LUNA'S POINT OF VIEW

I almost did not go.

I stood in front of the wardrobe for a long time, longer than I should have, my fingers brushing against dresses I had not worn in months. Some still had tags. Some still smelled new. Some smelled like memories I did not want to touch.

I was not really seeing any of them.

My mind was somewhere else.

Back at that table. Back at the way the tea soaked through my dress. Back at the way Ethan did not look up. Back at his voice.

Know your place.

I swallowed hard.

My fingers stilled on a dark green dress. I pulled it out slowly and held it against myself, staring into the mirror.

I looked... fine.

Not beautiful. Not special. Just fine.

I almost laughed.

Fine had never been enough in this house.

I let the dress fall against my body and watched myself in the mirror again. My face looked calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that comes from holding too much inside for too long.

I could stay home.

No one would ask.

Emily would probably be relieved. Eva would laugh about it. Sara would take my place at the table without hesitation. Ethan... Ethan would not notice until someone pointed it out.

That thought sat heavy in my chest.

Then another thought followed it.

Rose.

Her voice had been steady on the phone. Not asking. Not persuading.

Luna, I expect to see you there.

I remembered her hand around mine. Cold. Firm. Certain.

For a moment, something inside me straightened.

If I did not go, I would be proving them right.

That I did not belong.

That I could be pushed aside.

That I would quietly disappear if they made things uncomfortable enough.

I slowly lifted my chin.

No.

I would go.

Even if I stood there alone.

Even if no one spoke to me.

Even if every eye in that room judged me.

I would go.

Because I was still here.

---

The venue was beautiful in a way that made you feel small.

High ceilings. Soft lights. Everything carefully arranged. The kind of place where people lowered their voices without thinking about it.

Money had a sound. It had a quiet to it.

I felt it the moment I stepped in.

People were already there. Dressed well. Moving easily. Laughing softly. Like they had always belonged in places like this.

I adjusted the strap of my dress slightly and walked in.

My heels felt too loud against the floor.

I hated that I noticed that.

I hated that I always noticed things like that.

Rose stood near the entrance, speaking to a couple. The moment her eyes found me, she stopped.

She excused herself and walked toward me.

She did not rush. She never rushed.

When she reached me, she took both my hands.

Her grip was light but steady.

"You came," she said.

I nodded. "You told me to."

Something in her eyes softened. Not fully. Just enough.

She looked at my face carefully, like she always did, like she was searching for something beneath the surface.

"You look tired," she said quietly.

"I am fine."

She held my hands for a second longer, then released them.

"Stay close," she said, before turning back to her guests.

Stay close.

I wanted to.

But I knew how these things worked.

People would come. Conversations would pull her away. I would be left standing somewhere in the room trying to look like I belonged.

Still, I nodded.

And then I walked further in.

I found a place near the edge of the room.

Not too close. Not too far.

Just enough to exist without being in the center of anything.

I picked up a glass from a passing tray and held it, even though I was not planning to drink.

It gave my hands something to do.

Time passed.

People talked. Laughed. Moved around me.

Some glanced at me.

Most did not.

I told myself that was good.

Better to be invisible than examined.

I almost relaxed.

Almost.

Then the room changed.

It was small at first.

A shift in voices. A slight pause in movement. Heads turning one after another.

I felt it before I saw it.

I turned.

Ethan.

And Sara.

Walking in together.

His hand rested at the small of her back.

Not casual.

Not accidental.

Familiar.

My stomach dropped.

I had seen that gesture before.

Felt it.

Believed in it.

Now it belonged to someone else.

Sara wore red.

Of course she did.

She always knew how to enter a room. How to make sure every eye landed on her without looking like she was trying.

She looked calm.

Confident.

Like nothing had ever gone wrong.

Like she had never run away.

Like she had never left everything behind.

Like she had always been here.

Emily was already moving toward them.

Her face lit up in a way I had never seen directed at me.

"There they are," she said loudly. "Look at you. Sara, you look beautiful."

She touched Sara's arm. Smiled at Ethan.

Ethan said something low.

Emily laughed.

The sound carried.

Then she looked at me.

Just for a second.

But it was enough.

Intentional.

Cold.

Satisfied.

I turned away.

My fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

The whispers started.

Soft. Quiet. But not quiet enough.

