Night had fallen heavily on the mansion. The living room was filled with tension, the lights casting shadows on the faces of the young friends. Gabriel, Dorella, Lily, and Peter stood around the table where the box, the diary, and the photograph had left their marks. Ellie was silent on the phone, as if she were watching the group's reactions.
Felicia stood across from them, cold but at the same time visibly upset. The silence was so heavy that she seemed to be squeezing every word before it could leave her lips.
Dorella took a deep breath. "Felicia… it's time to speak openly. We all know there was jealousy, anger, and hurt feelings. You're not leaving here until you tell us the truth about the day Leo died."
Felicia smiled ironically. "Really? And who do you think I am? The bad guy in your story? You all keep secrets…" when she said that everyone felt a shiver run down their spines.
Dorella then began to think about everything they had learned the last time and connect the dots that now made sense. "I know who did it," she said in a voice that was barely audible. "What?" Gabriel asked, holding his breath. Everyone was hanging on her lips.
"When the police came, they said they didn't know who did it, or why anyone did it. When we all came here and I looked at you one by one, I thought to myself, "Why would one of these people do it?", until I got to the point of suspecting my friends, but they couldn't have done it, because we were all together. So, I took them out of the equation. When each of you said what you were supposed to be doing at the time of the murder, everything you said stood, except for one thing, and there it paused. The day Leo was murdered was a Saturday, but not like other Saturdays. That Saturday there was some construction going on downtown and some stores were closed. Two clothing stores, a flower shop, a jewelry store, and…
Gabriel, then about to faint, said in a weak voice, "And the downtown pastry shop"!
"Where Felicia was supposed to be! When I remembered that, I said, why would she lie about where she was and if she did it, why would she?"
Everyone started looking between Felicia and Dorella with bated breath.
"And then it clicked. A while ago I saw Felicia with a photo of Leo in her hand, admiring it and crying. At first I didn't understand why she was crying or why she had the photo in the first place. But after everything we learned today I understood. A few days before Leo's death I saw him kissing someone, who I now understand was Ellie, my sister, his girlfriend.
Gabriel felt his heart pounding. It's not just Felicia… Ellie was the one who tried to hold her back.
Ellie found the moment to speak at that moment "Felicia… I know what happened that day. I was the one who talked to you on the phone, I told you to stay away from Leo…"
Felicia growled, her eyes burning: "You don't know how much it hurt me! I didn't want him to pass me by… to choose someone else over me!"
Dorella leaned tightly against Gabriel, feeling the tension in the air. "We understand your anger, but revenge doesn't bring anyone back to life!"
Felicia took a step towards Dorella, her eyes filled with despair and hatred. "You don't know anything about what it means to lose! If it weren't for her, she wouldn't be with anyone else! She would be with me!"
Suddenly Felicia went to grab Dorella.
Dorella, frightened, couldn't move until she saw Gabriel hit Felicia on the head with a lamp and she fell to the ground.
She couldn't stay silent. He reached out and protected his best friend. "Felicia… the police are already outside. You don't need to do anything else. Everyone will know the truth and there will be justice."
Felicia froze for a moment. The flame in her eyes began to fade, and her hands fell weakly along her body.
Dorella approached and whispered to Gabriel, "Thank you… you saved the day."
Gabriel nodded silently. The tears in their eyes spoke of the redemption and the tension that had been released. Felicia, still shaken, leaned to the floor, her strength exhausted.
Ellie, in a calm voice, added, "No one will go unpunished for the truth, but justice is not revenge. Today, your team showed composure, patience, and love… and for that Leo would be proud. For all of you."
Lily, Dorella, and Peter sighed in relief. The truth had been revealed, Felicia was in the hands of justice, and the friends had gone through a test that had bound them even closer.
Gabriel, looking at Dorella, thought: Perhaps this was the moment when everything changed… and something inside me woke up. Something that had nothing to do with the murder, but with my heart.
Dorella looked at him and smiled. Their tears made the silence seem sweet. Something had changed forever, and not just in Leo's case, but in their relationships, their connections, and the secrets that had finally come to light.
The day ended, and with it the story of revenge, family ties, and secrets came to an end. The young friends had moved from grief and fear to truth and justice, stronger and closer than ever.