The air on the terrace was freezing. Alexander's gun was pointed at Julian, and Julian's hand was pulling me toward the darkness. They both looked at me like I was a prize to be won, a ghost to be reclaimed.
"Choose, Elena!" Julian hissed. "Stay with a monster or run with me."
"Choose carefully," Alexander growled, his voice trembling for the first time. "I won't let you walk away again."
I looked at both of them—the twin brothers who had ruined Isabella's life. Then, I started to laugh. It wasn't a sound of fear; it was a sound of pure, cold victory. I reached into my clutch and pulled out not a phone, but a small digital recorder.
"I don't choose either of you," I said, my voice as sharp as glass.
Both men froze.
"Alexander, you just admitted to holding me against my will and mentioned Julian's 'faked' death in front of security cameras I hacked this afternoon," I smiled, stepping away from both of them. "And Julian? I know you didn't love Isabella. I found the bank transfers. You were the one who stole the money and let her take the blame. You're not a savior; you're a thief."
I tossed the recorder onto the marble floor. "The police are already at the gates. The Blackwood empire is crumbling, and I've already transferred the 'marriage settlement' Alexander so generously signed to an offshore account in my name."
Alexander's face went pale. The power he held so tightly was slipping through his fingers. "Elena... you signed a contract."
"I did," I whispered, leaning into his ear as the sirens began to wail in the distance. "But you forgot the most important rule of the game, Alexander. Never play with a pawn who has nothing left to lose. I wasn't Isabella's ghost. I was your karma."
I walked past them, my black heels clicking on the stone, never looking back. The fire of the Blackwood name was dying, and for the first time in my life, I was finally, truly free.