"Get the fuck away from my boyfriend."
Lila's voice cut through the room like a blade.
Not just sharp.
Not just loud.
It split the air—like something physically tearing through it.
Low.
Controlled.
Deadly in a way that didn't need volume to be understood.
For the first time since I'd met her, there wasn't even a flicker of hesitation behind it.
No uncertainty.
No fractured obsession bleeding through her tone.
Nothing unstable.
Just anger.
Pure, concentrated fucking anger.
The kind that doesn't ask questions before it acts.
Even I felt it.
Even I—of all people—felt my stomach tighten at the sheer certainty in her voice.
The room froze.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
Every infected head turned at once, like something had pulled a string through them.
Red eyes locked between Lila and Reta in slow, synchronized shifts.
Like the entire room was waiting to see which one would blink first.
Reta, however, didn't blink.
Her grin only widened.
Not a normal smile.
