The mansion Chloe lived in was lavish—crystal chandeliers, imported marble, and quiet halls that echoed too much silence. But Lyra Durante had never cared about any of that.
Right now, she sat curled up in her room, knees to chest, watching a replay of the funeral on her tablet.
It had been trending for two days.
Raina Durante's return.
The scene where she stood over the grave, dressed in black, eyes dead and hollow, whispering a promise that made even grown men freeze.
> "I'll tear their world apart… limb by limb, secret by secret, until there's nothing left. Not even bones."
Lyra had watched it ten times. Not because she liked it—but because something inside her itched.
That woman didn't look like a villain.
She looked like a broken sword.
Behind her, Rowan barged in without knocking—again.
> "She's not who Chloe says she is."
Lyra jumped. "God, Rowan—knock."
> "Seriously. I went down the rabbit hole. Reddit, archives, even old press clips."
> "Of Raina?"
Rowan nodded, dropping beside her with a stack of papers and his phone.
> "Back then, she was Selena's everything. There are photos of them everywhere, interviews, fashion shows. She was even listed as our emergency contact before Mom died."
Lyra blinked.
> "Wait… but Chloe said—"
> "I know," Rowan interrupted. "Chloe said she was the reason Mom got sick. That Raina ditched her, refused to come visit."
He looked Lyra in the eyes.
> "But Raina didn't vanish by choice. She was erased."
That last word landed heavy.
Rowan swiped his screen and showed her a censored article from a decade ago:
> "Mysterious Rift Between Fashion Mogul Selena Durante and Best Friend R.D. – Sources Say Conflict Wasn't What It Seemed."
> "She disappeared the same week this article went live," Rowan said. "Then… nothing. Like she never existed."
Lyra sat back, stunned. "So… what? Chloe lied to us?"
Rowan exhaled. "Either Chloe's protecting us from something… or she's hiding something from us."
There was a long pause.
Then Lyra whispered, "What if Raina's not here to destroy us?"
Rowan looked toward the window where rain was falling in slow patterns.
> "Then we've spent our whole lives hating the wrong woman."