Ellara sat in the chair—still tied, still recovering from the shock of being dragged out of her room, still drenched from the water Lemon had splashed on her. But something had changed. The wild smirk she showed earlier had faded. Now her face was calmer, almost too calm, like she had stopped pretending and was finally ready to speak.
The room was dim except for the little yellow lamp on the desk. It cast long shadows that made Ellara's eyes look almost hollow—like she had been living in darkness for too long. The six girls stood around her, forming a loose circle. Lemon was right in front, arms crossed, jaw tight. Evelyn and Autumn stood slightly behind her, nervous but trying not to look scared. Scarlett, Hazel, and Riley were near the door, watching every move Ellara made.
A long silence passed, heavy and uncomfortable.
Then, Lemon took a breath.
"Ellara," she said slowly. "You said… Leon Hawthorne. Why him? Why would you—why would he be involved?"
Ellara lifted her eyes. The rope around her wrists creaked as she shifted slightly.
"You want to know?" she whispered. "You really want to know?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word felt sharp.
Lemon nodded. "Tell us."
Ellara exhaled—a long, shaky breath—as if she was about to open a part of her mind she kept locked away for years.
"Fine," she said. "Then listen carefully."
Riley stepped closer to Lemon, folding her arms.
Ellara continued.
"The day I died… or almost died."
The room went still.
"I remember that night," Ellara said softly. "Every sound. Every smell. Every face."
She didn't shout. She didn't laugh like earlier. She was simply narrating, like replaying a memory that never left her.
"I was in the car," she said. "Just sitting there. It was cold. And then everything became smoke and noise… and then flames."
The girls exchanged glances, tense but listening.
"I wasn't unconscious," Ellara continued. "People think I was. But no. I was alive. Barely breathing. Barely aware. But awake. I saw everything happening around me."
Hazel whispered under her breath, "Oh my god…"
Ellara looked straight at them.
"Laven was there."
The name dropped like a stone.
"Yes. Her. And she wasn't alone."
Her eyes hardened.
"Lydia, Georgia, Luna, and Sophia were there too. All standing together. All watching. None of them came forward. None of them helped."
Autumn stepped back, horrified. "They just watched?!"
Ellara's lips curved—not into a smile, but something bitter.
"Oh, they didn't just watch," she said. "They stood there like they were waiting for something. Like they wanted to make sure I didn't survive."
Lemon's stomach tightened. This was getting too dark, too strange.
"And then," Ellara whispered, "I saw him."
The room froze.
"Leon."
Lemon's eyes widened. Scarlett looked confused. Riley suddenly tensed, like she already sensed what was coming.
Ellara's voice became even softer.
"He was standing there. On the other side of the road. Not close… but close enough to see."
Her breath trembled.
"And he didn't move. Not a step. He didn't try to save me. He didn't shout for help. He didn't call anyone. He just… watched me."
The girls were stunned.
Scarlett spoke first. "Ellara, that doesn't make sense. Leon? He—he doesn't even know you."
Ellara snapped her head toward her.
"He knew Laven," she hissed. "That was enough."
Lemon frowned, trying to piece together what she was hearing.
"What do you mean?" Lemon asked quietly. "What does Laven have to do with Leon?"
Ellara leaned forward as much as the ropes allowed, her eyes blazing now.
"You still don't get it, do you?"
"No," Lemon said honestly.
Ellara smirked—a small, twisted smirk.
"Laven and Leon were together."
The room erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Leon—with Laven?!"
"No way—no way!"
But Ellara didn't flinch. She spoke as if she was telling the most obvious truth in the world.
"Yes. They were together. You think he didn't know what she was doing? You think he wasn't part of it? They planned everything. He was helping her. He was standing there so she could finish what she started."
Lemon felt her mouth go dry.
"You think Leon helped Laven to… hurt you?" Lemon asked slowly.
Ellara didn't hesitate.
"I don't think, Lemon."
Her voice became ice.
