For a few weeks, things felt normal again.
Bella and Elijah walked through the city gardens like any couple.
He smiled more. She pretended.
The priest, now entangled body and soul, believed in the illusion they'd created.
But peace doesn't last long when it's built on corpses.Marianne's younger sister, Clara, arrived with her husband, Daniel.
Both grim. Determined.
Clara stood tall. "I've been trying to reach Marianne. For weeks. She never came to visit. Her phone is dead."
Elijah looked uneasy. "She… left suddenly. Didn't she?"
Clara narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."
Then, she held up a printed file. "This is Bella's record. Two schools. Two 'disappearances'. No arrests. No answers. But the rumors… they follow her."
Daniel stepped forward.
"She's dangerous. And if you're involved with her — you're in danger too.
"Later That Night – Bella's Bedroom
Elijah told Bella everything.
She sat in silence, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.
Then she simply said:
> "Yes. I did it."
Elijah stared. His hands trembled. "You killed her?"
"Yes."
He took a step back.
Bella turned to face him. Calm. Beautiful. Terrifying.
"You love me. Even now.
Even knowing you're in love with the devil."
And he did.
He hated himself for it…
But he didn't leave.
– Two Days Later
Bella took Elijah's phone while he slept.
She messaged Clara and Daniel:
> "Let's meet. I'll tell you the truth.
Come to the church. Alone."
That day, Elijah left for a weeklong church retreat in a nearby town.
He kissed Bella goodbye.
She whispered in his ear:
"When you come back… you'll be all mine."
---
The Church – That Night
Clara and Daniel arrived, expecting answers.
They found Bella standing at the altar in a black dress. The stained-glass windows cast strange colours across her face.
Bella smiled.
"I lied. It wasn't a confession. It's a funeral."
Clara frowned. "What?"
Daniel stepped back. He smelled something.
> Petrol.