Her Purpose || Kai Parker

Chapter 39

**(Long Chapter ahead)**

Stefan and Lexi quietly bury Ivy's body in a secluded spot, the weight of guilt and grief hanging heavily between them.

Ivy had been a victim of a world she never fully understood, and despite everything, Stefan couldn't shake the feeling of responsibility for her death.

Lexi, always by his side, gave him a look of quiet understanding as they finished, though the unspoken tension between them lingered.

Meanwhile, back at Whitmore, Elena decides to throw a party to help her friends—and herself—escape the recent turmoil.

She invites everyone, including a charming new guy named Liam, who has been hanging around campus. Stefan and Lexi arrive at Whitmore shortly afterward.

As Stefan talks with Elena, he notices something off about her demeanor. When the truth comes out that she has compelled herself to forget Damon, Stefan is taken aback but doesn't push her on it.

It's a painful reminder that even Elena has chosen to move on in her own way. Still, when she mentions that Enzo will be at the party, Stefan agrees to stay, knowing their volatile past is far from settled.

At an unknown location, Estrella remains at home, refusing to leave. Her mood is sour, mainly because Damon and Bonnie are at each other's throats again, their constant bickering like nails on a chalkboard to her.

"I'm not going anywhere with you two acting like children," Estrella had said firmly, her orange hair flashing red in frustration as she stood her ground.

Bonnie protested, worried about leaving Estrella behind when they both suspected someone—or something—was lurking around them. Estrella waved her off, determined to stay.

Eventually, with a sigh, Damon and Bonnie left for grocery shopping, though Bonnie's worry lingered in the air. Damon, as always, was dismissive.

"There's no one else here," he grumbled, though he couldn't even fully shake the strange feeling in the house.

As they made their way out, Bonnie noticed odd things—small but telling. Items were missing, as if someone had moved them.

Her gaze was drawn to a small, antique horse carousel sitting in the corner of the room. It spun slowly on its own, creaking eerily.

Damon, still skeptical, shrugged it off until he saw something far more impossible: his car, which had been wrecked and destroyed, now stood in perfect condition, gleaming as if it had never been touched.

Back at the party, things were anything but peaceful. Jay and Tyler got into a heated fight, fists flying before Matt stepped in to break them apart.

Tensions were high, and it was clear that the weight of everything they'd all been through was starting to crack their once-solid friendships.

Elena, trying to keep the party upbeat, was caught off guard when she saw Jeremy kissing Sarah, the same girl she had attacked not long ago.

She pulled Jeremy aside, warning him that it was too risky. "You do realize she's the girl I almost killed?" she whispered urgently.

Jeremy, brushing off her concern, reminded her that Caroline had already compelled Sarah to forget everything, but Elena still wasn't convinced it was a good idea.

Later in the evening, Elena tried to share a quiet moment with Caroline, Tyler, and Matt, but it wasn't the same.

The carefree bond they once had was gone, replaced by the heavy realities they now faced. None of them were having fun like they used to, the weight of their shared losses dulling their spirits.