"They came together."

"I heard it was always her."

"Then what is the other one still doing here?"

A small laugh.

"Probably waiting to be replaced."

"She already was."

The word hit.

Placeholder.

I stared straight ahead.

I had heard that word before.

Too many times.

Too many years.

It had followed me from my childhood into this marriage like a shadow that refused to leave.

I placed my glass down carefully.

If I held it any tighter, it would break.

I walked to the bar.

Each step felt controlled. Measured.

Do not rush.

Do not react.

Do not give them anything.

I leaned lightly against the counter.

"Something strong," I said.

The bartender nodded.

I did not even look at what he poured.

I just stared at the bottles lined up behind him.

Colorful. Perfect. Untouched.

I focused on them.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Do not think.

Do not feel.

Just stand.

Just exist.

Then she came.

I felt it before she spoke.

That shift in the air.

That quiet attention that came with her presence.

Sara stepped beside me.

Close.

Too close.

I could smell her perfume.

Floral. Expensive. Deliberate.

I did not turn.

"You should have stayed home," she said lightly.

Her voice was soft. Almost kind.

But there was nothing kind in it.

"Everyone is talking," she continued. "Can you not feel it?"

I said nothing.

"They all know," she said. "They always knew."

My fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

"You were never meant to stay," she said quietly. "You were just filling space."

My chest rose slowly.

I kept my eyes forward.

"Ethan never loved you," she added.

That one landed.

Deep.

I swallowed.

"You know that," she said. "Even you know that."

For a second, my mind betrayed me.

A memory surfaced.

Ethan, early days.

Standing too close.

Saying my name like it mattered.

Looking at me like I was not just a solution.

Like I was something real.

I pushed it away.

That version of him was gone.

Maybe it had never existed.

"Go home, Luna," Sara said softly.

Her voice changed.

Lower now.

Sharper.

"Or better yet... disappear."

My breath caught slightly.

"Your mother managed it," she continued.

My grip tightened.

"She got sick. She died. She stopped being a problem."

My heart started beating faster.

Louder.

"Maybe you should do the same."

Everything went quiet.

Not the room.

Inside me.

Everything stopped.

My mother.

A hospital room.

The smell of medicine.

Her hand in mine.

Weak. Warm.

Her voice telling me to be strong.

To endure.

To survive.

I had watched her fade.

Watched her disappear slowly.

Watched the world move on like she had never been there.

Something inside me snapped.

I should walk away.

That thought came.

Clear.

Strong.

Walk away.

Do not do this.

If you do this, everything will get worse.

They will use it against you.

They will turn it into proof that you do not belong.

Walk away.

Leave.

Right now.

I could.

I should.

My fingers loosened slightly.

My body shifted.

One step.

That was all it would take.

One step away from her.

One step away from this.

I did not take it.

My hand moved before I could stop it.

The sound of the slap cut through the room.

Sharp.

Clear.

Final.

Sara's head snapped to the side.

Silence.

Complete silence.

My chest rose and fell quickly.

My palm stung.

I did not regret it.

Not even a little.

---

Everything froze.

All eyes on us.

Every voice gone.

Every movement stopped.

For the first time since I walked into that room...

I was not invisible.

Ethan was moving.

Fast.

His face was hard.

His eyes locked on me.

I saw it coming.

I saw his hand rise.

For a second...

I thought he would hit me.

And something inside me broke.

Not fear.

Not exactly.

Something deeper.

Something that had been holding on for too long.

If he did it...

If he actually did it...

There would be nothing left to hold onto.

He did not get the chance.

Someone grabbed his wrist.

Held it.

Stopped him.

Rose.

Standing behind him.

Calm.

Cold.

Terrifying.

"What," she said quietly, "were you about to do."

Ethan froze.

"She slapped Sara," he said.

"I can see that."

Her eyes did not leave his face.

"Who is she to you?"

A pause.

"My wife."

"Your wife," she repeated.

The words felt heavy.

Real.

Binding.

"And this is how you treat your wife."

Ethan said nothing.

Sara stepped forward.

"Luna attacked me-"

"Remove her," Rose said.

Just like that.

No hesitation.

No argument.

Sara froze.

"You were not invited," Rose continued.

Her voice was calm.

Controlled.

"You came anyway. You caused a scene. You will leave."

