Kendall's abrupt death

*****

"Why?" Mason's voice sliced through the tense air. "Why did you drug Anastasia when you had no issues with her?"

Kendall's breath froze in her throat, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Her mind whirled with confusion as she thought even if Mason knew her plan to drug Ana, why would he resort to kidnapping her unless there was a deeper, more intimate connection between Mason and Ana that she hadn't considered before?

With a heart heavy with turmoil, Kendall asked, "Who is she to you?" Despite the pain coursing through her body, she couldn't bring herself to focus on it, her entire being consumed by the urgency of understanding Mason's connection to Anastasia.

"She is everything," Mason confessed, his voice weighted with feelings. "Throughout the party, I gave you plenty of signals about my feelings, but it seemed like you were determined to remain oblivious."

"You knew her all along, didn't you?" Kendall's words hung heavy with revelation. "And you purposefully assisted me so that