Enzo

When I came out of the washroom, Mia was gone. I felt uneasy because she never did things like this—though I often did. I went back to the classroom, but she wasn't there either.

"Did Mia come back?" I asked her friend Liza, who was busy kissing her boyfriend. I didn't bother to say "excuse me."

"No, she didn't," she replied, and her boyfriend shot me an annoyed look.

"Enzo, come here," Diego called from the back of the class.

"Why do you look worried?" Noah asked.

"Where's Mia?" I said.

"How would we know? You're her boyfriend—you should know," Elijah muttered.

"Maybe she went to the washroom," Diego offered. But the uneasy feeling wouldn't leave me, and I had no idea why I felt this way.

"Oh my gosh... someone is dead. Someone is dead in the garden. She's bleeding!" A girl burst into the classroom, her voice trembling. One look at her terrified face, and we knew she wasn't joking.

"What? Are you crazy?" another girl asked.

"No, I'm not crazy. The girl who found her is puking nonstop—she's in shock," the girl said, looking terrified.

We all exchanged confused looks. None of us had ever heard of something like this happening, and our minds struggled to process it. I wasn't ready to see another dead person, but I felt a chill when I heard it was a girl.

"Who's dead?" a boy asked.

"I don't know. It's a girl... she has long brown hair. I only saw her hair," the girl replied.

I felt my chest tighten, and breathing became difficult. I gripped Diego's hand hard. "Mia has long brown hair," I said, my voice trembling. My whole body shook as dizziness swept over me.

"Diego, Mia has long brown hair," I repeated, feeling the panic rising.

"I don't think it's her, Enzo," Diego said confidently, looking at me, but the uneasy feeling wouldn't leave.

"Let's go and see," Noah suggested, glancing at me with a look of dread.

"Don't worry, buddy. It's probably someone else," Diego tried to reassure me, but I was terrified.

When we arrived, teachers were trying to get students to leave. Everyone was murmuring, some in shock, some scared, but no one moved.

"Enzo," Pam was already there, looking at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. The way she looked at me made my heart drop.

"What? Who is it?" I asked her, but Pam said nothing. She looked at Diego as though she wanted to tell him something. Diego kept his arm around my shoulders, holding me tightly.

I knew something was wrong. I tried to shrug off Diego's hand, but he held on and said, "Enzo, Enzo, don't." Diego tried to stop me, but I pulled myself free from his grip. I pushed past the other students until I reached the front—and then I saw her lying on the ground, peaceful, a pool of blood soaking into the soil.

"No... no..." I heard myself screaming.

My legs went numb, and I sank to the ground. I felt hands grabbing me, lifting me up, and dragging me away from the scene.

I tried to scream again, but no sound came out. I clutched at someone's shirt, barely aware of my surroundings. Then I heard, "Sit here, sit here," and someone guided me to a bench.

I collapsed onto it, resting my head against the person in front of me. Everything blurred, and voices sounded distant and muffled. I felt someone stroking my hair, holding my hand. I couldn't believe it. Mia was gone. She was really gone. I started to cry, and someone wrapped their arms around me.

Principal (Giovanni Rossi)

I recognized the girl. She was Lorenzo's girlfriend. When I arrived at the spot where she lay dead, there weren't many people around yet. The sight shocked me—I had never faced something like this in my life. I felt a deep sadness for this innocent girl. I remembered she had come to the school on a scholarship. I didn't know whether this was an accident or if someone had done it intentionally. Somehow, I couldn't believe it was an accident. I couldn't imagine a student doing something like this. Whoever was responsible would pay for it. But first, I had to do what needed to be done before anything else.

Quietly, I took her phone. Then I asked Franco to call emergency services while I slipped away to a secluded spot to make another call.

"Hello! A student is dead at the school. You need to come quickly and handle it before the police arrive. Use the side gate—the security will let you in," I said.

Manuel

I couldn't understand how a student at the school could suddenly die. But I drove the car up to the side gate. I needed to get him out before the police and media arrived. The security guard let me in, and the principal was already there when I entered.

"He's in there with his friends. Everyone's attention is on the incident, so you can take him quietly. Here's the dead girl's phone," the principal said.

"Why do I need it?" I asked.

"Because she was his girlfriend," the principal replied.

What the hell? But I had no time to be shocked. I quickly headed in the direction the principal indicated.