Sara turned to Ethan.

He did not move.

That was enough.

She left.

Head high.

Face controlled.

But I saw it.

The crack.

The anger.

Rose turned to the room.

"Luna is under my protection," she said.

"Anyone who disrespects her disrespects me."

Silence answered her.

No one argued.

No one moved.

Then she looked at me.

Just for a second.

And in that look...

There was something I had not felt in a long time.

Not pity.

Not obligation.

Recognition.

She walked away.

The room slowly came back to life.

But something had changed.

I stood there.

Alone.

But not the same.

Ethan stood across the room.

Looking at the door Sara had walked through.

Not at me.

Never at me.

That hurt.

More than the rest.

I placed my glass down.

My hand was steady.

For the first time in a long time...

I did not feel small.

I was still here.

And this time...

I was not going to stay quiet.

SARA'S POINT OF VIEW

The drive home felt longer than twenty minutes.

It should not have.

I had taken that road too many times to count. I knew every turn, every traffic light, every stretch where the streetlights flickered a little before settling. It was a familiar path. A simple one.

But tonight it dragged.

The silence inside the car pressed against my ears until it felt loud.

No music.

No calls.

No distraction.

Just me.

And that moment.

Again.

And again.

And again.

My grip tightened on the steering wheel.

I could still hear it.

That sound.

That sharp, clean crack that cut through the room and split the night open.

My jaw clenched.

I swallowed hard, but it did nothing. The memory stayed. It clung. It replayed without mercy.

Her hand.

Luna's hand.

I saw it clearly.

Not shaking. Not hesitant. Not unsure.

Steady.

Certain.

Like she had every right to do it.

My chest tightened.

I stopped at a red light and exhaled slowly, forcing my fingers to loosen just a little from the wheel. They had gone stiff without me noticing.

My cheek still burned.

I raised my hand and pressed two fingers lightly against it.

Warm.

Still warm.

Like the heat had settled deep under my skin and refused to leave.

I closed my eyes for a second.

And the room came back.

Every face.

Every pair of eyes.

Watching.

Not one person moved to stop it.

Not one person spoke.

They just watched.

Watched me get slapped.

Watched me stand there.

Watched me become something small.

Something embarrassing.

Something not worth defending.

My fingers pressed harder into my cheek.

I could feel the shape of it. Not the hand itself, but the memory of it. The outline. The humiliation.

I dropped my hand.

The light turned green.

I drove.

Luna had never done that before.

Not once.

Not in all the years I had known her.

She had always been quiet. Soft in a way that made people think they could say anything to her and get away with it.

She never raised her voice.

Never pushed back hard enough to matter.

She would look at you with those calm eyes and take it. Always take it.

That was her strength, people said.

Patience.

Endurance.

It had always annoyed me.

There was nothing clean about it. Nothing sharp. Nothing I could fight properly. It was like trying to hit water. You swing, and it just moves and settles again.

I preferred people who fought back.

At least then you knew where you stood.

At least then there was a line.

With Luna, there had never been a line.

Until tonight.

Tonight she drew one.

And she did it in front of everyone.

My hands tightened again.

The steering wheel creaked slightly under my grip.

She did not even look sorry.

That was the part that would not leave me alone.

Not the slap.

Not the silence after.

Not even the way people stared.

It was her face.

Calm.

Still.

Like I was not worth the effort of regret.

Like I had finally become something she could erase.

My chest tightened again.

I inhaled sharply and forced myself to focus on the road.

The house came into view.

Lights on.

Everything normal.

Everything unchanged.

It made something twist inside me.

How could everything look the same when I felt like something had shifted?

I parked the car and sat there for a second.

Just one.

My fingers rested on the wheel.

Still.

I did not move.

Then the moment passed.

I opened the door.

Stepped out.

Closed it harder than I needed to.

The sound echoed slightly in the quiet street.

Good.

Let it.

The door had barely closed behind me when Mom appeared.

She always knew.

It was not magic. It was attention. She watched everything. She noticed shifts before they became obvious.

Her eyes moved over my face.

Paused.

Sharpened.

"What happened," she said.

Not worried.

Not soft.

Direct.

I dropped my bag on the chair near the entrance.

I did not ease into it.

I did not soften anything.

I told her.

Everything.

Walking in with Ethan.

