The air between Ana and me was thick with unsaid words, the weight of truths neither of us fully dared to face.
We'd talked for hours—about her mother, about Grayson, about ghosts from the past clawing at the edges of everything we thought we knew. Ana's eyes flickered with pain and fear, but also a fierce determination I hadn't seen before.
When she finally stood to leave, the night felt heavier, colder.
"I have to go," she whispered, voice barely steady.
"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly afraid to let her slip away. "You don't have to do this alone."
She shook her head, a sad, almost bitter smile touching her lips. "I'm not just fighting for me anymore. This is bigger than us."
I wanted to argue, to beg her to stay safe. But she was already turning away.
"Be careful, Ana," I said, my voice cracking.
She paused at the door, looking back at me one last time. "You too, Scarlett. Don't let him break you."
And then she was gone—swallowed by the shadows of the empty streets.
I sank back onto the couch, the silence around me suddenly deafening. My mind spun with everything she'd said, everything left unsaid. There was a crack in the world now, and I wasn't sure if it could be fixed.
Hours passed. The night dragged on, each minute heavier than the last.
Around 3 AM, my phone vibrated on the table.
Elias.
I stared at the screen, dread pooling in my stomach before I even read the message.
"Scarlett… I'm sorry to tell you this so late. Ana's grandmother was found dead this morning. Police say it looks like natural causes, but something about it isn't right. No signs of struggle, no explanation for how it happened. It's… suspicious."
My breath hitched.
Natural causes that didn't feel natural.
I sank down, heart pounding. The fragile thread holding this together was unraveling faster than I could keep up.
What had Ana's family gotten tangled in?
And how deep did Grayson's darkness really run?
I knew one thing.
Ana needed me.
And this war we were caught in—it was only just beginning.