SIENNA POV
I'm chasing Mara through the dark house, my heart breaking with every step.
"Mara, PLEASE! Just let me explain!" I scream, but she's faster. Angrier. She slams her bedroom door in my face. The lock clicks.
I pound on the door. "Mara, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"GO AWAY!" Her voice is muffled by crying. "I hate you! I hate BOTH of you!"
Julian appears beside me, looking destroyed. "Mara, sweetheart, open the door. We need to talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about!" Something crashes inside her room. A lamp, maybe. "My best friend was sleeping with my DAD! What kind of sick person does that?"
"We didn't sleep together," I say desperately. "We just kissed! Once! Tonight!"
"Oh, well that makes it SO much better!" Mara's laugh is bitter. Broken. "How long have you wanted him, Sienna? Be honest for once in your life. How long have you been planning this?"
My silence answers for me.
"Oh my God." Mara's voice drops to a whisper. "This whole summer. You came here to seduce him. That's why you said yes so fast when I invited you. Not because you wanted to spend time with me. Because you wanted HIM."
"That's not—" I stop. Because it IS true. "Mara, I care about you. I do. But I also—"
"You also wanted to screw my father." The disgust in her voice cuts like a knife. "Get out of my house. Both of you get out. I never want to see either of you again."
"Mara—" Julian tries.
"Especially you, Dad. You're supposed to protect me. Not hook up with my friends! She's EIGHTEEN! Don't you see how messed up that is?"
"I know," Julian says quietly. "I know exactly how messed up it is. And I'm sorry. But Mara, there's something else you need to know. About Lyra."
Silence. Then: "Who's Lyra?"
Julian closes his eyes. Takes a breath. "Your half-sister. From my first marriage. Before I met your mother."
The door flies open. Mara's face is red and blotchy from crying. "I have a SISTER? Since when?"
"Since always," Julian says. "She's twenty-two. Lives in Europe with her mother. Or—she did. Her mother passed away six months ago and I—" His voice cracks. "I didn't know. I should have known. I should have been there."
Mara stares at him like she's seeing a stranger. "You have another daughter and you never told me?"
"It's complicated."
"That's not an answer!" Mara shouts. "Why didn't you tell me I had a sister?"
"Because I'm ashamed," Julian admits. "Because I was a terrible father to her. I left when she was five. Sent money but never visited. Never called. I abandoned her, Mara. And now she's here. And she's angry. And she has every right to be."
I watch Mara process this. See the exact moment she connects the dots.
"She pushed you into the lake," Mara whispers. "Your daughter tried to kill you because you abandoned her."
"Yes."
"And she took pictures of you and Sienna. She's going to expose you both."
"Yes."
Mara looks at me. "Did you know about her?"
"Not until tonight," I say honestly. "I swear, Mara. I found out the same time you did."
"But you knew about the photos. You knew someone was watching." Her eyes narrow. "And you didn't wake me up. You didn't tell me. You just—what? Decided to keep making out with my dad while his psycho daughter stalked you?"
"It wasn't like that—"
"Then what was it like?" Mara demands. "Explain it to me, Sienna. Make me understand how my best friend could betray me like this."
I have no good answer. Because she's right. I did betray her. I came here planning to seduce Julian. I didn't care that it would hurt her. I only cared about what I wanted.
"I'm selfish," I say finally. "I'm a terrible friend. And I'm sorry. But I can't lie to you anymore, Mara. I've wanted your dad since I was fifteen years old. I know that's wrong. I know it makes me a bad person. But it's the truth."
Mara's face goes white. "Fifteen? You were FIFTEEN?"
"Nothing happened!" I say quickly. "He didn't even know! I just—I had feelings. And I waited. And tonight—"
"Tonight you made your move." Mara looks at her father. "Did you know? That she's been obsessed with you for three years?"
Julian shakes his head. "Not until tonight."
"And you kissed her anyway." Mara's voice is flat. Dead. "Knowing she's my age. Knowing she's my best friend. You kissed her anyway."
"I did."
"Why?" The word is a sob. "Why would you do that to me?"
"Because I'm weak," Julian says. "Because she made me feel something I haven't felt in years. Because I'm lonely and broken and I made a mistake. But Mara—" He reaches for her. She steps back. "—you have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you. You're my whole world."
