I watch the cracks spread across Aubrey’s mask, her carefully constructed world caving in. And for the first time, I see something genuine beneath it—not the cold, calculating woman who played us all, but a terrified person losing control. She looks at each of us, her chest heaving, her mind racing for a way out.

For a second, I expect her to run. I almost hope she does.

But then, her shoulders slump, her body folding inward like she’s suddenly too tired to fight.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “I just…I just wanted to protect myself.”

The words are a slap in the face, and a heavy darkness churns in my gut. She’s still lying—to herself, to us. I think of Gabriel, of George, of my parents, and the countless lives she shattered to “protect herself.”

“No, Aubrey,” I say, my voice steady. “You wanted to protect your lies. And now, they’ve caught up to you.”

The sound of footsteps in the distance grows louder. The agents are moving in, closing the net around her, and still, she doesn’t seem to notice.

Aubrey’s face turns ashen. Her breaths come too fast, too shallow. I see it in her eyes—the slow, sinking realization that this is the end of the road.

She glances toward the edge of the cemetery, her eyes darting like a cornered animal, finally noticing the hulking figures coming towards us.

“You’re smart though, you planned for this, didn’t you?” Selene’s voice is low and steady, like a hunter closing in on its prey.

Aubrey doesn’t answer, but the tremor in her hands gives her away.

“All of this,” Mo adds, her tone sharp. “The sweet tea. The cookie cake. The cupcakes. The whole setup. It wasn’t just about Gabriel, was it? You were planning another move, weren’t you?”

Aubrey’s gaze snaps to Mo, her expression twisting with a mix of fury and desperation. “You don’t understand,” she spits. “I had to. You left me no choice.”

No choice.

My hands curl into fists. She says it like she’s the victim like we’re the villains in her story.

“You brought us here to poison us, didn’t you?” My voice is sharper than I intended, the weight of the accusation slamming between us.

Her silence is answer enough.

Selene steps closer, her voice cold. “Why, Aubrey? Why would you do this? You already got away with it—years of hiding your crimes, covering your tracks. So why now?”