The news of Lucas Cruz's disappearance had spread like wildfire.
By morning, his name was trending on local social media. Speculation swirled: had he run away? Had Keira driven him to it? Was it all a publicity stunt?
But Keira knew better.
This wasn't an escape. It was a warning.
She sat quietly in the media room as the producers replayed footage from Episode 1—the episode that started it all. She watched herself walk onto the stage, wearing a calm mask, her voice steady as she addressed the first boy who ever broke her.
"Lucas Cruz," her voice echoed through the speakers. "The boy who taught me how to lie… because he lied first."
The audience had been silent then—curious, unsure of what to expect. Lucas had smirked, his usual charm dialed to ten. But behind the mask, Keira had seen it: fear.
Back in real time, Keira stared at the paused video, the moment frozen just before she dropped the bombshell.
Now, with Lucas missing, she knew she had to reveal what she didn't say on the livestream.
She looked at Maya. "You were right. There's more I haven't told."
Maya nodded. "Tell me everything."
Keira took a deep breath. "Lucas didn't just cheat on me. He recorded me. Without my permission."
Maya's eyes widened in horror.
"The night of the Winter Ball," Keira continued, voice shaking, "he said he wanted to talk. We went to the music room. I told him things I never told anyone—about my depression, the anxiety attacks. He… he recorded everything."
Maya gasped. "Keira… what did he do with it?"
"He leaked it anonymously to a 'confessions' account," she whispered. "It went viral.
People said I was unstable. Overdramatic. That's why I left school."
Tears welled in her eyes but didn't fall. "He ruined me. For fun."
Maya stared at her, furious. "And now he's vanished? Do you think someone did something to him?"
"I don't know," Keira whispered. "But someone doesn't want me continuing these episodes. First the threats. Now this."
Just then, Keira's phone vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown Number: "You should have stayed silent. Lucas was only the beginning."
Chills crawled up her spine.
Maya looked at the message. "This isn't just about revenge anymore. It's a game. And someone else is pulling the strings."
Keira stood up. "Then it's time I start playing back."
The school called for an emergency assembly.
Principal Harding stood stiffly at the podium. "As many of you are aware, student Lucas Cruz has not reported to class and is currently unreachable. Authorities have been contacted. We advise all students to remain calm and avoid speculating online."
But it was too late. The entire school was buzzing with theories—and most of them pointed to Keira.
She could feel the stares, the unspoken accusations.
One student even hissed, "Witch."
But Keira didn't flinch.
Because behind every ugly whisper was fear. Fear that their secrets would be next.
And she wasn't finished.
Later that day, Keira returned to the media room. She had footage saved—unedited clips that never aired. She plugged in her flash drive and scrolled to the private rehearsal footage recorded before Episode 1.
She clicked play.
Lucas was seated alone on stage, rehearsing lines to "defend" himself, clearly coached. He laughed and said into the mic, "I'll deny everything. What's she gonna do? Cry again?"
Keira's stomach turned. She skipped ahead.
In another clip, Lucas was texting someone. The camera had captured the screen by accident.
A name.
Ethan Reyes.
She froze.
Lucas had been texting Ethan just before the show.
Keira called Maya. "I found something. Lucas and Ethan were in contact the day of Episode 1."
"Why would Ethan care?" Maya asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out."
Keira walked across the school to the locker hall. She found Ethan at his usual spot—surrounded, admired, untouchable.
Not for long.
"Ethan," she said, voice cold. "We need to talk. Now."
His smile barely wavered. "You've made quite a mess, haven't you?"
"Don't play innocent," she said. "Why were you talking to Lucas before Episode 1?"
His expression darkened. "You're walking into fire, Keira. Don't drag me into your circus."
"You were part of it before I even lit the match," she replied, stepping closer. "If you're not hiding anything, prove it. Come on my next livestream."
The air went still.
Gasps echoed from nearby lockers.
Ethan smirked, but his jaw was tight. "Be careful what you wish for."
That night, Keira received a video file from an unknown email address.
She opened it with shaking fingers.
The video showed Lucas—panicked, pacing in a dark room, whispering to someone offscreen.
"I never meant to hurt her like that," he said. "But Ethan said if I didn't do it, he'd leak my photos. He said Keira deserved to be taught a lesson. I didn't know he'd go this far—"
The clip ended.
Keira gasped.
Lucas wasn't the mastermind. He was a pawn.
Ethan Reyes… had started it all.
She stared at her reflection in the laptop screen.
This wasn't just about heartbreak.
It was abuse. Manipulation. Cover-ups.
And she was done being silent.
The next episode would change everything.
But only if she survived it.