> "Don't fall for the villain. She'll kiss you like fire and leave your heart smoking in the ruins."
---
The city didn't sleep after the broadcast.
Screens kept looping the footage. Protests grew louder. Investors fled in waves.
Zayden's family legacy collapsed in headlines.
But at the center of the storm stood Amaris—unshaken, unapologetic, unmatched.
And yet, behind closed doors...
She was unraveling.
---
Amaris's Apartment – 3:13 a.m.
She stood in the shower, arms braced on the cold tile.
Water streamed down, too hot.
Scalding.
Like if she could just burn enough, she'd feel clean again.
Her fingers curled against the wall as the memory echoed.
> Blue lights.
Wires in her spine.
A voice whispering, "Stop crying. You'll never be loved like this."
She gasped and slammed her palm against the tile.
It wouldn't go away.
Nothing ever really did.
---
Living Room – Moments Later
She stepped out wrapped in a robe, dripping, broken—but masked.
Zayden was waiting. He looked like he hadn't slept. Shirt rumpled, eyes wild with worry.
"I saw the protests," he said. "I saw what you did."
She passed him without meeting his gaze.
"You should leave before the press links us again."
"I'm not leaving," he said. "Not unless you throw me out."
She paused. Back still to him.
"Why?" she asked quietly. "You've lost everything."
"I lost you once," he said. "Everything else is negotiable."
---
She turned slowly.
He walked toward her like a man choosing the edge of the cliff.
"You scare me," he admitted.
"Good," she whispered.
"And I still want you."
She didn't move.
So he cupped her face, slowly. Like she might disappear.
Their breaths tangled.
The moment cracked—
And then—
He kissed her.
---
It wasn't soft.
It was five years of fury, grief, silence, and longing colliding in one desperate breath.
She kissed him back with blood in her teeth. With the edge of survival on her lips.
Their hands gripped. Clawed. Pulled each other close like they were fighting.
Because they were.
Against time.
Against what they were.
Against who they became.
When they finally broke apart, she whispered, "You shouldn't have done that."
"I don't regret it."
"But I will," she said, her voice shaking. "Because I can't have anything soft. Not anymore."
Zayden touched her face. "Then I'll bleed with you."
---
Later That Night – Elliot's Apartment
He watched the kiss.
Hidden camera. Hidden stream.
He hadn't meant to spy. Not exactly. The footage had been part of a security backup she'd forgotten to shut off.
But now he couldn't unsee it.
The way she clung to Zayden.
The way she chose him.
Elliot's jaw clenched. His fingers shook around the glass of whiskey.
He whispered to himself, "She always breaks the ones who love her."
---
Verena's Lab – Unknown Location
Celeste stood in the corner, watching Verena prep something vile.
"What are you making?" she asked.
Verena smiled. "A serum."
"For what?"
"Memory correction."
Celeste frowned. "I thought she already remembered."
"Not everything," Verena said softly. "There's one more piece. One more key."
She held up a small vial. Black liquid.
"When she remembers who really ordered her extraction from ACE," she said, "her little empire will eat itself alive."
Celeste blinked. "Who did?"
Verena smiled wider.
"Her mother."
---
FLASHBACK – ACE Facility (Age 15)
Amaris's mother stood in the shadows. Watching through one-way glass.
A doctor whispered beside her: "The emotional compliance isn't holding. Shall we terminate?"
Her mother didn't flinch.
"No. Pull her out. But erase it all."
"But she'll remember eventually—"
Her mother's voice turned ice.
> "Then I'll make sure she never has a reason to ask."
---
Present – Amaris's Penthouse
The nightmares returned.
She woke screaming, drenched in sweat, Zayden beside her reaching out.
"Hey—hey—it's okay, it's me."
She clung to him, trembling.
"I saw her," she whispered. "She was there. Watching."
"Who?"
"My mother."
Zayden's face twisted in shock. "You think she was involved?"
"I think... she let it happen."
---
Later That Morning – Her Mother's Private Home
Amaris stood at the gates, arms folded.
Her mother met her on the steps.
"You look like a ghost," she said. "Is that what vengeance does?"
"You lied to me."
"I lied to protect you."
Amaris's voice cracked. "From what?"
Her mother didn't answer.
So Amaris pulled out the vial Elliot had stolen from Verena's lab.
"Recognize this?"
Her mother paled.
"It's over," Amaris said.
Her mother reached out. "You don't understand—"
"No," Amaris said. "I finally do."
She turned and walked away.
And her mother collapsed onto the steps.
---
Celeste's Final Betrayal
She sent Elliot one message.
> "You want her broken? I have a way."
Attached: a photo.
Zayden. Shirtless. In bed. Beside Amaris.
Elliot stared at the image, his heart twisting.
Then his fingers moved.
And he forwarded the image.
To the press.
---
Final Scene – Breaking News
"EXCLUSIVE: Zayden Kross and Amaris Lane REVEALED. Leaked Bedroom Photo Sparks Scandal."
Public reaction: divided. Furious. Fascinated.
Board members: resigning.
Stocks: plummeting.
Inside her penthouse, Amaris stared at the image. The betrayal.
Her hand trembled as she turned to Zayden.
"I didn't send it," he swore. "I swear to you—"
She nodded.
"I know."
And then quietly—
> "It was Elliot."
Zayden stepped closer. "What do we do?"
Her eyes burned gold with fury.
"We bury him."