"I'm sorry, Maria. For abandoning you that day," Haniya said, her voice heavy with regret.
Maria tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hmmm... I doubt your sincerity."
"But why?"
Maria's eyes darkened. "What exactly are you sorry for?" She held up a hand before Haniya could respond. "Wait. One second." Then she turned to Kayla. "Gula, you can stand now. Stay by my side. Hold my hand if you like."
Kayla wiped her tears and clung to Maria's hand like a lifeline.
"I'm sorry for abandoning you," Haniya repeated, more firmly this time. "I contributed to your loneliness, your pain. And I regret it, Maria. I accept you as my sister now."
Maria scoffed. "You think mere words can absolve you? I won't forgive you until you suffer the way I did—just like Kayla."
Haniya swallowed hard. "But... I apologized..." Her voice wavered with anxiety. "What do you want me to do?"
"There's nothing you can do. I'll destroy you just like I destroyed Gula."
"But God is merciful," Haniya countered. "He forgives me. Why can't you?"
Maria chuckled, her eyes gleaming with something dark and twisted. "Unlike our God, I am far from merciful."
"Don't you want His mercy?"
"Shouldn't you ask yourself that?" Maria snapped. "You were the one who abandoned me—I didn't abandon you. I'm only returning the favor, making you feel what I endured my entire life."
"Ridiculous," Minah muttered.
"In that case, there's no point in apologizing," Eliza sighed.
"There never was a point," Maeve said flatly. "We don't owe her anything."
Maria's expression hardened. "Maeve, I have always hated that arrogant attitude of yours." Her voice was sharp, venomous. "I'll make sure you learn humility."
Maeve smirked. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"You'll see soon enough." Maria's gaze flicked to Minah. "And you... You dare try to take Sansula from me just because I love him? I'll make sure you fail miserably."
Minah rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of you, Lilith."
Maria's lips curled. "Haniya, your family has no idea about your music career—something they'd vehemently disapprove of. Nor do they know about your... illicit relationship with Sansula."
A heavy silence fell over us. None of us could believe what we were hearing.
"And did you all know," Maria continued, her voice dripping with satisfaction, "that Mandane and Sansula were once in a serious relationship before any of you met him?" Her eyes locked onto me. "But they broke up. And now, your own sister is pursuing him. Acedia, what do you think about that?"
I sighed. "I don't care. I don't want him." My voice was steady, indifferent. "Give it up, Lilith. This is meaningless. And besides, why would you even want to harm me? I did nothing to you."
Maria's smirk faded. Her expression turned cold, almost... disappointed. "That's exactly why I want to hurt you, Mandane. Your sin is worse than any of your sisters'."
I frowned. "Excuse me?"
"You did nothing." Her voice was eerily calm, yet filled with contempt. "You stood by while they ostracized me. You didn't comfort me. You didn't tell them to stop. You were just a bystander." She took a step closer, her eyes burning into mine. "I hate bystanders the most. Because I can never tell what they're thinking. Did you stay silent because you believed I deserved it? Or because you simply didn't care enough to do anything? It doesn't matter now. The damage is done."
I met her gaze without flinching. "I don't care," I said. "I'm leaving." I turned on my heel, ready to walk away.
"Mandane, you fool!" Maria's voice cracked as she screamed my name. "I already destroyed you!"
I stopped.
"Wasn't Sansula your first friend? Your first love?" Maria's voice was desperate now. "You finally had someone you cared about—someone you'd actually exert yourself for. You broke free from the chains of sloth! You were the only one among your accursed sisters who triumphed over your sin!"
She was breathing hard now, her fists clenched.
"Don't you see?" she hissed. "I caused the breakup between you and him. I wanted you to be lonely. Just like how I took Kayla's friends and lovers away from her, I took Sansula away from you. Get on your knees. Crawl toward me. Apologize. Apologize!"
Maria was panting now, her chest rising and falling erratically. The raw emotion in her voice was unsettling. Even the passing students hesitated, watching us with wary eyes before hurrying on their way. They knew better than to get involved.
I turned back to her, my expression unreadable.
"As I said," I murmured. "I don't give a damn."
Maria's breath hitched.
"Do whatever you want," I continued. "Yes, I was hurt. I was depressed. I was lonely after the breakup. But I moved on. I got over it. Have you ever tried moving on from your trauma, Maria?"
Maeve, Benesha, and Minah chuckled.
Maria's expression twisted into something monstrous.
"Did you guys know," Benesha said, grinning, "that Lilith's engagement to my brother was called off by my parents?" Her laughter rang through the air. "She even cried! You should've seen her face. Serves her right!"
"Benesha..." Maria's whole body trembled.
Benesha's smirk widened. "You really thought you were invincible, didn't you? Some kind of goddess? Just because you have perfect stats in the lab?" She shook her head. "Listen, Lilith. We may be homunculi—genetically engineered to be flawless—but we were still made from human DNA. And humans are imperfect. They make mistakes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And your mistakes?" Benesha's voice turned ice-cold. "They aren't just mistakes. They're crimes. You're a mass-murdering, manipulative, psychopathic bitch. And you need to be dealt with."
Silence.
We had shut Maria down. Just as we had when we entered her room all those years ago.
Maria's hands clenched into fists. Her entire body shook with fury, with pain.
"I'll make you regret saying that," she whispered. Her voice was barely above a breath—yet it carried the weight of a storm brewing.