The way the room reacted.

The way Emily smiled like she had been waiting for that exact moment.

The whispers.

The bar.

Luna standing there like she belonged.

Like nothing could shake her.

My voice slowed when I reached that part.

Something in my chest tightened again.

I forced myself to keep going.

I told her what I said.

Every word.

I did not change it.

I did not pretend I had been kinder than I was.

Then I told her what Luna did.

The slap.

The silence.

Rose stepping in.

Ethan's hand in the air.

The assistant stopping him.

Rose's voice cutting through the room.

The words.

Every single one.

And then being walked out.

Escorted.

Like I was nothing.

Like I was not supposed to be there.

Like I had no place in that room.

I stopped talking.

The kitchen felt very quiet.

Mom did not react immediately.

She did not gasp.

She did not get angry in that loud, obvious way some people did.

She stood there.

Thinking.

Her eyes were calm, but I knew her well enough to see what sat underneath.

Calculation.

"This is not good," she said finally.

I let out a short, humorless breath.

"Not good," I repeated. "She humiliated me. In front of everyone that matters."

"I know."

"And Ethan just stood there."

That part came out sharper than I intended.

I could not stop it.

"He did not say anything. He did not stop them. He just watched."

Something moved behind my ribs.

Something tight.

Something I did not want to name.

Mom opened her mouth.

The study door opened.

We both turned.

Dad stepped out.

He was still in his house clothes. The ones he wore when he had just returned from a trip and wanted to be comfortable.

His phone was in his hand.

He looked at me.

Then at my face.

Then back at my eyes.

He stopped walking.

"What is this," he said.

Not angry.

Not concerned.

Assessing.

Always assessing.

I felt something inside me brace.

Still, I told him.

Again.

The same story.

The same humiliation.

But this time, something inside me shifted as I spoke.

I wanted something.

I did not name it at first.

But it was there.

Growing.

I wanted him to react.

Not like a businessman.

Not like a man thinking about consequences.

Like a father.

Like someone who saw his daughter hurt and felt it.

I told him everything.

I did not hold back.

When I finished, I waited.

He looked at me.

Just looked.

And then he spoke.

"Stay away from Ethan."

For a second, I did not understand the words.

They did not fit.

Not with what I had just told him.

Not with what I expected.

"What."

"You heard me."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"Stay away from him."

Something snapped inside my chest.

Sharp.

Hot.

"He was my fiance," I said. "Before any of this. Before Luna. Before that arrangement. He was mine."

"He was," my father said.

Was.

The word hit harder than I expected.

"And you left him."

"I had reasons."

"You left," he repeated.

Same tone.

Same calm.

Like it was a fact that could not be argued with.

"And while you were gone, Luna stayed."

My fingers curled slightly.

"She married him when his family needed it. She stood in that house for two years."

Each word felt heavier than the last.

"Ethan is her husband now."

I stared at him.

"That is the reality."

The room felt smaller.

Tighter.

"You are telling me to give up."

"I am telling you to be careful."

He set his phone down.

Slow.

Deliberate.

"You are talking about pursuing a married man. A man married to your sister."

The word cut.

"She is not my sister."

"She is my daughter."

The air shifted.

"Same as you."

Everything inside me went still.

For a second, I could not breathe properly.

I had heard him say things about Luna before.

Small things.

Controlled things.

Checking in.

Sending help.

Doing what was expected.

I had always understood that.

Duty.

Responsibility.

Nothing more.

Not this.

Not this voice.

Not this certainty.

"You cannot be serious," I said.

My voice had gone quieter.

"I am serious."

"You are defending her."

"I am stating the truth."

Truth.

The word felt heavy.

Unwelcome.

"Luna is my daughter," he said again.

Clear.

Firm.

No hesitation.

"And I will not have this family dragged into a scandal because you cannot accept that things have changed."

Each word landed.

Careful.

Measured.

Sharp.

"It stops here, Sara."

Something inside me twisted.

Tight.

Painful.

He picked up his phone.

Looked at me one last time.

Then walked past.

His footsteps echoed up the stairs.

Steady.

Unhurried.

Like nothing important had just happened.

His door closed.

Silence.

Thick.

Heavy.

The kind that presses against your chest.

I did not move.

I stood there.

Staring at nothing.

My cheek still burned.

