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I haven’t copied down Julia’s entire diary. Some details shall remain undisclosed. Some of what Julia wrote is too personal for me to publish. Julia left the diary for me to do as I wished.

I begin at the first entry that started her obsession.

August the 14th.

I searched for something to eat. As usual, I travelled into the slums of London. Why would anyone decline a walk with a stylish lady? Naturally, they perceive me as a costly prostitute, so why wouldn’t they take advantage? I have done this many times over, and yet today, I received the shock of my life.

Diary dear, how do I say this?

I saw the soul of my beloved, dead husband looking out at me from some woman’s eyes. I’m unsure what to do about it, and I am not making any sense, am I?

Let’s start from the beginning. I was walking along Trafalgar Street searching for an undesirable, when I found a man that suited my purpose.

When I was sated, I left his body in the road using a knife to conceal the bite marks. I am not usually careless, but I kept having butterflies in my stomach. Twice, I returned to ensure the marks were obliterated. A strange reaction for me, and this made me more anxious than usual. I can’t explain why and won’t try to.

Concerned, I hurried away from his body, feeling that I was being watched. I wasn’t, of course, I would have sensed if there had been someone. But that made the sensation worse. Fleeing my victim, I made several changes of direction just in case I was being followed, and ended up on Whitechapel Road. There, I saw a woman weaving towards me, drunk.

I endeavoured to avoid her and tried to change my route. Uninterested in beggars or similar, I looked up and met her gaze.

Mid-step, I froze.

Kierran looked out at me from her eyes. I recognised him straight away. Thousands of years disappeared, and I returned to my life with Kierran. Memories I had buried, rose to the fore, and I headed down a painful road.

I remembered Kierran laughing and kissing me under the sun. I recalled how Kierran’s eyes would crinkle as he told a joke or when he was teasing me. My skin tingled as I felt his hand in mine and his arms around me once again. Our last encounter seemed like yesterday. Kierran’s voice rang clear as if he was standing next to me, and tears started to form. Who the hell was this woman to make me feel like this?

Devastated, I gazed at the stranger and realised that she had no idea of my identity. Why should she?

Surely, some recognition should have been present. Hadn’t our souls been completely infatuated with each other? Nothing showed in her eyes except a wondering as to whether I would give her some money. Then she noticed the tears of red and puzzlement shone on her face.

Who was I to cry blood? What was I? A sense of danger arose, prompting her to turn around and rush back the way she had come. The realisation hit that she was a prostitute.

Immediately, I chased after her, not wanting to lose her. The whore guessed I was following and picked the pace up. I watched as she walked to a crowded pub. Once there, she entered, andI waited in the shadows for her to appear. She was talking to a fellow, and I saw her waving towards where she had last seen me.

He emerged, surveyed his surroundings, and then shook his head. He returned inside, pulling her out. They began shouting, and I shrunk even further in the hope that she wouldn’t go inside.

The man pushed her, and she stumbled.

Angrily, she left and rushed off. She was not silly, though, and kept looking over her shoulder.

I was the one who got another shock when I turned a corner and found her standing there, glaring.

She demanded to be told the reason as to why I was following her, and I stuttered for an answer. She looked me up and down and asked what a lady of high society was doing in the slum part of town. There was still no recognition, and she stared like a total stranger.

My poor Kierran, what had your soul been reborn into?

I quickly made up a story that I was searching for someone and that I had thought that she was that person.

The bitch sneered at me and offered her name, Poly Nichols. She began to depart but then Polly became emboldened, turning and threatening me if I continued to follow.

Silly creature, I’d break Polly’s scrawny neck with one hand.

Polly turned again when my hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Quickly, I offered the nasty creature money to see if she would help. Polly’s eyes narrowed in greed as she asked what was involved.

Honestly, I should’ve walked away, but I wanted to learn more. I needed to spend time with Polly, she had Kierran’s soul. It would drive me insane to know that Kierran was here, existing in this filthy shell. I needed to know that Kierran was well, and I didn’t care what the consequences were.

Polly cocked an eyebrow when I insisted I was looking for someone and that maybe she could help. Calculation rose in Polly’s eyes as I took money from my purse. Polly snatched it and squirrelled it away.

Randomly, I gave Polly a made-up name, and she told me she would keep her ears open. I suggested that there was plenty more money to be had.