Sandra was no longer hiding.
That was the first thing Lila noticed.
The woman who used to advance with glances, procedures, and silent obstacles; now she spoke directly, directly targeted. Even without her police uniform, her voice was still as cold as an interrogation room.
"You're not at the center of this story," Sandra said, as they sat at opposite ends of the table in the temporary office in Tokyo. "Thinking you are is your biggest mistake."
Lila smiled.
"If I'm not at the center," she said slowly, "why are you pushing me away so much?"
Billy tried to interject.
"Enough."
Sandra turned her head to him.
"No. Enough is not enough."
This was the first time in their marriage that Sandra had so clearly defied Billy.
--- Sandra's Inner World ---
For Sandra, Lila wasn't a human being.
She was a disorder.
A crack that had opened in her orderly life, a crack that wouldn't close.
If I don't stop her, everything will fall apart.
This thought was now the cornerstone of Sandra's inner monologue. Stopping Lila; not for justice, not to protect Billy.
To protect herself.
Because Lila was bringing to the surface everything Sandra had suppressed: loss of control, jealousy, fear of losing her place.
--- Open Threat ---
Sandra caught Lila alone.
In a narrow alley. Away from the crowd. Without cameras.
"You've come this far," Sandra said. "But you won't go any further."
"Are you going to arrest me?"
"No."
Sandra took a step closer.
"I'll finish you."
The word hung in the air. Not a threat, but a decision.
For the first time, Lila's voice didn't tremble.
"I don't know why you're doing this," she said. "But you won't stop me."
Sandra laughed.
"I'm not stopping you," she said. "You're falling anyway."
1 – Billy's Attitude
Billy closed the report.
"From now on," he said to Sandra, "you will not do a single thing related to her."
Sandra froze.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No," said Billy. "I choose you."
That sentence was heavier than Sandra had imagined.
"Her?"
Billy nodded.
"The right thing."
At that moment, Sandra realized she was alone.
--- Lila's Diary ---
"Ella quiere verme rota."
"She wants to see me broken."
"Pero no sabe que ya estuve peor."
"Billy está conmigo. Eso la enfurece."
(Billy is with me. This is driving him crazy.)
Lila's hands no longer trembled as she wrote.
This was a sign that determination was beginning to replace fear.
--- The Final Confrontation ---
Sandra and Lila faced each other for the last time.
This time they didn't shout.
They were silent.
"You'll lose," Sandra said.
"Maybe," Lila said. "But I won't be alone."
Sandra didn't answer.
Because this was her greatest fear.
***COLLAPSE***
--- Breaking Point---
Sandra couldn't sleep anymore.
When she closed her eyes, she saw Lila; a Lila who didn't speak, didn't smile, just looked. There was no accusation in that look. This was even more unbearable.
I must stop her.
This thought was no longer logic, it was an obsession.
She whispered the same sentence over and over again during the night.
"I must… stop her."
2 – Paranoia
Sandra began checking Billy's phone.
First the messages. Then the call logs. Then the location.
Every second Billy spoke to Lila, a new scenario unfolded in Sandra's mind.
They're pushing me out of the game.
This thought was now irreversible.
3 – A Wrong Move
Sandra overstepped her authority.
Through an unofficial channel, she passed a false and incomplete report to local units in Asia.
For Lila.
"Potential threat. Psychological instability. Should be monitored."
This report looked like a request for protection.
But it wasn't.
4 – The Outcome
Lila was stopped at the subway exit.
Two officers.
They were polite but clear.
"You need to come with us."
"For what?"
"A misunderstanding."
This sentence sent a chill down Lila's spine.
Hours passed.
Questions, repetitions, waiting.
For the first time, Lila truly felt trapped.
5 – Billy's Reaction
Billy left the office when he received the news.
He left the file on Sandra's desk.
"You did this."
Sandra didn't answer.
"You overstepped your authority."
"I was trying to protect her."
Billy shook his head.
"No," he said. "Yourself."
This sentence shattered Sandra.
6 – Lila's Diary
"They locked me up without touching me."
"Fear no longer screams. It whispers."
"If I get out of this, I won't be the same person."
7 – Acceptance of Collapse
Sandra looked in the mirror.
She was a stranger to her own eyes.
"I didn't want this," she said aloud.
But another voice inside answered:
It's too late now.
***CHAIN***
--- Karen ---
When Karen picked up the file, she thought it was just an ordinary patient record.
It was the night shift. The system was slow. The screen light was blinding her eyes.
Name: Karen M.
Emergency contact: Lila
Karen frowned.
"Coincidence…" she murmured.
But something inside her wouldn't accept that word.
--- Familiar Name ---
She opened the record.
Place of birth, date, mother's name.
She felt her hands grow cold.
The same mother's name.
This can't be.
But it was possible.
--- Inner Monologue ---
Karen leaned back in her chair.
I'd been an only child my whole life.
At least, that's what I thought.
Her heart raced.
This information wasn't a joy. First, it was an emptiness.
--- First Step ---
Karen searched the system.
Lila.
Multiple records.
The last note had a small inscription:
"Temporary observation. False report."
Karen stared at the screen for a long time.
False reports sometimes break lives.
--- Contact ---
Karen picked up her phone.
The number was old, but it worked.
The phone rang.
Lila answered.
"Yes?"
Karen swallowed.
"I… Karen."
Silence.
"I know your mother's name," Karen said. "And I think… I'm your sister."
--- Lila's Reaction ---
Lila remained seated.
The phone felt heavy to her ear.
Was this voice real?
Or was my brain playing tricks on me?
"How do you know that?" she whispered.
"Because," Karen said, her voice trembling, "my mother's name is the same."
--- The Closing of the Chain ---
Lila opened her diary.
Her hands hadn't stopped trembling.
"El miedo tenía razón."
"Ella existe."
"Y ahora yo debo existir también."
(And now I need to exist too.)