But that was not what hurt now.

Luna is also my daughter.

The words repeated.

Over and over.

I remembered things.

Small things.

Moments I had not paid attention to before.

The way he would ask about her sometimes.

Casually.

Like it did not matter.

The way he sent money without making a show of it.

The way he never spoke badly about her.

I had ignored it.

Because it did not matter.

Because she did not matter.

Because she was not... me.

My throat tightened.

"He is going soft," I said.

My voice sounded strange.

Mom had not moved.

She was looking at the stairs.

Her expression had changed.

Something colder now.

Something sharper.

"He is," she said.

"He actually believes it," I said. "That she is equal. That she is... the same."

The word stuck in my throat.

Mom turned slowly to look at me.

"He believes whatever lets him sleep at night," she said.

Her voice was flat.

Controlled.

"He has always done that."

She moved to the counter.

Adjusted a glass that did not need adjusting.

A small movement.

Precise.

"He will not decide what happens in this house."

I looked at her.

She looked back.

Something passed between us.

Clear.

Cold.

Final.

"So we do not stop," I said.

"We do not stop," she answered.

But this time, the words felt different.

Heavier.

Darker.

Because now it was not just about Ethan.

Not just about a position.

Not just about what I had lost.

It was about something else.

Something deeper.

Luna.

Standing there.

Calm.

Untouched.

Protected.

Recognised.

Chosen.

My jaw tightened.

She thought tonight meant something.

She thought that slap gave her power.

She thought Rose's words made her untouchable.

She thought she had won.

A slow breath left my lungs.

No.

She had not won.

She had crossed a line.

And she had done it in front of everyone.

That made it worse.

That made it personal.

My fingers curled slowly at my sides.

I could still feel it.

That moment.

That look in her eyes.

Like I did not matter.

Like I had already been erased.

Something cold settled in my chest.

Heavy.

Certain.

If she thought she could take my place.

If she thought she could stand there and act like I was nothing.

Then she did not understand me at all.

I lifted my head slightly.

My reflection stared back at me from the dark window.

My cheek was still faintly red.

My eyes looked... different.

Harder.

Sharper.

Good.

Let it stay that way.

Because this was not over.

Not even close.

She took one thing from me.

I would take everything from her.

Not quickly.

Not carelessly.

Slowly.

Carefully.

In ways she would not see coming until it was too late.

I would take her place.

Her peace.

Her standing.

Her name in that house.

I would take Ethan back.

And when I was done...

There would be nothing left for her to hold onto.

I exhaled slowly.

The house was quiet again.

Normal.

Still.

But something had changed.

Inside me.

And this time...

I was not going to let it go.

Not again.

Chapter LUNA'S POINT OF VIEW

The salon was too loud.

I did not notice it at first.

When I walked in, it felt normal. The low hum of dryers. Women talking over each other. Laughter that came and went in waves. The sharp smell of products mixing in the air.

It should have been comforting.

It was not.

I sat in the chair and watched myself in the mirror while the stylist moved behind me, fingers running through my hair, sectioning it, lifting it, asking me questions I barely heard.

Just a trim.

That was all I said.

Just the ends.

Something small.

Something that belonged to me.

Something that had nothing to do with that house.

With Ethan.

With Sara.

With the weight that had been pressing on my chest since the party.

I stared at my reflection.

I looked the same.

That was the strange part.

Nothing on my face showed what I felt.

No one looking at me would know that everything inside me had shifted.

That something had broken.

That something had changed.

The scissors moved.

Soft. Precise.

Small pieces of my hair falling onto the cape.

I focused on that.

On something simple.

Something quiet.

My phone buzzed.

The sound cut through everything.

I turned my head slightly.

The screen lit up.

Rose.

My heart skipped.

I stared at the name for a second longer than I should have.

Rose did not text like this.

She called.

Or she sent short, clear messages.

Never... this.

I picked up the phone.

My fingers felt colder than they should have.

Come to the house. I need to see you. Now.

I read it once.

Then again.

The word now sat heavy in my chest.

Something about it felt wrong.

Not urgent in a normal way.

Something else.

Something I could not explain.

A slow unease spread through me.

"Are you okay?" the stylist asked.

I did not answer her.

I stood up.

Too fast.

The chair moved slightly behind me.

"I need to go," I said.

My voice sounded distant to my own ears.

I reached for my bag with hands that did not feel steady.

"I can finish quickly," she said.

"No."

I shook my head.

"I have to go."

I paid.

I did not even look at the change she handed back.

I walked out before she could say anything else.

The air outside felt different.

Colder.

Heavier.

I walked faster than usual.

My steps quick.

My heart faster than it should have been.

It was just a message.

That was all.

But something inside me would not settle.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

The drive took fourteen minutes.

I watched the clock the entire time.

Every second felt longer.

Every red light felt like something was holding me back.

My fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel.

Stop.

Go.

Turn.

Faster.

I should not feel like this.

I told myself that.

Rose was probably fine.

She had probably just needed something.

That was all.

But the feeling stayed.

It sat low in my stomach.

Heavy.

Cold.

Her house came into view.

I slowed down.

Parked.

Stepped out.

And then I saw it.

The door.

Not closed.

Not fully open.

Just... not right.

A small gap.

An inch.

Enough to feel wrong.

Rose never left her door like that.

Never.

My chest tightened.

I walked closer.

My hand reached out.

Pushed it open.

"Rose?"

My voice echoed slightly in the hallway.

No answer.

The house was too quiet.

Not peaceful.

Empty.

Wrong.

I stepped inside.

Closed the door behind me without thinking.

The air smelled familiar.

Wood.

Something soft and floral.

But underneath it...

Something else.

Metallic.

Sharp.

My stomach dropped.

"Rose?"

Louder this time.

Still nothing.

My feet moved faster.

Down the hallway.

Toward the sitting room.

The door was open.

I stepped in.

And everything stopped.

For a second, I could not understand what I was seeing.

My mind refused to accept it.

It tried to fix it.

To turn it into something normal.

Something harmless.

She fell.

She fainted.

She is just resting.

But none of it fit.

None of it made sense.

Rose was on the floor.

Not sitting.

Not leaning.

On the floor.

Still.

Too still.

And there was blood.

So much blood.

It spread across the rug beneath her.

Dark.

Too dark.

Too much.

My breath caught.

Then everything rushed at once.

My body moved before my mind did.

I was on my knees beside her.

My hands shaking.

"Rose."

My voice broke.

I touched her shoulder.

Her skin felt wrong.

Too still.

Too cold.

No.

No.

"No, no, no."

My hands moved quickly.

Her face.

Her arm.

Anywhere.

"Rose, can you hear me?"

My voice came out too fast.

Too loud.

I could not control it.

My heart was racing.

My chest felt tight.

Like I could not get enough air.

Her chest.

I looked at it.

Please.

Move.

Please.

There.

A small movement.

Barely there.

But there.

Relief hit so hard it almost hurt.

"Okay. Okay."

I nodded to myself.

She was alive.

She was alive.

I just needed to help her.

I just needed to keep her alive.

That was all.

My hands pressed against the wound.

I did not think.

I just did it.

The way I had seen once.

Somewhere.

Press.

Stop the bleeding.

My hands slipped slightly.

There was too much blood.

It covered my fingers.

My palms.

I swallowed hard.

Do not panic.

Do not panic.

"Help."

My voice came out weak.

I tried again.

Louder.

"Someone help. Please. Someone call an ambulance."

My voice cracked.

I did not care.

"Please."

I looked toward the door.

No one.

Nothing.

Just silence.

I turned back to her.

"Rose, stay with me."

My voice dropped.

Soft.

Shaking.

"Please stay with me."

I kept talking.

I did not even know what I was saying anymore.

Just words.

Anything.

To keep her here.

To keep myself from breaking.

Time stopped making sense.

Seconds felt long.

Or maybe too fast.

I did not know.

I just knelt there.

Hands pressing.

Heart racing.

Mind spinning.

Please let her live.

Please.

The sound of the door.

Loud.

Sudden.

I looked up.

Footsteps.

Fast.

Voices.

Ethan.

Emily.

Sara.

They entered the room.

And stopped.

I saw it happen.

The moment they saw.

Rose on the floor.

The blood.

Me.

My hands.

My face.

Everything.

"What did you do."

Ethan.

His voice cut through me.

Flat.

Cold.

Certain.

Not a question.

A judgment.

My chest tightened.

"I found her like this."

My words came out uneven.