"I know."
Autumn and Evelyn exchanged frightened looks. Hazel stepped closer to Scarlett, whispering, "This is insane…" but she kept her voice low.
Ellara continued.
The room quieted instantly.
"Leon looked at me," Ellara said, her voice shaky but firm. "Straight into me. I'll never forget that. He saw me dying… and he did nothing."
Lemon swallowed, unsure what to believe. Ellara sounded so convinced—so sure of herself—but something felt off. Something didn't fit.
"And you know what?" Ellara whispered. "That's why I'm not done."
Scarlett stepped back. "Done with what…?"
Ellara tilted her head, emotionless.
"Laven is gone. Lydia is gone. Georgia, Luna, Sophia… all of them. They got what they deserved."
Riley stiffened. "You mean you—"
"Yes," Ellara said calmly. "I did everything. And I don't regret it."
Hazel flinched.
Ellara's voice dropped lower, colder.
"But Leon… he's the last. He was there. He was involved. And I will make him—"
Lemon cut her off sharply.
"STOP."
Ellara paused.
Lemon's voice trembled between fear, anger, and confusion.
"What do you mean 'make him'? What do you want to do to him?"
Ellara's eyes darkened.
"What I did to the others," she said simply.
Autumn gasped. "Ellara—no—"
"Yes," Ellara snapped. "Why shouldn't I? He deserves it. He and Laven ruined my life. They destroyed everything."
Lemon's hands clenched at her sides.
"But what if you're wrong?" Lemon said suddenly. "What if...what if...Leon wasn't involved? What if you misunderstood?"
Ellara laughed—soft, sarcastic, cruel.
"You think I hallucinated a whole person standing there? That I imagined him watching me? Lemon… that moment is burned into me. I saw him. I remember his face better than anything else in my life."
Riley bit her lip. Scarlett stepped closer to Lemon, whispering, "Something's not adding up…"
But Ellara kept talking.
"I'll make him pay," she whispered. "Just like the others. I'll make him feel what I felt."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the threat in it made the entire room freeze.
Lemon stared at her.
Ellara stared back.
And for a long moment, nobody breathed.
The misunderstanding the girls don't know.
None of the girls had any idea that everything Ellara said—everything she believed—was built on a massive misunderstanding.
She had mis-seen things, mis-heard things, misinterpreted everything that night through trauma, fear, and half-conscious memories.
But the girls didn't know this.
Ellara didn't know either.
She believed every word she said.
To her, it wasn't a lie.
It wasn't revenge.
It wasn't confusion.
It was the truth she had clung to for years.
A truth that was wrong.
A truth that was dangerous.
A truth that could destroy someone innocent.
The girls stood in silence.
The air in the room felt too heavy to breathe.
Lemon slowly stepped closer to Ellara, eyes narrowed with a mixture of fear and sympathy.
"Ellara," she said quietly. "If Leon wasn't part of it… if it was dark… if you were hurt… maybe you saw—"
Ellara jerked forward violently, the chair legs scraping against the floor.
"DON'T," she snapped. "Don't you dare try to convince me of that. You weren't there. You didn't almost die. I did."
The room went silent again.
Lemon swallowed hard, realizing she couldn't push further—not yet.
Scarlett rubbed her arms, whispering, "This is getting out of hand…"
Hazel looked terrified. Riley looked angry but confused. Evelyn had tears in her eyes. Autumn's face had gone pale.
But Lemon…Lemon stood still.
Her mind racing, her chest tight, her thoughts spiraling.
If Leon is involved…
If this is all true…
Ellara leaned back in the chair, breathing heavily, her eyes shining with something between rage and heartbreak.
"I'll finish it," she whispered. "He'll pay. I'll make sure of it."
The girls froze.
Lemon whispered, "Over my dead body."
Ellara lifted her head slowly.
Then she smiled.
Not a happy smile.
A knowing smile.
"Then you better stay alive," she said softly. "Because I'm not stopping."