i. luxúria

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"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." --Galatians 6:8.

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                                                lust: (v).  to feel a strong desire for something.

Adelaida dismissed her bible study class, which she taught every single morning after the eight o'clock mass. Only a handful of people attended though she tried hard to have more people join. She often invited people she knew and created flyers which she posted around the church for people to see. It seemed like most people were only interested on attending mass on Sundays. The rest of the week saw the chapel as a lonely place, forgotten by the people of the Catholic faith. 

The small group of people piled out of the church, clearing up the space in the chapel dimly lit by the rays of sun that came in through the stained glass windows to allow her to see there was a man sat at the last pew. Dressed in her simple white skinny pants and navy blue polka dotted blouse, accompanied by ballerina flats and black rimmed glasses, the twenty-three year old almost looked like a pre-school teacher. It was the way she liked to dress, sweet and simple. Her brown eyes narrowed when she saw the silouhette of the man in the back of the chapel.

"Hello...?" She called out hesitantly.

He was slumped forward, with his face in his hands. But as he lifted his head, a pair of brown eyes stared back at her. "Yes?"

Adelaida's breath caught in her throat when she realized who he was. Everyone in Portugal, if not everyone in the world knew who he was. 

Cristiano Ronaldo.

Her heart stopped when the name fully registered in her mind. 

Cristiano. 

Cristão. 

Christian. 

"What are we, sweetheart?" The memory of her grandmother's words echoed in her mind. "Which religion do we worship?"

"Cristão." Replied the six year old version of herself that day. Cristão. Christian-Roman Catholic. The denomination of  christianity that her family belonged to was that of the Roman Catholic tradition, like the majority of the Portuguese population.

Adelaida was so taken aback that her heavy bible slipped out of her hands and fell to the floor with a loud thud that echoed in the emptiness of the chapel. A man with a name you worship every second of every day. How was it that she could ever imagine it would be Cristiano Ronaldo? In a nervous panic, the twenty-three year old crouched down to pick up her heavy book in her small hands.

"S-sorry," She stuttered. "I didn't--I thought you were one of my students..."

Of all the places to find a famous footballer, she never thought it would be at church. She guessed he probably had a million other places he needed to be and never had time to praise God. That was the case with most famous people, she supposed. They all enjoyed the blessings given to them by God, yet they did nothing to visit God's house.

"I didn't mean to interrupt or scare you. When I heard you speaking so beautifully, I decided to stay. I really don't come here often. Honestly, its the first time I've come here since I was a little kid." He shot her a crooked smile like the ones she often saw on him. And she had to admit he made a thousand butterflies flutter about in her stomach. She bit her lip hard as one quote burned in her mind. "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." That day's lesson coincidentally had to do with lust. Adelaida taught her students that lust wasn't just sexual, in the flesh. It could be associated with anything; the mind, the soul, the heart, it wasn't just a sin of the body.

And in that moment, as much as she tried to stop her thoughts from doing so, Adelaida wanted more of him. The mere thought of looking at his perfect features made her heart race. He was a handsome and dashing young man, everything about him was attractive. She wanted to see more of him, she wanted to hear more of his voice, she wanted to feel the smoothness of his tanned skin, the softness of his lips, she wanted it all.

Cristiano was the one her mother's friend warned her about so long ago.

And so began the long dark night of Adelaida's soul, commencing with the deadly sin of lust. 

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the first deadly sin our main character is experiencing.

thank you so much for reading and supporting.

i hope you like this chapter. there are six deadly sins to go and eight updates left including the epilogue.

now back to studying my boring ass philosophy notes.

i love you.

-clary xx