, I know who this man is; he is my soulmate's father.

My eyes widened when I realized what was going on. Theodore just got arrested for all the crimes he committed. This is bad. How is Dove going to handle her entire family? She's only 23 years old. I got to see if she was doing okay. Maybe I should go to Hope Records. Even though I know Dove is strong, I want to see for myself if she is okay.

I got up from the couch in my room and stood in front of the mirror. I look like shit with disheveled hair and dark circles underneath my eyes because of the lack of sleep. I'm barely ever home these days, trying to keep an eye on my father. I know the sins are doing their job perfectly fine, but I want to make sure things are going according to plan. No matter how good their intentions are, I cannot trust a criminal organization.

The guilt of selling out my father's life and information just like that is eating me up a little more every day. I don't know if what I'm doing is right or not, but I'm just doing what my heart is telling me to do.

When I smelled my shirt, I realized it smelled strongly of cigarettes and sweat. I scrunched my nose at the bad smell and took my towel, proceeding to walk towards the shower.
I realized my hair was all over the place and needed better grooming. So I picked up the scissors and cut my hair shorter. I liked my long hair; I could tie it up and all, but still, shorter hair is much better.

After cleaning myself up well, I stepped out of the shower and wore my dark pants and a navy blue shirt tucked in. I styled my hair into a left-side part and let it remain naturally. I cannot exactly do anything about my dark circles, so I'm going to let it be. I wore my watch and went out of my room. Good thing Twilight wasn't home, or else he would have showered me with questions since I haven't talked to anyone for so many days.

I went on my way to Hope Records. I have so much work pending there—why was I even wasting time mopping around about something I have no control over anymore?

When I reached the place, I saw the rude receptionist doing her job. Dylan did mention how she behaved when Dove came in for the first time. I never really liked this receptionist—not that I have ever talked with her or anything. But her vibes weren't likeable right from the beginning.

"Good morning, sir," she said when she saw me. I nodded in her direction.

"The new haircut looks good on you," she complimented with a fake smile. I smiled at her with the same energy she was giving.

"Thank you."

I continued walking towards my studio. I opened the door and was greeted by Dylan, who was laying on my couch.

"Miracle!" He exclaimed. "Am I dreaming?" "Is it you, Vin?"

I rolled my eyes.

"What are you doing in here without my permission, Dee?" I asked. I often like calling him "Dee." It's my nickname for him.

"I was curious how much of our new song you had written so far, so Dove helped me pick the studio lock," he paused. "You haven't composed it well yet, Vin." "What are you even up to these days?"

"And what on Earth happened to you?! "You look like shit!" he said.

"Things happened. You said Dove helped you pick the lock? She's here?" I was surprised.

"Yeah... but what happened to you?" He asked.

"Later, I need to find Dove first," I said as I walked out of my studio without wasting any time.

I rushed around trying to find her, and that's when it clicked to me that she might have gone to the rooftop. So without wasting any time, I went to the rooftop.

I opened the door to the rooftop and saw Dove sitting on the parapet. I realized I made a promise to Leviathan to keep Dove protected, and that Dove is suicidal. I rushed up to her and pulled her down.
She groaned in annoyance when she looked at me. I gave her a nervous smile.

"You wouldn't just let me enjoy my moment, would you?" She spoke.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." "What do you want?" She asked.

"Leviathan told me—" before I could finish my sentence, I was flat on my face on the ground as she twisted my wrist behind my back. I screamed in pain.

"Who told you about Leviathan?" She hissed. She was sitting on top of me; it felt like my wrist would snap any minute.

"Dove listen-"

"Who told you about Leviathan?" She repeated herself.

"Would you let me fucking explain?" I yelled as I struggled to free myself. After a few dreadful seconds, she let go of me and got off.
I got up, dusting my clothes as I hissed, still feeling a sting in my wrist.

"Speak," she commanded. I stared at her. There were no expressions on her face. This is the first time I have seen her stare so blankly.

"You are like Mammon..." I mumbled.

"You want to get flipped again?" She asked. "Don't compare me with that brat."

I raised my eyebrows, realizing she doesn't seem very fond of Mammon—or am I misinterpreting it?

"I met Cynthia Lee, your former juvenile supervisor, a few days ago." "She's a friend of mine," I explained.

"She obviously won't tell you about me or the sins without any reason." "What was it that you wanted from the sins?" She asked.

"My father..." I contemplated whether I should tell her or not. "... is involved with the Yakuza."

She chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"I'm aware of that, stupid." "Tell me how you encountered with the sins." She asked. She knew that my father is affiliated with the Yakuza; why didn't she say anything about it before?

"I wanted their help to stop my father," I stated.

"You can't be serious?" She gave me a surprised look. "You wanted help from a criminal organization?"

"I didn't have any other option." "I couldn't go to the cops 'cause it would ruin my family's reputation if my father would have gotten arrested—Twilight would have struggled the most out of all of us," I said.

"So what did Lucifer promise to do?" She asked.

"Lucifer didn't promise anything." "But Leviathan did," I replied. Her eyes momentarily widened in surprise.

"Levy did?" She asked. "What promise?"

I sighed as I realized again that I had sold my father's life just like that to a criminal organization. How does that make me any different from my father?

I felt two cold hands touching my face as I snapped out of my trance.

"Hey!" "You are overthinking." Dove said. Her expressions were neutral, but her voice carried a hint of worry in it. "Come here."

She tucked her hands into my shirt as she led me towards the parapet. With one jump, she was sitting on it.

