Chapter 8

Outside the burning mansion, Latigi’s friends shrieked with excitement at the growing inferno, wildly snapping photos and videos on their phones like it was a concert finale.

“Holy shit, revenge ninety nine is going to be LEGENDARY!” Tyler howled, capturing an Instagram story of the flames.

“Tinally, Luigi can dump that clingy bitch and on with his life!” Blake slapped his knee, grinning

maniacally.

move

“When we ‘rescue her, I’m going to record her ugly crying face and blast it all over TikTok. Let the whole fucking campus see what a pathetic mess she really is!” Josh laughed, already planning his caption.

The hellish red glow illuminated their faces like demons at a bonfire, casting long, distorted shadows behind them.

Standing slightly apart from the group, Luigi listened to their callous banter with growing discomfort. Something felt deeply wrong.

His mind kept replaying Ariana’s face from moments earlier–that strange, peaceful expression. Those words that now seemed so final.

Wait–she’d been abnormally calm, hadn’t she?

Every previous anniversary, Ariana had practically vibrated with excitement. She’d plan for weeks. creating Pinterest boards, texting him countdown updates, handling every detail personally with almost manic enthusiasm.

Luigi had always been happy to let her take over. Why waste effort on someone who was just a means to an end? He’d even internally justified his coldness–if she hadn’t humiliated Leila, she wouldn’t be with him anyway.

But tonight had been completely different. Ariana had been unsettlingly quiet.

During the entire drive, she’d sat silently beside him, no nervous chatter, no excited questions.

Beyond those haunting final words, she hadn’t once asked about his “surprise.” She’d been like a marionette with cut strings–compliant, empty, resigned.

And now that he thought about it–he’d been gone nearly twenty minutes, the fire had been raging for almost as long–and she hadn’t called or texted even once?

a bucket of ice water. Luigi

  1. 17.

Revenge

with each swipe No calls. No texts. No hysterical voicemails from

heart hammered against his ribs as

and

away.

“Ariana

through his mind–her laughter echoing in their apartment, the way she’d leave

consciously deciding to move, he bolted toward the inferno.

the fuck, Luigi! Where are you going?” Derek shouted, as the group moved

explosion ripped through the night, the concussive

BOOM!

of the mansion, sending a mushroom cloud of flame and

group’s expressions transformed from drunken celebration to genuine horror in

happen!” Blake

frozen in shock, a series of secondary explosions followed, one after another. The sound was like artillery fire, each

black smoke billowed outward as glass shattered. Burning chunks of wood and concrete rained down around

by a single thought: she

inferno.

forward with frantic desperation, only to be tackled by his

die if you go in there!” Tyler shouted, pinning him to

called 911! Fire rescue is coming!” Blake yelled,

gotta be okay,” Josh stammered, no trace of his earlier

out!”

5.54%

Chapter 8

on the towering inferno. In his mind, he and hear her eating the him–could imagine her trapped, choking, terrified. Every memony of her

ME!” he roared, throwing his friends aside with strength

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