Amira sat alone in the art room after school, the echo of Luca's betrayal still ringing in her ears. But nothing prepared her for the next blow.
Her best friend, Zara — the one person who'd stood by her from the beginning, who held her hand through the heartbreak, who told her she deserved better — was waiting outside the school gates with guilt all over her face.
> "We need to talk," Zara said, eyes downcast.
In a quiet alley behind the science wing, truth spilled like poison.
> "It was me."
Amira stared. "What was?"
> "The messages. The fake screenshots. The poetry entry... I helped Kieran."
Zara broke. Tears flowed. She explained how Kieran had blackmailed her — photos, secrets from the past, things that could ruin her. But Amira barely heard the reasons.
Her world cracked again.
> "You were the only person I trusted."
> "I know. That's why it hurts."
Amira walked away without a word.
And when she looked in the mirror that night, she didn't see a girl anymore.
She saw a weapon.
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