Present Day - Underground Facility, Evening
Elena Kozlov stands outside Leon's medical room like a penitent waiting for absolution.
Three years of federal protection have aged her in ways that go beyond the physical. Her designer clothes are gone, replaced by simple civilian attire. Her perfectly styled hair hangs loose around her shoulders. Her manicured nails are bitten short.
But it's her eyes that show the real change.
They hold the hollow look of someone who's spent years processing guilt without the luxury of denial.
Aria watches Elena through the observation window, feeling emotions she thought she'd buried.
Anger. Betrayal. The urge to protect what's left of her family from the woman who helped destroy it.
"She looks different," Sophie observes, standing beside Aria with the
