Sara sat in the back seat of the car as Daniel drove, the soft hum of the engine filling the silence between them. She'd been quiet since leaving the school grounds, still thinking about everything Lina had revealed. The weight of betrayal and truth mixed in her chest, but for the first time, it didn't feel suffocating — just heavy enough to remind her she was still healing.
Daniel glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"You look like you're solving a murder case in your head."
Sara blinked out of her thoughts. "Something like that."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Want to talk about it?"
She hesitated, then shook her head gently. "Not yet. But… thanks for being here."
"You don't have to thank me for showing up," he replied calmly. "I'm not going anywhere."
His words sank into her quietly, like warmth slipping into cold spaces. She didn't respond, but he didn't need her to.
When they arrived at the Carter estate, the atmosphere inside was unnervingly calm. Too calm.
Laura was seated in the living room, speaking sweetly to a relative on the phone. The moment she spotted Sara and Daniel entering, her tone turned honeyed and performative.
"Oh, Sara dear, you're back so late. I was just telling Aunt Marianne how hardworking and composed you've been lately."
Sara knew better than to believe the show. Laura's softness was a mask — the smile that hid a knife.
Daniel stood slightly behind Sara, but his presence alone shifted the air. Laura's eyes flickered toward him briefly, sizing him up, before returning to her well-practiced smile.
"You didn't tell me Daniel would be joining you today," Laura said pleasantly.
Sara met her gaze with polite indifference. "I didn't think I needed to update you on who I speak to."
A faint tension passed through the room before Laura let out a delicate laugh. "Of course not. You're grown now and can make your own choices. I'm only looking out for you."
Her eyes said something different.
Daniel stepped forward before Sara could respond. "Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Carter. Sara is perfectly capable of handling herself."
Laura's smile held, but a shadow crept behind it. "Naturally. As long as she surrounds herself with the right people."
Sara's lips curved, but her eyes remained cold. "Funny. That's exactly what I was thinking."
Before Laura could reply, Sara walked past her and headed upstairs. Daniel followed after giving a curt, polite nod.
The moment they were out of sight, Laura's expression shifted — the sweetness draining, leaving irritation underneath.
In Sara's room, she let out the breath she'd been holding.
Daniel leaned against her desk. "She's pretending to be calmer than she is."
Sara nodded. "That means she's planning something."
"And she's not the only one," Daniel added.
Sara's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
He met her eyes steadily. "I got a message from Adrian earlier. Grace and Emily were seen talking to someone outside the academy. Someone neither of them should have access to."
Sara frowned deeper. "Who?"
Daniel paused. "Your stepmother's lawyer."
Silence fell — not empty, but sharp.
Sara's heartbeat thudded once, loud and clear. She wasn't the same girl they used to corner. The fear was still there, but now it sat beside something stronger — resolve.
Daniel pushed off from the desk. "You don't have to face this the same way you used to."
She gave him a small, real nod. "I know. This time, I'm not alone."
Downstairs, Laura ended her call with narrowed eyes.
She had seen the shift in Sara — and she didn't like it.
But what she didn't know was that Sara had already stopped being the girl she could control.
And someone like Laura?
She only smiled when she thought she was winning.
This time, the smile wouldn't save her.