𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟔 ：𝑬𝒌 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎 𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂 ✓

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘟𝘟𝘝𝘐. 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮

The day of the attack has arrived.

In a dimly lit room, a woman carefully applies her lipstick, her reflection in the mirror showing nothing but cold determination. Behind her, on the floor, lies the lifeless body of a young maiden, a crimson pool forming beneath her head.

With an air of twisted amusement, the woman strides toward the fallen girl, kneeling beside her. She runs a delicate finger along the maiden's chin and clicks her tongue disapprovingly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Without hesitation, she seizes the maiden's limp body and drags it onto the nearby bed. Her movements are precise, almost practiced. Then, with eerie calm, she strips the girl of her attire and slips into it herself, exchanging her own elegant dress for the maiden's simple clothing.

She straightens up, turning toward the mirror. And there she stands-Charlotte.

A wicked laugh escapes her lips as she admires her disguise. She smooths the fabric over her form, her smirk widening as dark intent gleams in her eyes.

"You only belong to me," she murmurs, her voice laced with possessiveness and malice.

~~~~

Manjari's POV;

A faint rustling noise pulls me from the depths of sleep. My eyes flutter open, and I blink against the dim light filtering through the curtains. I sit up groggily, rubbing my temples as an unsettling heaviness weighs down on me. Something feels off. I glance toward the small clock resting on my bedside table.

12:00 PM.

My eyes widen in shock. Noon? How could I have slept for so long?

A wave of frustration washes over me. What's wrong with me? I groan, running a hand through my disheveled hair. My body feels sluggish, my mind clouded. It hasn't been the same since... since Stefan.

Ever since the whispers of his name ceased, since people stopped speaking about him as though he had never existed, I have felt like a hollow shell of myself. I'm not me anymore. I lost something-someone-so precious, and with him, I lost myself.

I clutch the duvet tighter around me. My mind is a tangled mess. Ed. Stefan. Two names, two different parts of my heart pulling in opposite directions.

Where was Ed? I haven't seen him since yesterday. Is he okay? Where did he go?

And Stefan... Is he really gone?

I don't know why, but my heart refuses to believe it. The world may have accepted his absence, but I can't. Something deep inside me whispers that he's still out there, that he's alive.

The thought stirs something painful within me. My eyes sting as tears blur my vision. The ache in my chest grows unbearable, and before I know it, warm streaks of sorrow trail down my cheeks.

With trembling hands, I reach toward my nightstand, pulling open the drawer. My fingers brush against the familiar leather-bound cover-Stefan's diary.

I clutch it to my chest for a moment before flipping it open. And there he is-his smile.

A soft sigh of relief escapes my lips. That smile... It's the same one that made my heart race, the one that promised warmth and endless laughter. The same smile that I may never see again.

I trace my fingers over a picture tucked between the pages. Us. Frozen in time, captured in a moment of joy.

He didn't deserve this. None of this. And he didn't deserve me.