“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen…”

His voice is soft as a hand gently trails down the side of her face, smiling down at her as his hand then moves to run through her hair. It’s brown and silky, cascading from her scalp and framing her face, giving her an almost angelic appearance — her skin is almost glowing.

A soft sigh passes through his lips, and his hand moves from her hair down her body, fingertips brushing gently over the curve of her hips, then moving to affectionately rub her side. His tongue clicks gently against the roof of his mouth when he notices a tear leaking from one eye and he gently moves his hand to her face, wiping the tear away with his thumb. “Look at you – you’re so happy, you’re crying.”

“Pl-Please…I…” Her voice is breathy, fading out in the end and he shushes her with his index finger, shaking his head. Her expression speaks loudly enough, and he tells her as much as his hand moves back down to gently caress her side. Then his fingers gently curl around her hip and he leans down to press a kiss against her cheek, then dips low enough to reach her ear so he can whisper. “You’re like an angel…” Her beauty is magnificent, astounding, almost overwhelming and bearing a striking resemblance to someone he knew years ago, who has long since left his life.

And as the knife twists in deeper, the corners of his lips raise into a genuine smile – why, she’s even magnificently beautiful when blood is dripping out of her mouth.