The cold muzzle of Isadora's gun was pressed against Aurora's heart.
For the first time in her entire twisted, charmed life… Aurora hesitated.
"You think this is just about her?" Isadora whispered, voice shaking. "I loved her too."
"You barely know her." Aurora's smirk was venomous, but her eyes were glassy. "You're just a distraction. She'll come back to me."
"Maybe. But even if she does…" Isadora tightened her grip, "you won't be alive to see it."
A sound stopped them both—barefoot steps. A breath. A gasp.
Elara.
---
"Put it down," Elara whispered, standing in the doorway in nothing but Aurora's oversized shirt.
Isadora's hands trembled. "She lied to you. Used you. She's dangerous—"
"So are you!" Elara snapped, eyes flicking between them. "You think saving me means you own me?"
Aurora chuckled, licking her lower lip. "Seems like everyone wants to claim you tonight, kitten."
"Shut up!" Elara shouted. Her throat closed. "I'm so tired of being your obsession, your project, your property!"
Aurora stepped forward, hands raised. "You're not property. You're power. You're mine because I broke every rule for you."
"And I never asked you to!"
Silence.
Isadora slowly lowered the gun.
Elara collapsed onto her knees.
---
Later that night, Elara sat in the shower, letting cold water run down her spine. But no chill could erase the heat Aurora's voice still stirred in her.
She hated her.
She loved her.
She wanted her to disappear. She wanted to disappear into her.
A soft knock.
"Don't come in," she whispered.
The door creaked anyway.
Aurora again.
Hair wet, silk robe slipping off her shoulder, eyes hollow but blazing.
"I didn't kill her," she said softly.
"I wish you had."
Aurora laughed, low and raw. "Liar."
A pause.
Then she knelt beside the tub.
"Tell me to leave, Elara, and I will."
Elara looked up, tears falling freely. "You always come back."
Aurora leaned in. "Because I don't know how not to want you."
Their kiss was pure electricity—rage and heartbreak and hunger colliding in the dark. This time, Elara didn't stop her.
They broke everything: rules, limits, themselves.
And still, it wasn't enough.
---
Sunlight crawled across the villa floor.
Elara woke tangled in sheets, alone.
She blinked once. Twice.
Then noticed the envelope on her pillow.
Inside, a single photo.
Her mother.
Her father—Aurora's dead brother.
A note: Now you know why I couldn't let you go.
Elara screamed.
---
Final Cliffhanger:
Later that night, Aurora disappears.
Elara is left with one choice:
Follow her into the darkness… or become it.
---