We are not going back

THE PLAN

[I saw a few people ask to see the outline of Eleonora’s plan and I thought it would make a fun and insightful chapter.]

Kamala, Doug, and Tyler were waiting for me in the barely furnished kitchen of our new house, an unmistakable tension filling the space. Tyler leaned against the counter, arms folded, while Kamala and Doug sat across from each other, watching me carefully. I could tell by the way Kamala’s gaze softened slightly that she wanted to understand, not to accuse, but it still felt like walking into a tribunal.

“So," Kamala began, her voice calm but with a quiet edge, "we’ve been going over everything that happened… and we still don’t get it. Did you really plan it all out?”

I managed a dry laugh. "Believe me, it wasn’t planned. Not the way it looks."

Doug raised his brows. "Not even a little? You seemed pretty sure of yourself every step of the way- according to Evelyne."

"Sure?" I shook my head, pressing my lips together. "I was terrified, Doug. The only thing I actually planned was… well, manipulating Olivia just enough to make her trust me again. Enough to convince her to delete the evidence."

Tyler’s eyes widened as he stared at me. "Wait- you mean you didn’t have a plan beyond that? Greenland? Fleeing the country? The carving? The fact that you knew Kamala would find your note on Elivio’s grave?"

I let out a breath, leaning back into the chair. "No. My only goal was to get her to delete everything she had on you. She was so far gone. I thought… maybe if I got her to let her guard down, I could dismantle the threat."

Kamala watched me carefully, her expression a mixture of relief and something more vulnerable. "So, after you convinced her to delete it all… then what?"

I swallowed, glancing away. "I didn’t know. I was improvising. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to turn violent so suddenly. I never intended for it to end that way."

Kamala shook her head, a half-smile crossing her lips despite the gravity of the conversation. "You’re telling me that, throughout all of this, you had no plan for what would happen after?"

"I had no idea," I admitted. "I just… I knew Olivia. I thought maybe she’d back off once I got her to delete the files. I thought I’d be able to talk her down."

Doug let out a low whistle. "Eleanora, you must’ve known she wasn’t the kind of person you could just talk down."

I nodded, swallowing the knot forming in my throat. "I thought I could try. But then… she escalated. And I didn’t know what else to do. When she came at me, it was self-defense. But until that moment…" I trailed off, letting the unspoken words hang in the air, "I was bargaining on you showing up and getting me the fuck out of there."

Tyler shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh of disbelief. "Damn, El. You made it look like some kind of grand strategy, like you were this Machiavellian genius pulling all the strings. And all this time you were… just winging it?"

"Pretty much." I gave a wry smile, unable to fully look any of them in the eye. "I had to hold it together. I knew you all needed me to be calm, but I must admit that when she asked me to carve her name into my skin- I wanted to run away."

Kamala reached out, gently covering my hand with hers. Her eyes softened, but there was an unspoken question there. "Why put yourself through it, Nora? You could’ve let us handle it… you didn’t have to face Olivia alone."