Days passed. Then weeks.
Jack healed faster than anyone expected. The scar faded from angry red to something lighter, something that no longer looked like danger but survival. He went back to walking without help, laughing without wincing, teasing without everyone telling him to sit down.
Life didn't snap back to normal.
It eased into it.
Mornings became louder again.
Yuri and Miyeong argued over breakfast like nothing had ever gone wrong, switching to Korean whenever they wanted to gossip without being understood. Ava and Kira would sit at the counter, half listening, half laughing, sometimes just watching them like kids who finally felt safe enough to relax.
Ethan came around more often. Not suspicious, not tense. Just… present. He and Ava studied together, walked to campus together, sometimes argued about the dumbest things and made up five minutes later. It felt real. Steady.
Judith started smiling more too. She still had her quiet moments, still disappeared into her thoughts sometimes, but she wasn't alone anymore. She had people who waited for her now.
And Jack.
Jack fit into the house like he'd always belonged there.
He and Kira didn't rush anything. No pressure, no labels shouted into the air. Just small things. Him sitting beside her on the couch, their knees touching. Him bringing her drinks when she forgot to hydrate. Her scolding him when he tried to lift something heavy too soon.
Sometimes Kira would catch herself watching him and feel that familiar ache of guilt, and Jack would notice and gently bump her shoulder.
"I'm healed, remember?" he'd say softly. "You don't have to carry that anymore."
Slowly, she believed him.
Evenings became softer. Music playing in the background. Laughter spilling out of open windows. The house no longer felt like a place of secrets, but one of shared memories.
One night, as they all sat outside, the sky stretched wide and calm above them, Ava leaned into Ethan's side and sighed.
"It's weird," she said. "After everything… we're just here."
Kira smiled faintly. "Maybe that's the point."
Jack glanced at her, eyes warm. "Normal doesn't mean boring. Sometimes it just means safe."
Kira looked around. At Ava. At Judith. At their moms laughing inside. At Jack beside her.
Safe.
For the first time in years, the past stayed where it belonged.
Behind them.
And the future, quiet and unworried, finally felt like something they were allowed to look forward to.
The trial scene
The courtroom was quiet in a way that felt heavy, like everyone inside was holding their breath at the same time.
Kira sat between Ava and Jack, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Jack was fully healed now, but she still leaned toward him without realizing it. Old habits. Old fear. He noticed and gently brushed his pinky against hers, grounding her.
Miyeong and Yuri sat a row behind them. Calm on the outside, eyes sharp and alert. These were women who had waited years for this moment, even if they hadn't known it yet.
The judge entered. Everyone stood. Then sat.
Junseo was brought in first. He looked smaller than Kira remembered. Older. Tired. No trace of the control he once held. He avoided eye contact.
Then his wife was escorted in.
That was when the room shifted.
She walked with her chin up, eyes calculating, scanning the room until they landed on Jack. Something flickered across her face. Regret. Anger. Fear. It passed quickly.
The prosecutor began.
They laid it all out.
The forged documents.
The fake payments.
The manipulation of the stalker.
The orders given.
The way the girls were targeted.
The reason Ava was watched, isolated, controlled.
When the video evidence played, the room went silent.
Judith's recordings.
The payment trails.
The messages.
The proof that the kidnapping was never random.
Ava's chest tightened as she watched. Some memories stirred, not fully formed, but enough to make her fingers tremble. Ethan squeezed her hand, steady and present.
Then came the testimonies.
Judith spoke first. Calm. Direct. Honest. She didn't dramatize anything. She didn't need to.
Ava followed.
Her voice shook at first, but she didn't stop. She spoke about the summer, the lake, the fear she couldn't remember but always felt. About the stalking. About losing control of her own life without knowing why.
When she finished, the courtroom was silent.
Then it was Kira's turn.
She stood slowly, heart pounding, eyes lifting to meet Junseo's for the first time.
"I trusted you," she said simply. "You were family. And you used that to destroy our childhood."
Her voice broke only once.
"And someone almost died because of it."
Jack's jaw tightened.
Finally, Jack took the stand.
The defense tried to twist his role. Tried to imply he was involved.
Jack didn't flinch.
"I was sent to watch them," he said calmly. "Yes. But I refused. And when it mattered, I chose to protect them. Especially Kira."
A murmur spread through the room.
The stabbing was addressed.
The aunt's hands shook when it was described. Not because she was innocent, but because the truth had finally cornered her.
When the verdict came, no one spoke.
Guilty.
On all counts.
Kidnapping.
Conspiracy.
Fraud.
Assault.
Obstruction of justice.
Junseo was sentenced first. Years behind bars.
Then his wife.
As she was led away, she looked at Jack one last time. He didn't look back.
Kira let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding for five years.
Outside the courthouse, the air felt different. Lighter. Like the world had finally exhaled with them.
Yuri pulled Ava into a hug. Miyeong rested her hand on Kira's shoulder.
"We did it," Ava whispered.
Kira nodded, eyes glossy. "Yeah. We really did."
Jack slipped his hand into hers.
And this time, there was no fear following them out.
Only closure.
——————-
Ava found Kira sitting on the edge of her bed, shoes kicked off, staring at nothing in particular.
She knocked lightly anyway. "Can I come in?"
Kira looked up and smiled. "You already are."
Ava closed the door behind her and sat beside her, knees almost touching. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The quiet wasn't awkward. It was the kind that only existed between people who had survived too much together.
Ava broke it first.
"I think… we need to talk. For real."
Kira nodded slowly. "Yeah. I was thinking the same."
Ava took a breath. "About us. The kiss. Everything after."
Kira didn't look away. "I never hated you," she said immediately. "Not even for a second."
Ava let out a small laugh. "Good. Because I was scared you might."
They shared a smile, then Ava grew serious again. "I care about you so much, Kira. But I think… what we have works better like this. As best friends. I don't want to ruin that."
Kira's shoulders relaxed, like she'd been holding them up for days. "Same. I love you, Ava. But not in a way that needs to change what we already are."
Ava leaned her head against Kira's shoulder. "We're better like this."
"Way better," Kira agreed softly.
They sat like that for a second.
Then the door burst open.
"Wow," Judith said, walking in with a grin. "Am I interrupting a dramatic friendship breakup or a secret love confession?"
Ava groaned. "Judith."
Kira laughed. "You're always walking in at the worst time."
Judith plopped down on the bed anyway. "Relax. I've seen worse. Remember when Ava tried to cook that summer and almost set the kitchen on fire?"
Ava's head snapped up. "It was ONE time."
"One time that involved smoke, screaming, and Kira yelling in Korean," Judith added.
Kira laughed harder. "I was panicking. I thought the house was going to disappear."
"And you kept shouting words none of us understood," Ava said. "I thought you were casting a spell."
Judith wiped fake tears from her eyes. "Good times."
They all laughed, the sound filling the room, warm and real.
For the first time, it didn't feel like they were surviving anymore.
They were just friends.
Just girls with shared memories.
Just… okay.
And that felt perfect.