As the restless days turned into suffocating weeks, Carly found herself consumed by an overwhelming loneliness. It wasn't a fleeting sadness anymore; it had grown into a constant, gnawing presence that wrapped around her like a dense fog, heavy and inescapable. The silence in her apartment was unbearable, a vacuum that seemed to amplify her spiraling thoughts. Each passing night was eerily quiet, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the occasional rustle of wind through the trees.

Her trembling hands now gripped the icy steel railing of the overpass—the only barrier between her and the void below. She hadn't planned to come here. Her feet had carried her step by step, drawn by an invisible pull that she couldn't resist. As the wind bit at her skin and the rushing water below whispered its dark promises, Carly felt her breath hitch.

Her phone was a leaden weight in her pocket, an anchor dragging her further into despair. Every unanswered text, every call that had gone ignored—it all screamed the same brutal truth: rejection. Yasmine's laughter echoed in her mind, warped into something cruel and mocking. Marie's soothing voice, once a source of comfort, now felt like a ghostly specter, distant and unreachable.

But the sorrow that had once gripped her heart was shifting, morphing into something darker. As the weeks crawled by, grief gave way to a simmering fury. The memories of their shared laughter and closeness now felt like daggers, each one a reminder of what she had lost. Why did they get to move on, leaving her behind as if she were nothing more than an afterthought? The question burned in her mind, festering like an open wound.

They shouldn't get to escape unscathed, Carly thought bitterly. If I'm haunted by them, they should be haunted by me.

The idea solidified, cruel and relentless. Her shaking hands snatched her phone from her pocket, the screen casting a cold glow on her pale face. With deliberate precision, she created a group chat, its name mocking the bond she had once shared with Yasmine and Marie: "Two Peas in a Pod."

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed: "The two of you better meet me at Café 21, or you'll regret it."

Her heart thundered in her chest as she hit send, a wicked laugh escaping her lips. It sounded foreign, almost inhuman, but she didn't care. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from the thrill of knowing she had taken control, forcing them to acknowledge her.

Across town, both Yasmine and Marie felt their phones buzz in eerie unison. Relaxing in the safety of their homes, they each froze as the message flashed across their screens. The words were simple, but the chilling implication behind them sent shivers racing down their spines.

"What does she mean by 'we'll regret it'?" Yasmine whispered to herself, her voice trembling as she reread the message.

Thousands of unnerving possibilities raced through their minds. The air seemed to grow heavier as the seconds dragged on. Fear tightened its grip around them, but they couldn't ignore Carly's warning. Reluctantly, they decided to meet her at Café 21.

Neither of them admitted it aloud, but a terrible unease had settled deep in their chests. This wasn't just a meeting—it felt like walking straight into a storm, one they might not escape unscathed.