Just then, we are shown that the girl receives a call from Rai.
She immediately answers.
"What happened?"
Rai's voice trembled.
"Something has gone terribly wrong... We're in serious trouble. Everything is over. I'm sure Emma won't be able to come out of this shock."
The girl frowned.
"Stop speaking in riddles. Just tell me what happened."
There was silence on the other end.
Then Rai's tears began to fall.
He started crying so badly that he could barely speak.
The girl became even more worried.
"Rai... say something. What happened? What happened next?"
Finally, Rai managed to speak.
"Zoya... is no more."
The girl froze.
"She... she's gone. She passed away suddenly at the hospital."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you joking?"
"Her wedding is next week..."
Rai's voice broke.
"I wish I were joking... but I'm not."
The phone slipped from the girl's hand.
She fell to her knees.
Memories began flashing through her mind one after another.
Zoya playing with her.
Laughing with everyone.
The day she first joined the gang.
Going to school together.
All those silly little moments they had shared.
It suddenly felt as if a beautiful flower had bloomed in their lives, only to wither away and fall to the ground.
All that remained was its fragrance... the memories it had left behind.
She held her head and began crying.
Rai's voice came through the phone again.
"Do you want to know the worst part?"
"We can't even go to her."
"We can't meet her one last time."
"We're bound by the promises we made."
"I wish we had never made those promises."
"I wish none of that had happened that day."
"I know Emma will never forgive herself."
"Emma... do you remember what Zoya used to say when we were all together?"
"She used to say that if she ever had to give everything for her gang, she wanted to do it happily."
"And do you know something else?"
"There was happiness on her face at the very end."
"A beautiful, peaceful smile... as if she was telling us that she wasn't afraid."
Rai paused, trying to hold back his tears.
"And do you know what she said at the very end?"
"She told me to tell Emma that she didn't lose her because of her."
"She said that none of this was Emma's fault."
"She wanted Emma to stay exactly the way she always was."
"And she told me to tell Emma not to blame herself and not to let her
memories become a source of pain."
"She even gave the gang the designs for the clothes."
"And she had prepared a surprise for Emma too."
"She wanted to give it to her with her own hands..."
"But perhaps life had other plans."
"She asked me to tell Emma that if she ever visits her grave, she should wear those clothes."
"Not as someone mourning her..."
"But as a gang leader."
"She said Emma was like the president of their little family."
"And she wanted her to come with a beautiful smile... not only with tears."
Rai's voice became quieter.
"We've lost another member of our family."
"But there's something I wish for now."
"I hope Emma doesn't wake up too soon."
"Because if she wakes up right now... everything will fall apart."
"Five years ago, we lost someone."
"And now we've lost another person."
The girl wiped away her tears.
"I just want to hug her and cry."
"She wasn't just my good friend... she was like a sister to me."
Rai sighed.
"I want to go too.".
"But those promises won't let me."
"It feels like chains are tied around my hands and feet, pulling me back every time I try to move forward."
"But I can only hope that Zoya's soul finds peace."
Just then, we are shown the hospital.
Emma has regained consciousness.
She slowly tries to stand.
And this time...
she actually manages to stand
properly.
She walks out of her room and looks around.
Everyone is crying.
The atmosphere is completely different from before.
Then Haiku appears.
There was so much pain in his eyes that he couldn't put it into words.
He quickly wiped away his tears and forced a small, painful smile.
"You're awake... You should rest."
Emma looked at him.
"What happened?"
She glanced around.
"Everyone else is here... but where's Zoya?"
The moment Haiku heard Zoya's name, he completely broke down.
He hugged Emma tightly.
"It's all over..."
"Zoya is no longer with us."
"All her dreams... all the plans she had... they're gone too."
"But there's one thing she wanted me to tell you."
"She told you not to cry."
"And she asked you to wear the clothes she designed for you and visit her grave once."
"With a smile."
The moment Emma heard those words, her legs gave way and she collapsed.
She whispered,
"History is repeating itself..."
"It's taking everything away from me all over again."
"First my brother... and now my friend."
"Am I really going to be left all alone?"
"Am I nothing but a danger to everyone?"
"Does everyone who gets close to me eventually lose their life?"
"Do I ruin the lives of everyone who comes near me?"
Just then, Kuro entered the room.
He walked toward Emma.
"I couldn't save her."
"I was just standing there crying."
"If I had been able to do something... maybe I could have saved her."
Emma looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Please... don't become my brother."
"He said the same thing."
"And then one day, he disappeared too."
"I don't even know whether he's alive anymore."
"And now... I don't even want to know what happened to him."
Just then, Zoya's fiancé entered the room.
He walked straight toward Emma and, overwhelmed by grief and anger, struck her across the face.
Emma's companions immediately moved toward him, but Emma stopped them.
"Don't."
She lowered her head.
"It's my fault."
Without saying anything else, she got up and returned to her room.
She sat alone in a corner and began crying.
She kept thinking,
"Everything I ever cared about... I lost."
"Am I really cursed?"
"Why does God keep doing this to me?"
"Why do I always lose?"
"Is there even anything left for me to live for?"
"I don't even know what the future holds anymore."
"Everyone keeps worrying about the future so much that they forget to live in the present."
"Am I becoming one of those people too?"
"What is the point?"
"Why do I keep making the same mistakes?"
"Why is it that every person I truly care about is eventually taken away from me?"
"Maybe... I'll have to learn how to hate."
"Maybe that's the only way I'll ever get what I want."
Just then, Haiku entered the room.
He walked over to Emma and handed her a diary.
Emma slowly opened it.
Inside were childhood photographs of Zoya, Emma, Haiku, and everyone else.
There were also old memories written down in it.
Emma turned the pages with trembling hands.
Then she found a page written by Zoya.
It said:
"I've always considered Emma my sister."
"I want to stay with her and the others."
"And if one day I have to give everything for them... I think it would be worth it."
There was another line beneath it.
"How dramatic would that be? A friend giving everything for another friend!"
"Just thinking about it makes me smile already."
Emma stared at the page silently.
Haiku stood beside her.
After a moment, Emma looked up at him.
"Was she really smiling?"
Haiku nodded.
"Yes."
"She was smiling... a lot."
"It looked like she was at peace with her decision."
Emma lowered her eyes toward the diary.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
And for the first time, she realized that Zoya had left behind more than just memories.
She had left behind a promise...
A smile...
And a reason for Emma to keep going.
🌙 Author's Note — From Night 💙
I honestly don't even know what to say after writing this chapter... 😭💔
This chapter hurt me to write.
Zoya was not just another character in the story. She was someone who brought happiness, chaos, friendship, and so many little moments into the group. 🥹💙 And writing this part honestly made me stare at my screen for a while like, "Why did I do this to my own characters?" 😭
And Emma... oh God. 💔
She has already lost so much, and now she has to face another loss. The worst part isn't even the sadness itself... it's the fact that Emma is probably going to blame herself for everything.
But Zoya's last wish was very clear.
She didn't want Emma to spend her life drowning in guilt.
She wanted Emma to smile.
She wanted her to remember the good memories.
And most importantly, she wanted Emma to keep moving forward. 🌸
I know this chapter became extremely emotional, but I really wanted Zoya's final moments with the group to feel meaningful rather than just sad.
And yes... that diary scene. 🥹
I really wanted to show that sometimes people leave behind things that are much bigger than themselves—memories, words, promises, and little pieces of themselves that stay with everyone they loved. ❤️
- From Night 🌙💙