Ava didn't even blink.
"Go ahead, Lilly," she whispered. "Prove me right."
And Lilly did.
She lunged—not with a scream, not with warning—but with a silence so violent it felt like thunder cracking open the air.
Fists collided with flesh. The sound was sickening. Bone meeting bone. Anger meeting years of betrayal. Lilly didn't see Ava anymore—she saw ghosts. Blood. Abandonment. Pain she never gave permission to feel.
Ava swung back, landing a punch, two—but Lilly didn't stop. She was too far gone.
Sam's voice was shouting something—"Lilly, stop—stop, you're going to kill her—" but it was like yelling at a hurricane.
Lilly slammed Ava to the ground, her hands trembling as she struck again—and again—and again.
Until Ava's head lolled to the side.
Unmoving.
Unconscious.
Blood pooled beneath her temple like ink spilled from a shattered truth.
Sam didn't hesitate this time—she dove forward, grabbing Lilly from behind, yanking her back with everything she had. Her arms wrapped around Lilly's chest, grounding her like an anchor in a storm.
"LILLY!" Sam shouted, voice breaking. "*Stop. She's done. You won.
Lilly thrashed, panting, eyes wild. Her fists were still clenched, ready to kill the next ghost that dared speak.
"She left me," Lilly choked out. "She left me and now she's back like nothing happened. She broke me."
Sam held her tighter, heart thudding against Lilly's spine. "I know. I know she did. But this—this—isn't you. It's what she made you. And you don't owe her your soul."
Lilly collapsed in Sam's arms, her body trembling like a dying star.
Behind them, Ava lay broken.
And for the first time, the fire felt like it was burning too close.