Among Sinners

Death doesn’t play favorites.

Except in the case of one.

At Arabelle Magallanes’ most recent gallery opening, she is, again, face to face with the man who has long acted as her muse: Death. After finally daring to name their shared affection that has gone nearly twenty-five years unsaid, the two of them agree to begin seeing one another, with the caveat that Death will finally allow Arabelle to die if he is to fail in giving her a purpose to live for. However, while mere appearance constitutes Death as a perfect lover, his immortality forbids him from providing—let alone understanding—the things Arabelle has always sought in a partner, like a future with children and commitment.

Another factor complicating things is Death’s complimentary, divine opposite and life’s sole creator, Helena, who refuses to simply let go of her past with Death as his on-again, off-again lover. Then, in another encounter arranged by fate, Arabelle meets a mortal man named Cedric who, in contrast, can give her everything Death cannot. Now forced to choose between the comfort of her past with Death or the hope of her future with Cedric, Arabelle comes to realize that neither man can give her a purpose to build her life around.

Because she has to be the one to define it herself.

Trigger Warnings

• Depression, Suicide, Self-Harm
• Grief, Loss, Divorce, and Death
• Past Physical and Emotional Abuse
• Discussions of Mental Health and Trauma