Hanna’s fingers gripped her keys so tightly her knuckles turned white. She planted her feet, forcing herself to stand tall despite the tremor in her chest. Ciara was only a few steps away, her dark silhouette framed by the dim glow of a nearby streetlight.
“You’re wasting your time,” Hanna said, her voice sharp. “Everyone knows the truth about you now.”
Ciara raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk curling on her lips. “The truth? Is that what you think this is? A little truth and justice fairy tale? You’re more naive than I thought, Hanna.”
Hanna’s jaw clenched. “No one believes your lies anymore. You’ve lost.”
Ciara laughed, the sound low and cold. “Lost? Oh, sweetie, you don’t even know what game you’re playing.”
She took another step forward, and Hanna fought the instinct to step back. Ciara’s confidence wasn’t just unsettling—it was infuriating.
“You see, Hanna,” Ciara continued, her tone dripping with mock sympathy, “what you call the truth is just noise. People forget noise. But me? I make impressions. I don’t need proof to ruin you. All I need is a whisper in the right ear, a picture sent to the right phone. And poof, everything you’ve worked so hard to protect? Gone.”
“You’re bluffing,” Hanna said, though the crack in her voice betrayed her.
Ciara leaned in slightly, her smirk widening. “Try me.”
The weight of her words settled over Hanna like a suffocating blanket. For a moment, her resolve wavered. But then she thought of Finn, of Emily, of all the people who had been hurt by Ciara’s manipulations.
“You don’t scare me,” Hanna said, her voice steady this time. “I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not backing down.”
Ciara’s smirk faltered, just for a second, before she laughed again. “Brave words. Let’s see how long they last.”
With that, Ciara brushed past her, her shoulder deliberately bumping against Hanna’s. She stopped a few feet away and turned, her eyes gleaming with menace.
“This isn’t over, Hanna,” Ciara said, her voice low and dangerous. “Not by a long shot.”
Hanna stood frozen as Ciara disappeared into the shadows. The cold night air bit at her skin, but it was nothing compared to the icy fear creeping into her chest.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out with shaky hands.
A message from Elordi.
Elordi: We need to talk. Now.
Hanna stared at the screen, her stomach twisting into knots. Whatever Ciara was planning, it was already set in motion.
And Hanna knew the stakes had never been higher.
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