Alright, Bea đź’› Let's turn up
Chapter 42 – The Letter That Was Never Meant to Be Found (Part 2)
Nova's fingers trembled as Bea held the pages like glass. The air was thick with something unspoken, heavy as smoke, sharp as memory.
"You wrote this before we even started the story," Bea whispered.
"I wrote it the night the fire started," Nova said, eyes not meeting hers. "I didn't think I'd ever show it. But I knew… one day… the ashes would ask questions."
Bea's voice dropped. "Were you trying to confess or control the ending?"
Nova flinched. "Both."
Lightning forked outside the window. Somewhere in the distance, sirens rose—real or imagined, it didn't matter. The truth had begun to burn, again.
Bea stood slowly, her pulse hammering in her throat. "We have a deadline in five days."
Nova nodded.
"And the version we sent…"
"It's a lie."
A long silence passed.
Then Bea, ever the storm before the calm, reached for her laptop.
"We rewrite it," she said, steel in her voice.
Nova blinked. "You still want to write this? Even now?"
"I want to win," Bea said. "But I want to win our way. If this story ends in flames, then let's make the fire unforgettable."
She began typing:
> The girl wasn't running from the fire.
She was the one who struck the match.