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She coughed, her eyes darting from Asher’s to mine.

“Wh-what?” Ellis spat. I told her everything. Millie’s and Riley’s stories were more important than hers.

Oh, she deserved to hear it, every detail. How her perfect little crime had been torn apart by the very girls she’d used and discarded. How the predator had been outsmarted by her prey.

She looked like she’d just swallowed dynamite, ready to explode.

“Your lavender perfume, his watch.” I laughed as her eyes widened in desperation, in fear. She wasn’t so calm or collected anymore. Slowly, her prim mask slipped, revealing an animal fighting to stay in control. And losing.

“Let’s move on to the next one, shall we?” I asked, watching her panicked gasp. “This is belladonna.” I fingered the vial. It looked innocent. The liquid inside shimmered violet. A mix of nightshade and mistletoe.

Just a few drops. “To new beginnings and endings.”

The belladonna worked faster, and mixed with mistletoe... she would soon be deprived of oxygen.

Her body seized.

“You loved watching those girls die slowly, didn’t you? Now… watch yourself.”

Her eyes were locked in terror. Paralyzed. Broken. Alive.

She let out a strangled gasp, her eyes no longer filled with smug superiority.

“Does it hurt, Ellis? But I’m not done yet. This…” I grabbed my favorite poison. “It is foxglove.”

I looked at Asher. When he met my eyes, his eyes were full of satisfaction.

“It’ll increase your heart rate. Don’t worry. I’m giving just enough to make you suffer and not kill.” I fed her the foxglove as a wail left her.

Taking a step back from Ellis, I turned to Asher. “Go on, then. The kill is yours. And Asher… she killed Riley.”

His eyes snapped to mine. “What?”

“I don’t think Riley committed suicide. Yes, they tried to break her, but she held on. For you. So Ellis had to kill her. Holland told me she was tenacious.”

Something in him broke. I saw it.

He looked at Holland and Ellis, eyes burning, fists clenched at his sides. “She was waiting for me…” he whispered, broken. “I should’ve come back sooner.”

I gently rubbed his back. “Yes, but it’s her fault.”

“It was hard, wasn’t it? Carrying the guilt. Kill them, and you’ll feel better. Of course, you’ll always miss Riley, but you’ll remember the good times too,” Layne said, her voice soft, and he nodded.

“Looking at them like this… I know Riley would forgive me for abandoning her.” Asher blinked, walking toward Holland. He grabbed him by his hair before slamming his head against the floor. Once, twice. Holland opened his eyes and looked at Asher, and then closed his eyes again in resignation.

He knew.

“This is for my best friend, you pathetic asshole.” Asher plunged his beloved dagger into Holland’s right eye with a growl.

He screamed, and Ellis’s eyes widened as she watched.

“This is for trying to hurt the love of my fucking life.” Asher pushed the knife into Holland’s throat twice. Blood gurgled out in a steady stream.

Layne leaned her head against my shoulder.

“That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“I know. God, I love him.”