WE MET IN AN ELEVATOR DURING A BLACKOUT. THE LIGHTS CAME ON TOO SOON. SHOCKING FINALE

The silver ring burned in my palm as we raced toward Ethan’s dorm, rain slicing through the city like shards of glass. Daniel’s confession replayed in my mind—staged meetings, fake blackouts, a family empire built on testing loyalties.

But one question clawed at me: Why did he keep the ring?

Ethan’s dorm was ransacked. Clothes strewn, mattress flipped, and in the center of the chaos—

Tyler Bancroft.

Dead.

A single gunshot to the temple, his phone still clutched in his stiff fingers, screen cracked but glowing with one unsent message:

✉️ [DRAFT] "The Carters staged everything. I have proof. If I die—"

Daniel pulled me back as I gagged. "We need to go. Now."

But the door slammed shut behind us.

The lawyer stood there, gun raised.

"Pity," he sighed. "Tyler always talked too much."

My brother’s voice crackled from the lawyer’s phone: "Let me go, you psycho! I didn’t see anything!"

Ethan was alive.

For now.

The lawyer smiled. "Sign the contract, Daniel. Or the next body won’t be some frat boy." His gaze slid to me. "It’ll be hers."

Daniel stepped forward—slow, deliberate—until the gun pressed against his chest.

"You forget," he said softly, "I know how my uncle works." A beat. "And I know you’re not his lawyer."

The lights flickered.

Then died.

In the blackness, three things happened:

A gunshot rang out

A body hit the floor

Daniel’s hands found mine, pressing a key into my palm

"Run," he breathed.

But I didn’t.

Because the emergency lights flared back on, revealing:

The lawyer, unconscious, blood pooling beneath his head

Daniel holding the gun, smoke curling from the barrel

And my brother, alive, in the doorway—with the real police

"Tyler sent the proof to me," Ethan panted, holding up his phone. "The Carters framed us."

Daniel dropped the gun. "I called the cops when we left Tiffany’s." His eyes met mine. "I just needed you to trust me long enough to end this."

The silver ring glinted between us.

I slid it onto my finger.

Epilogue - One Year Later

The headlines read:

💎 "Carter Family Empire Crumbles After Secret Trial"

💍 "Elevator Sweethearts Open PI Firm Together"

👨⚖️ "Ethan Bancroft Named Youngest DA in State History"

And on our wedding day, as the elevator doors closed on our first dance, the power went out—just for a moment.

"Still afraid of the dark?" Daniel murmured, lips brushing mine.

I laughed. "Not with you."