Secrets rot louder than silence. And some kisses burn longer than betrayals.
The fundraiser was still humming with orchestral music and glittering conversation, but Claire's body hadn't moved since Nina's kiss with Gloria. Her wine glass trembled slightly in her hand, and the words "I moaned louder for Gloria last night than I ever did for you" echoed louder than the violins playing near the stairs.
Veronica leaned closer, voice dipped in ice. "She wanted a reaction. You gave her one. Never give them what they want."
Claire forced a smile. "You think this is about revenge?"
Veronica laughed quietly, tracing her nail along Claire's exposed spine. "Oh darling… everything is about revenge."
But Claire wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes stayed fixed on Nina — radiant, confident, dangerous in a way Claire never imagined. She realized something that made her blood simmer:
Nina didn't need her anymore.
Upstairs, in the shadowed quiet of Evelyn's study, Marla clutched the leather-bound journal like it was a weapon.
The door creaked open behind her. Evelyn stepped in, graceful in a midnight-blue gown, her silver hair pinned high like a queen at court.
"You went through my things," Evelyn said, calm.
"I found something," Marla replied. "Or someone."
Evelyn closed the door. Her hands didn't shake. But her eyes, just briefly, flashed something close to fear.
"Margot," Marla said, voice trembling. "She was real."
Evelyn moved slowly, like a predator approaching prey. "She was a mistake."
"She was your lover," Marla snapped. "You wrote her poems. You pressed flowers between pages for her. You risked everything for her."
Evelyn walked to the liquor cabinet and poured a drink — neat. "And what do you think happened to her, Marla?"
Marla's breath caught. "You buried her memory."
Evelyn turned, and for the first time, the truth hardened in her eyes. "No, dear. She left me. For a man. After promising me everything. She ran — and I learned never to love what could be stolen."
A beat.
"Which is why," Evelyn said, stepping forward, "I own what I love now. I do not beg for it."
Marla backed away slightly, the journal clutched to her chest.
"She was your soft part," she whispered.
Evelyn tilted her head. "She was my last part. Before I became Evelyn."
Back downstairs, Gloria and Nina circled the edge of the room, drawing stares, gasps, and something more dangerous — admiration.
"You didn't have to do that," Gloria said, sipping champagne.
"I wanted to," Nina replied. "She needed to see I'm not the woman she walked away from."
Gloria touched Nina's hand under the glass tray. "She may see that now, but Nina… I hope you do too."
Nina smiled, softly. "I do."
But something caught her eye.
Across the room, Claire was gone.
And Veronica — wasn't.
Claire stood alone on the third floor balcony, staring out over the estate. The music below felt distant, like a memory she hadn't earned.
And then — the scent of spice and perfume.
Veronica.
She slid behind her, wrapped arms around Claire's waist. "You don't need her."
Claire turned to face her. "Maybe I still want her."
Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Wanting someone who doesn't want you back is weak. I thought we were past that."
Claire stepped back. "You don't get to decide who I grieve."
Veronica's tone hardened. "I do if I'm the one pulling you from the grave."
And then she kissed Claire.
Fierce. Deep. Possessive.
But Claire didn't melt.
She endured it.
When the kiss broke, she whispered, "You can own everything in this neighborhood, Veronica. But you'll never own me."
She walked past her — barefoot, breathless, undone — but somehow, stronger.
Veronica stared after her, and her jaw clenched. "That's what they all think. Until they remember who's holding the matches."
Later that night, Nina returned home with Gloria, laughter trailing behind them like perfume.
As they stepped inside, Gloria's phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
She hesitated.
Then opened the message.
One image.
An old photograph.
Two young women in a park. One unmistakably Evelyn. The other — soft curls, radiant smile.
Margot.
And beneath it, a caption:
"Ask her what happened after the picture was taken. Some flames leave bones."
Gloria went pale.
Nina leaned in. "What is it?"
Gloria swallowed. "I think the past just came back to finish something."