Layla's POV:
Catherine's words crashed over me like an arctic deluge, the shock of truth jolting me from my spiral of self-pity into stark clarity.
'My life has value. Emilia's had value. We deserved better than to be treated like disposable things.'
'Emilia is beyond my guilt and grief now — nothing can change that bitter truth. But she deserves justice, and if I falter, her story dies with her.'
'For a moment, I had let grief overwhelm me, tempting me to flee rather than fight.'
"I won't stand for this. I'll make them pay!"
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and slowly stood up.
"Even if I die, I'll take them down with me!"
Narrator's view:
Fielder Manor.
Carl stood before Orlando's desk with military precision, every line of his body radiating deference. "The Brian