Fortunately, only his friends were there with him.

"Boys, step aside," I said quietly but firmly.

"Are you taking him?" one of his friends asked.

"Yes, and don't tell anyone," I replied, helping Enzo to his feet. He stumbled, struggling to keep his balance, as if all his strength had drained away.

"Okay," his friends murmured.

"Come on, son. We need to go before the media arrives," I said, though I was also intent on getting him out before the police could question him or expose him to the press.

Enzo wasn't cooperating. He wasn't walking fast enough.

"All right, I'll carry you then," I said, lifting him up as his friends stared at me in surprise.

Manuel

I had to call Pedro on the way to the mansion to tell him what had happened.

"How is he?" Pedro asked.

"Not good," I replied, glancing at the back seat. Enzo was lying there, hugging his knees to his chest. He wasn't crying—just staring blankly, saying nothing.

When we got to the mansion, Enzo went straight to his room without a word. He stepped into the bathroom and took a long shower. I had to knock a few times as he stayed in there longer than usual. Finally, he opened the door but went right back into the shower.

After he finally finished, he changed into fresh clothes and came out.

"Are you all right?" I asked. He sighed but didn't respond.

I sat on the couch and turned on the TV. The news was already covering the incident at his school. Quickly, I switched it off, but Enzo came over and turned it back on.

The media was sharing details about the girl, Mia, and fortunately, the principal hadn't allowed them to speak with the students. It seemed parents were already flocking to the school to pick up their kids.

"Do you have any idea what might've happened?" I asked Enzo, who was lying on the couch with his head on my lap. He didn't answer, but I thought I felt him nod—though I couldn't tell if it was a yes or no.

"Police are suspecting it's murder," the news anchor announced. Enzo sat up quickly, looking at me with surprise.

"Hey, we don't know that for sure yet," I said, trying to reassure him, then turned off the TV. He protested.

"No, you're better off not watching," I insisted.

"I want to know," he finally said.

"Okay then," I said, letting him watch the news. However, it didn't provide any new information, just repeating the same details over and over. They still didn't know who was responsible.

A few hours later, Louis arrived. He glanced at Enzo with a serious expression.

"Pedro said something happened," Louis stated, and I handed him the phone the principal had given me.

"How do you have her phone?" Enzo asked, looking at me in surprise. "Did you kill her?"

"No, Enzo..." I started, but he cut me off.

"Did you kill her because Papa asked you to?" Enzo accused, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"No, Enzo, no," I insisted.

"Then how do you have her phone?" he pressed.

"The principal gave it to me," I explained.

"We need to delete everything about you from her phone," Louis said.

"Why?" Enzo asked.

"Because you're her boyfriend, and the police will ask you questions if they find out. They'll suspect you," Louis replied, his tone slightly angry.

"But the whole class knows about me and her," Enzo countered.

"I'll take care of that," Louis assured him. "And we know who did it. Our men are faster than the police."

"Who did it?" Enzo asked, his curiosity piqued.

"A girl with brown skin and short black hair. She ran away from the school with her backpack," Louis explained.

"That's Ava," Enzo said, surprised.

"Don't worry. The police will know about her in a few minutes, and they'll catch her," Louis said, leaving the room.

Enzo

Did Ava do that to get revenge on me? Was she really that crazy? Did Mia have to die because of me? Everyone said Mama had to die because of me. Now Mia had to die because of me? I think I'm cursed. I hate my life.

I saw on the news that the police had arrested Ava, and she had confessed to what she did. She clearly mentioned that she hated Mia and her boyfriend. She claimed it was an accident, that she was deeply saddened by what she had done and never wanted to hurt anyone. They never mentioned my name, and Mia's parents told the media they had no idea she had a boyfriend.

My friends kept sending me messages asking how I was, but I didn't reply. I can't believe that Mia is never going to send me a message or call me again. I can't believe it. I felt like I was going crazy even thinking about it. She was alive just yesterday, and now she's gone. How is that even possible? Why the hell did she go talk to Ava? She should have waited for me, just a few minutes, like she always did. She made just one mistake, and she had to pay for it with her life.

Ava did that to get revenge on me. Yeah, she did it well. She destroyed me. She succeeded. I don't think I will ever be the same again.

This is the last part of this book. Let's meet in Book 3.