The sky was overcast, as if it were preparing for real rain, not rain. Night had enveloped the city, and a faint light still filtered through the upstairs window of the same club that had witnessed the confessions and betrayals hours earlier.
Elizabeth stood in front of the antique mirror in the guest room, studying her reflection, searching for her father's features... and trying to remember the last time she'd felt truly confident in someone.
Was she young? Or just naive?
John entered quietly, his voice hesitant but filled with concern:
♠ John: "Elizabeth... I didn't know. I swear. I didn't know William was the real reason."
♠ Elizabeth (without looking at him): "But you lied when you knew he was in the city. It wasn't out of ignorance... it was out of fear."
♠ John: "I was afraid... yes. Afraid of losing you, of losing control."
♠ Elizabeth (turning toward him, her eyes sharp): "I didn't lose her, John... I'm the one holding the strings now. The problem is, the strings were always wrapped around my neck, not my hands."
Then she moved closer to him, step by step, until there were only breaths between them:
♠ Elizabeth: "You still don't understand... William didn't kill my father because he was an enemy. He wanted to open the door for me."
♠ John (exasperated): "What do you mean? How could your father's killer be... an ally?!"
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice): "Because my father... wasn't who you think he was."
...
Downstairs, William sat alone in the corner, his glass in his hand, his eyes fixed on an imaginary point in the air. Madeleine approached him and sat opposite him, watching his face.
❤️ Madeleine: "I told her the truth. Are you satisfied now?"
🃏 William: "Not yet. But I feel like the game is coming to an end."
❤️ Madeline (with a sarcastic smile): "You don't approach endings, William. You create other people's endings... and watch."
🃏 William: "And you? What are you doing here, then? Didn't you warn her about me?"
❤️ Madeline: "I wanted to see her burn you... or love you. Either pleases me."
🃏 William (quietly): "Do you know what her father said to me before he died?"
❤️ Madeline: "No. And I don't think you would."
🃏 William: "He told me: If she wants to be like me, let her see me fall."
…
Later that night, the four of them gathered in the hall again. But this time, there were no cards. No game.
Just chairs, silence, and an atmosphere filled with suspicion.
♠ Elizabeth (looking at everyone): "You all have secrets. So do I. But now we stand on the brink of the abyss, and there's no escape."
❤️ Madeline: "So, tell us. What have you been hiding?"
♠ Elizabeth: "That my father was a leader in the Secret Council... yes. But the deeper truth? He trained me to manipulate and deceive. Made me an improved version of himself. And then... tried to kill me when he saw I'd surpassed him."
John froze. William didn't blink. Madeline smiled as if she knew.
♠ Elizabeth: "William didn't kill him... he saved me from him. But at a price."
🃏 William: "And I'm not asking for a price now."
♠ Elizabeth: "You're asking for it your way. By testing... by challenging... and maybe with love."
An awkward moment of silence.
❤️ Madeline (in a near-whisper): "And who says love isn't a weapon in this game?"
♠ Elizabeth: "All I know is... one of us will eventually fail. Not because of luck, but because he didn't understand the rules."
🃏 William (smiling weakly): "Or because he thought he was the only one writing them."
...
Outside the club, Elizabeth stood in the rain. Water cascaded down her face, washing away the traces of her dribbling.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4aPeK11ct
She looked up at the sky and said to herself:
"In every game, there's a mirror... and whoever doesn't break it with their hand, will break in it."
And she knew that the next chapter... would be the last for one of them.
ns3.144.226.170da2
然後按「加至主畫面」