Lilith did not look back at the police department.
She walked past the iron gates, past the quiet streets, until the city lights thinned and the air grew colder. Her heels echoed against stone, each step measured, controlled.
A familiar road greeted her.
At the end of it stood a mansion too large for comfort.Lilith stopped before the gate. It opened on its own.
Inside, the mansion swallowed sound. Velvet curtains. Marble floors. The kind of luxury that existed not to impress, but to dominate.
She entered the living room.
A woman's voice echoed from above, soft and amused.
"Hello, dear. How was your day?"
Lilith lifted her gaze.
At the top of the staircase stood a woman dressed in black, one hand resting lightly on the railing. Her smile was gentle but her eyes were not.
Lilith bowed her head slightly.
"Pretty good," she said. "But my work wasn't done yet. It didn't meet your expectations."
Catherine tilted her head.
"Oh, really?"
She descended the stairs slowly, as if savoring every second.
"That's alright," Catherine continued, her tone almost indulgent. "Taking someone's life is difficult, you know."
She stopped in front of Lilith.
"If fate says someone must live," she added softly, "then I simply rewrite it."
Lilith's expression did not change.
"That man," Catherine went on, "didn't deserve to live peacefully."
A pause,
Lilith exhaled.
"I'll try my best not to disappoint you, Cath."
Catherine smiled wider.
"I know you will."
She reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Lilith's face.
"After all," Catherine whispered, "this game is only just beginning."
Lilith lowered her eyes.
Catherine's smile lingered for a moment too long.
Then it broke.
"For f*ck's sake."
The warmth vanished from her voice.
"Why is Sebastian still standing by his side?" she snapped. "Why is he still protecting him?"
Lilith stiffened but remained silent.
Catherine turned away abruptly, her heels striking the marble floor with sharp, furious echoes.
"I am the one who struggled to live," she continued, her voice rising. "I am the one who paid the price."
She spun back around, eyes blazing.
"That bastard pushed me into the river,"
Catherine hissed. "I remember the cold. I remember sinking. I remember thinking I was going to die."
Her hands trembled.
"And yet," she laughed bitterly, "he lived. He grew up loved. Protected. Surrounded by people who would die for him."
Her laughter cracked into something ugly.
"I spent my entire fucking life rotting in an orphanage,"
Catherine shouted. "Every day wondering why I survived if no one wanted me."
Silence slammed into the room.
Lilith finally spoke, carefully.
"Julian doesn't remember," she said. "And Sebastian believes in him."
Catherine's eyes darkened.
"That's what disgusts me the most."
She pressed a hand to her chest, steadying her breath.
"He doesn't deserve loyalty," she said coldly. "He doesn't deserve friendship. And Sebastian—"
Her jaw tightened.
"Sebastian choosing him… it feels like drowning all over again."
She exhaled slowly, regaining control.
"Which is why," Catherine said, her tone smoothing into something dangerous, "they must learn the truth the hard way."
Lilith lowered her gaze.
"I understand."
Catherine smiled again—soft, elegant, and completely hollow.
"Good," she said. "Because next time, I don't want him merely hurt."
Her eyes gleamed.
"I want him broken."