"Don't be shy, Harris." "Take a seat," she said, patting the empty spot beside her. I stared at her in confusion.

"Come on. Hop on!" "We don't have the whole day," she said. I sighed and did as she told me to do. I am a bit acrophobic, so it kind of made me anxious to sit there.

"Relax," she said. I looked at her and gave her a small nod.

"What do you want to know?" I asked her.

"I want to know everything, from your deepest desires to your shallowest thoughts," she said. I looked at her, surprised, and my face became hot.

"I...I..."

She chuckled.

"Kidding."

"Just tell me what is exactly going on right now with you and what all is connected to it," she said.

"Okay," I said, and just like that, I told her everything, from how I found out about my father being connected to the Yakuza to meeting Cynthia to meeting the sins. She listened to me carefully without saying anything or giving out any sort of expression.

After I was done talking, she took a long pause. As if there were millions of calculations going on in her head. Only minutes later, she broke the eye contact and looked to the other side, from where we were getting a city view. Her face broke into a cynical grin.

"You are more twisted than me, Vinter," she finally said.

"What?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I made my father's story public in order to save him from a possible future death," she explained. "But you sold your father's life."

She laughed.

"And here I thought you were innocent."

"Well... I am not a child," I mumbled.

"It's going to leave a scar," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"This decision of yours will leave a permanent scar on your heart," she said. "You shouldn't have gotten involved with the sins."

"You are involved with them too," I said.

"I lived with them for some time. Even if their leader doesn't see me as one, I see them as my family." "Especially Leviathan and Belphegor... and that brat named Mammon," she pointed out. "I know how they work." "But, do you?"

I shook my head.

"That's what I thought," she said.

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Well, whatever you did cannot be undone." "Good thing you told me about it; at least you will have me as a backup now," she said.

"Are you saying they'll not keep their word?"

"They will. "Hell, they will." "Lucifer always keeps his word, and so does Leviathan," she stated. "But I have a hunch we still haven't gotten the bigger picture." "So we will have to get into the depths of this."

"Why are you helping me with this?" I asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Vinter." "I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for Twilight."

"Why for Twilight?"

"He hasn't told you yet?" She asked. "I'm dating Twilight, my dear."

My eyes widened as I couldn't process what she just said. I know Twilight said he'd eventually take Dove out on a date, but I never expected them to date so soon.

"But I broke up with Nina after I found out the truth," I said.

"Good for you, Vinter," she replied. "That was a smart thing to do."

"I... assumed you and I would —"

"No, that is not going to happen," she replied coldly.

"But why?!" I didn't realize my voice would raise so much.

"I thought we were soulmates."

"Of course we are." "And nothing will change that," she said. "...but there is always a difference in beliefs." "You have yours, while I have mine. I can see a future with Twilight. But with you, I can't see anything past toxicity."

As much as I hate to admit it. She's right, but if she expects me to let go of her just like that, it's not happening. I won't give up without a fight.

"I'm not expecting you to let go. Maybe just try to understand," she said as she got off and proceeded to leave.

"Wait!" I said. She turned to look at me.

"Hmm?"

"Would you give me a chance if I proved I was better than Twilight?" I asked.

"Even after I break our soulmate bond?" She asked.

Ouch

She still wants to break our soulmate bond. I could feel my eyes filling with tears. I loved her so much all this time, and she still wants to break the soulmate bond.

But I don't blame her. It was my fault all along for not believing her. I have to face the consequences of not trusting my soulmate, someone who also has the same soul as me. It's like I doubted my soul.

"Even after you break our soulmate bond," I finally said.

"Who knows..." she smirked. "For now, let's just focus on getting to the bottom of this Yakuza thing."

"Why did you expose your father?" I asked.

"My father ruined many lives, including mine." "Think of it as a little revenge," she said. "But I also did it to safeguard his life."

"Safeguard?"

"A little bird told me that my father was about to be added to the sins hit list. Before they could take any action, I did what I thought was right. Because unlike yours, my father doesn't own an estate." "So his reputation and all were the last things I was worried about," she said.

"Sins punish those that the law cannot." "Because it works under a specific set of protocols, our country's law cannot always bring justice to everyone. So the sins were born out of that lack of fulfillment. They punish those who cannot be punished by the law. just like the case of your father. I knew Oliver Harris would never be apprehended by the authorities, so the sins had to intervene. Whereas in my father's case, seeking help from our country's judiciary was an option." "So I opted for that one," she explained. She's so smart, even at this age. She's younger than me, and yet she thinks like a person much older than me.

Now everything made sense. So there was no hope for my father after all. He has succumbed so much to his pride and greed that there's no going back.

"I told you it would leave a scar," she said with a sad smile. "But you are much stronger than me." "I almost envy you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

She shook her head with a smile. "Maybe next time." "The hair and dark circles look good on you." "You will also eventually get used to the insomnia."

She walked away, leaving me hanging with my incomplete questions and their answers. What exactly is this woman? And why does she always leave me hanging like this? I hope she realizes that she's making me grow more and more intrigued. I didn't realize it until this very moment that Dove also has dark circles. So she also suffers from insomnia? Just like me—why do I feel like our sufferings are more alike than we can see?

"Even if you break our soulmate bond, Dove Stanley, it still won't change the fact that you will always have my soul inside you."

♤♤♤

Yeah okay, I'm done with this love thing... it's twisted and blood-sucking... it's taking away my sanity. I'm never doing it again... I'm never falling in love again.

This is what Vinter's hairstyle looks like now. This is not my fanart (so credits to whoever the artist is). The character in the image is Yūta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen.