The envelope slipped from Lila’s fingers, fluttering to the floor like a dying bird. The photographs sprawled across the hardwood, each one a jagged shard of betrayal cutting deeper than the last.

Adrian and Chloe.

His hands in her hair.

His mouth on her throat.

His eyes—dark, hungry, familiar—the same way he looked at her in the quiet moments before dawn.

The front door creaked.

Lila’s head snapped up.

Adrian stood frozen in the doorway, his suit immaculate, his expression unreadable. His gaze flicked to the photos, then back to her.

A heartbeat of silence.

Then—

"You fucking liar."

Her voice was raw, a blade dragged over gravel. She didn’t recognize it. Didn’t recognize herself.

Adrian’s jaw tightened. "Lila—"

She lunged for the nearest object—a crystal vase, heavy and sharp—and hurled it at his head. He ducked, glass exploding against the wall behind him in a shower of glittering shards.

"You were with her!" she screamed. "The night before she died!"

Adrian’s eyes darkened. "It’s not what you think."

"Then tell me!" Another object—a book, a lamp, anything—flew past his shoulder. "Tell me why you lied! Tell me why you touched her like that!"

Her chest heaved, her vision blurring with tears. The room spun, the walls closing in. The air was thick with the scent of his cologne, the ghost of his hands on her skin, the memory of his mouth whispering I love you against her lips.

All of it—rotten.

Adrian took a step forward. "Lila, listen to me—"

"No." She backed away, her hands trembling. "No more lies. No more games."

She turned and ran.

The penthouse door slammed behind her. The elevator was too slow, so she took the stairs, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her pulse a frantic drumbeat in her ears.

Liar. Monster.

The words echoed with every step.

She burst into the night, the cold air slapping her face. The city lights blurred into streaks of gold and red, the sidewalk unsteady beneath her feet.

"Lila!"

His voice tore through the darkness, desperate, broken.

She didn’t stop.

"I’m done," she whispered, her throat burning. "I can’t do this anymore."

But then—

A crash.

A sound so violent it ripped through the night like gunfire.

Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. She spun around, her heart in her throat.

Adrian lay sprawled on the pavement, his body twisted, blood already pooling beneath him.

"No—"

She was running before she could think, her knees hitting concrete as she dropped beside him. His skin was pale, his breath shallow. Crimson soaked through his shirt, spreading in a grotesque bloom.

"Adrian!" She pressed her hands to the wound, her fingers slipping in the warmth of his blood. "Look at me—look at me!"

His eyelids fluttered. A weak, shuddering breath.

"I’m sorry," he whispered, blood staining his lips. "I never... meant for this."

Her tears fell onto his face, mixing with the sweat, the blood, the lies.

"Don’t you dare die on me," she choked. "Not like this. Not now."

His hand twitched, fingers brushing her wrist. "You were... everything."

A final breath.

A stillness.

And then—

Nothing.

Lila screamed.