Elara didn't remember walking out of the lab.
One second she was there—
staring at the board, at the faces, at the pattern that had her name written all over it—
and the next—
she was outside.
The air hit her harder than expected.
Cold.
Sharp.
Real.
Too real.
She stopped.
Her hands still shaking.
Her head full—
not of thoughts—
but of noise.
Fragments.
Voices.
Decisions.
Her decisions.
"I didn't know."
The words slipped out under her breath.
Not meant for anyone.
Not meant to be heard.
But they stayed.
Hanging there.
Weak.
Unconvincing.
She let out a breath.
It didn't help.
Nothing was helping.
Because the worst part wasn't the pattern.
It wasn't the deaths.
It wasn't even the possibility that she had been involved.
It was this—
she couldn't trust her own memory anymore.
And if she couldn't trust that—
what else had she gotten wrong?
Her chest tightened.
Her mind went somewhere she didn't want it to go.
Liam.
She closed her eyes.
Just for a second.
But that was enough.
Because the moment she thought of him—
something felt—
off.
Not the way he looked.
Not the way he spoke.
Not the way he stood next to her like he always had.
But—
the way everything around him behaved.
Her breath caught.
"No…"
She shook her head.
Hard.
As if she could physically push the thought away.
But it stayed.
Of course it did.
Because now—
she had learned how to see.
And once you see—
you can't unsee.
She found him near the edge of the parking lot.
Standing alone.
Looking out at nothing.
Or—
something she couldn't see.
"Liam."
Her voice came out quieter than she expected.
He turned immediately.
Too immediately.
Like he had been waiting.
"You're back," he said.
There was relief in his voice.
Real.
Immediate.
It hit her harder than anything else.
Because it sounded—
normal.
Too normal.
She walked toward him slowly.
Watching him.
Really watching.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every—
delay.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
"You okay?" he asked.
Simple.
Direct.
The way he always did.
Elara stopped a few steps away.
Not too close.
Not anymore.
"I need you to answer something," she said.
Her voice steadier now.
But colder.
More careful.
Liam frowned slightly.
"That doesn't sound good."
She didn't smile.
Didn't soften.
Because she couldn't.
"When did we meet?"
The question landed.
Simple.
But not harmless.
Liam blinked once.
"…What?"
"You heard me."
Her eyes didn't leave his.
"When did we meet?"
A pause.
Too long.
Just a second.
But she saw it.
That flicker.
That hesitation.
And something inside her—
dropped.
"You don't remember?" he asked carefully.
She didn't answer.
Because that wasn't the point.
"I'm asking you," she said.
Liam let out a slow breath.
"…A bookstore," he said.
Her chest tightened.
Of course.
That again.
"Which one?" she pressed.
Liam hesitated.
Again.
This time—
longer.
And then—
"I don't know."
There it was.
The crack.
Small.
But real.
Elara felt it.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
"You don't know," she repeated.
Her voice softer now.
But sharper.
More dangerous.
Liam stepped forward.
"Elara—"
She stepped back.
Instinct.
Immediate.
He stopped.
That hurt.
More than anything else so far.
Because it meant—
she didn't trust him.
And he knew it.
"You've been acting strange all day," he said.
There was tension in his voice now.
Not anger.
Something else.
Fear.
Good.
That meant he could still feel.
"Answer me one more thing," she said.
Her voice dropped.
Quieter.
Almost fragile.
But not breaking.
"Where were you when the second victim died?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Immediate.
Liam stared at her.
"…What?"
"You heard me."
Her heart was racing now.
Not from fear.
From something worse.
Expectation.
"Where were you?"
Liam shook his head slowly.
"I don't even know who that is."
"That's not what I asked."
Her voice rose.
Just slightly.
Enough.
"Where were you?"
He didn't answer.
Not right away.
And that—
was enough.
Because she saw it.
Not the lie.
Not exactly.
The gap.
Like something was missing.
Not hidden.
Gone.
"I don't remember," he said finally.
There it was.
Again.
The same answer.
The same—
emptiness.
Elara's breath trembled.
"Of course you don't."
The words slipped out.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
Liam's expression shifted.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer.
Because she was already looking.
Not at him.
Through him.
Trying to see—
what didn't fit.
And then—
she noticed it.
His shadow.
It was there.
But—
not quite right.
It didn't match the angle of the light.
It didn't move—
at the same time.
Her stomach dropped.
"No…"
Liam stepped forward again.
"Elara, you're scaring me."
She looked at him.
Really looked.
And for a moment—
everything else disappeared.
The pattern.
The deaths.
The fear.
Just him.
The way he looked at her.
The way his voice softened when he said her name.
The way he always—
stayed.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"…You were always there," she whispered.
More to herself than to him.
Liam frowned.
"What?"
She shook her head.
Tears blurred her vision.
Not falling.
Just—
there.
"You never left," she said.
A pause.
Her voice broke slightly.
"Even when I did."
Silence.
Liam didn't understand.
Of course he didn't.
Because he couldn't.
Not fully.
Not if what she was starting to believe—
was true.
"You don't disappear like the others," she said.
Her voice barely above a whisper now.
"But you don't stay the same either."
Liam stared at her.
Confused.
Hurt.
"…What are you saying?"
Elara swallowed.
Her throat tight.
Her heart louder than everything else.
"I'm saying—"
She stopped.
Because saying it—
would change everything.
And there would be no going back.
But she had already crossed that line.
A long time ago.
She just hadn't known it.
"I'm saying you're not supposed to be here."
The words fell.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Final.
Liam didn't move.
Didn't react.
For a second—
nothing happened.
And then—
something in his expression shifted.
Not confusion.
Not anger.
Something else.
Something—
quiet.
Like a truth he had been holding—
and was finally ready to let go of.
"…I was waiting for you to figure that out," he said.
Elara's heart stopped.
Not metaphorically.
Not emotionally.
It just—
stopped.