"I'm not, though." Mara's crying again. "Because if I was, you wouldn't have abandoned Lyra. You wouldn't have ignored her while her mother died. You wouldn't have kissed my best friend." She looks between us. "You're both liars. Both selfish. And I'm done."
"Mara, please—" I start.
"Save it." She wipes her eyes. "Tomorrow, when Lyra releases those photos, everyone's going to know what you did. Everyone's going to judge you. And you know what? Good. You deserve it."
She slams the door again. This time, we don't knock.
Julian and I stand there in the hallway. Destroyed. Silent.
"I should leave," I whisper. "Pack my stuff. Go home. Maybe if I'm gone, Lyra won't release the photos. Maybe—"
"It won't matter," Julian says tiredly. "She already has what she needs. And besides—" He looks at me. "—I don't want you to go."
"Julian—"
"I know. I know it's wrong. I know we can't be together. But I don't want you to go."
My heart breaks all over again. Because I don't want to go either. Even knowing what it costs. Even knowing everyone will hate us.
A noise downstairs makes us both freeze. The front door opening. Closing.
We creep to the stairs. Look down.
Vanessa is leaving. At 2 AM. Dressed in black. Moving quickly.
"Where is she going?" I whisper.
Julian's phone buzzes. He checks it. Goes pale.
"What?" I ask. "What is it?"
He shows me. A text from Marcus.
"Dude, why is your ex-wife at the marina at 2 AM? I'm here fishing and I just saw her get on a boat. With some young woman. They looked intense. Everything okay?"
Julian and I look at each other.
"Lyra," we say at the same time.
Vanessa is meeting with Lyra. The ex-wife and the abandoned daughter. Two women with every reason to hate Julian.
"We have to follow them," I say.
"Are you insane? It's the middle of the night. They could be dangerous—"
"They ARE dangerous!" I grab his arm. "Julian, what if they're not working separately? What if they're working together? Vanessa pushed you—or helped Lyra push you. She showed up right after you almost died. She has a key to your house. She's been here before, hasn't she? Setting up cameras. Planning this."
His eyes widen. "You think Vanessa and Lyra are in this together."
"I think they're both women you hurt. And I think they found each other. And now they're planning something worse than just releasing photos."
A scream cuts through the night. High-pitched. Terrified. Coming from the lake.
We run. Out the back door. Down to the dock.
The water is dark. Empty. But there—floating on the surface—is something that makes my blood run cold.
A phone. Screen still lit up. Sinking slowly.
Julian dives in. Pulls it out. It's still working.
The screen shows a text conversation. Between Lyra and someone named "V."
The last message from V, sent two minutes ago: "Change of plans. She knows too much. Get rid of her."
And Lyra's response: "Done."
Julian's hands shake. "Who knows too much? Who did they—"
Another scream. Closer this time. From the house.
We run back. Burst through the door.
Mara is standing in the kitchen. Staring at something on the floor.
Blood. A trail of blood leading to the guest room.
The room where Vanessa was staying.
"Dad," Mara whispers. "Someone's hurt. There's so much blood. I heard a noise and came down and—"
Julian pushes past her. I follow.
The guest room door is open. The room is destroyed. Furniture broken. Sheets torn. Blood everywhere.
And in the middle of it all, written on the mirror in what looks like lipstick:
"ONE DOWN. TWO TO GO."
"Where's Vanessa?" Mara asks. "Dad, where's Mom?"
But Vanessa isn't here. The blood is here. The destruction is here. But Vanessa is gone.
Julian's phone rings. Unknown number. He answers on speaker.
Lyra's voice. Cold. Calm. "Having fun yet, Daddy?"
"What did you do?" Julian demands. "Where's Vanessa?"
"Vanessa served her purpose. Now she's sleeping with the fishes. Literally." Lyra laughs. "Don't worry. You and your little girlfriend are next. And this time, I won't fail."
The line goes dead.
Mara looks at us, terrified. "What does she mean? What's happening?"
Julian opens his mouth to answer.
Then the lights go out.
All of them.
And in the darkness, we hear footsteps.
Someone's in the house.
Someone who wants us dead.