I stood beside my sister’s coffin, one hand on the tiny casket ribbon meant for the baby she never got to hold, when her husband walked in with his mistress on his arm. My bl:ood ran cold. ‘You really thought I wouldn’t find out?’ I said, flashing my badge. For weeks, I’d gathered every lie, every message, every trace of bl:ood. And when I exposed him in front of everyone, his smile vanished—but that was only the beginning.

With Victor facing two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, the media frenzy slowly died down. Sabrina accepted a plea deal for her cooperation, serving five years in a minimum-security facility for conspiracy after the fact.

The financial empire Victor had built on lies collapsed entirely. The state seized his assets, and the life insurance policy was voided.

I returned to my desk at the SBI cyber lab. The glow of the monitors felt different now. Less like a weapon, and more like a tool for peace.

Captain Reyes stopped by my desk one evening, dropping a file down. “New case. Embezzlement at a state pension fund. Complex crypto trails. You up for it?”

I looked at the file, then at the small framed photograph of Elise and me on my desk. We were laughing in the snow, a lifetime ago.

“I’m up for it,” I said.