I could not make them steady.

"I got her message. I came. The door was open. She was already-"

"What did you do to her."

Louder now.

Harder.

"I did not do anything."

My hands pressed harder against the wound.

"She is alive. Ethan, please. She needs help. We need to call-"

"What did you do."

The same words.

Again.

Like he did not hear me.

Or did not want to.

My throat tightened.

"I did not do this."

My voice dropped.

It felt smaller.

"We need an ambulance."

A voice from the side.

"I saw everything."

I turned.

A woman stood near the wall.

One of the staff.

I had seen her before.

But I had not noticed her come in.

Her arms were tight against her body.

Her eyes avoided mine.

The room went quiet.

"They were arguing," she said.

Her voice shook slightly.

But not enough.

"I heard them. Mrs Rose and her."

She pointed at me.

My chest tightened.

"No."

"And then I heard a cry. I came in and Mrs Rose was on the floor."

My heart started beating faster.

"I was not here."

My voice came out quick.

Too quick.

"I just got here. She texted me. I came straight-"

"I saw you."

She still would not look at me.

"I saw what you did."

Everything inside me dropped.

Like the ground had disappeared.

"That is not true."

I shook my head.

"I was not here. I swear."

Emily moved.

Fast.

I did not see it coming.

The slap hit hard.

My head snapped to the side.

Pain exploded across my cheek.

Sharp.

Burning.

I lost my balance.

My hand slipped on the blood.

I caught myself on the floor.

My vision blurred for a second.

A ringing sound filled my ears.

"You did this."

Emily's voice shook.

Not with fear.

With anger.

"You have been trying to destroy this family from the beginning."

My chest rose quickly.

"I did not-"

"And now you have done this."

Her voice broke.

"You did this to her. To the only person who ever showed you kindness."

"I did not do this."

My voice felt weak.

Like it did not belong to me.

"Liar."

The word hit harder than the slap.

"You lying, ungrateful girl."

"Ethan."

I turned to him.

I needed him.

Just one person.

Just one.

"Ethan, please."

My voice shook.

"I came because she texted me. I have been at the salon. They will tell you. I was there when the message came. I came straight here."

My chest tightened.

"I found her like this. I swear."

He looked at me.

Really looked.

His eyes moved.

My face.

My hands.

The blood.

Rose.

Back to me.

For a second...

Something flickered.

Something uncertain.

Hope rose.

Small.

Fragile.

Then it was gone.

His face hardened.

He reached for his phone.

"No."

My heart dropped.

"Ethan, please do not-"

He was already dialing.

My chest tightened.

I could hear his voice.

Calm.

Clear.

Controlled.

Giving the address.

Explaining.

Reporting.

Reporting me.

I felt something inside me crack.

Quiet.

Deep.

I looked at Sara.

She had not moved.

Not once.

She stood at the door.

Watching.

Her face was calm.

Too calm.

Like this did not surprise her.

Like she had expected it.

Something cold moved through me.

A thought.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

She met my eyes.

And for a second...

I saw it.

Not clearly.

But enough.

Something hidden.

Something satisfied.

Then it was gone.

Her face returned to nothing.

"You will pay for this."

Ethan lowered his phone.

His voice was quiet.

That made it worse.

Louder would have been easier.

"I did not do this."

My voice broke.

But I forced the words out.

"I did not."

He did not react.

"Whatever it takes," he said, "you will pay."

The words settled.

Heavy.

Final.

The siren started in the distance.

Faint.

Growing.

Closer.

My hands were still on Rose.

Still pressing.

Still trying.

But everything else felt like it was falling apart.

No one believed me.

Not him.

Not Emily.

Not anyone.

I looked down at my hands.

Covered in blood.

Shaking.

This looked bad.

I knew it.

Anyone would think the same.

Anyone would see this and...

My chest tightened.

A sharp breath left me.

No.

No.

I could not fall apart.

Not now.

Not when she was still breathing.

Not when she needed me.

I leaned closer.

"Rose."

My voice was softer now.

Almost a whisper.

"Please stay with me."

The siren got louder.

Closer.

Closer.

And in that moment...

I understood something.

Clear.

Cold.

There was no one here who was going to save me.

No one who would stand between me and what was coming.

I was alone.

And whatever happened next...

I would have to survive it on my own.