NATALIA
The world slowed to a syrupy drag as I stood dripping beside the pool, every eye in the room drawn to me like moths to a flame. My soaked gown clung to my legs, heavy and cold. I could feel the mascara streaking down my cheeks, the foundation long gone, leaving only bare skin and truth.
The makeup I’d tried to use to shield my identity had washed away.
Mira was gone.
Natalia had been pulled, gasping, from the water.
And by morning, everyone would know it.
Behind me, I could hear Lilith’s voice—cracked and breathless—sputtering accusations as Andrei hauled her out of the water.
“She pushed me! She—she did it to humiliate me!”
Her voice trembled on the edge of a sob, just loud enough for the crowd to hear.
I didn’t even look at them.
I was done playing roles. Done pretendin
