Nobody moved and nobody breathed.
Diane stared at the woman standing near the burning trees, her entire body frozen in disbelief.
“No…” she whispered.
The woman stepped forward slowly, flames flickering behind her silhouette.
Her mother was alive.
Diane’s knees nearly gave out.
“That’s impossible,” Kara said under her breath.
Damon looked genuinely stunned for the first time since Diane had met him. “Elena…”
Richard looked like he had seen a ghost.
Calder, however, went completely still.
Not shocked, not confused but furious.
“Well,” he said coldly “you certainly took your time”
The woman—Elena held his gaze calmly “I had to make sure the stage was set properly.”
Diane’s heart pounded violently.
Stage?
“What is happening?” she asked weakly.
Elena turned toward her then.
An
