The lake shimmered beneath the late afternoon sun, its surface a perfect sheet of glass broken only by the occasional ripple of a diving bird. The cabin Daphne and Viv had rented sat nestled among tall pines, far enough from any other property to feel like the world had been reduced to just the two of them.

Viv stood at the edge of the wooden dock, her bikini a deep forest green that matched the shadows of the trees. She wasn't one for extravagance — her posture was relaxed, almost understated — but Daphne, lounging on a sun chair with her curly hair catching the light, watched her with a fond smile that gave away everything Viv rarely said aloud.

"Come in already," Daphne called, her voice carrying over the water. "It's not going to bite."

Viv turned her head, one brow arched in mock suspicion. "You say that, but I'm not convinced there aren't piranhas in British lakes."

"That's South America, genius," Daphne laughed, setting her drink aside and padding over barefoot. "Come on."

Viv gave the water another wary glance, but before she could reply, Daphne slid her arms around her from behind, her skin warm from the sun. The sudden closeness caught Viv off guard, and she stiffened slightly before relaxing into it.

"Fine," Viv muttered, a smirk tugging at her lips. "But if I get eaten, you're explaining it to Duke Pudding."

With a light push from Daphne, Viv splashed into the water, surfacing with a gasp and a glare that lacked any real heat. Daphne jumped in after her, sending another spray of cool droplets across Viv's face. They swam in lazy circles, Daphne occasionally splashing Viv just to hear the low, reluctant laugh that came from her.

When they finally climbed back onto the dock, dripping and breathless, Daphne leaned in and brushed a kiss against Viv's temple — brief, but enough to make Viv's eyes soften.

"See? Fun," Daphne said.

Viv rolled her eyes but didn't pull away. "You're insufferable."

"Mm, but you love me," Daphne teased, and this time Viv didn't argue.

Meanwhile, in Newyork, Pen sat at her kitchen table, phone in hand, a frown creasing her brow. The last visit to the prison had been strange enough — Viv, or rather "Alexine Vause," had seemed distracted, even distant. But now... she was gone. No one could tell Pen how, only that the inmate had "disappeared" from official records.

She opened her laptop, pulling up what little she knew, only to hit dead end after dead end. Her probation terms restricted her travel and contacts, making it nearly impossible to dig as deep as she wanted. Still, she wasn't about to stop.

"Where are you, Alexine?" she murmured to herself, the cursor blinking back like a taunt.

Across the ocean in New York, Lux Donnelly swirled the amber liquid in her glass, her eyes fixed on the dossier spread across her desk. She had already heard the whispers — "Alexine Vause" had vanished, slipping from the system like she'd never existed.

Lux's attention shifted to a different name: the supposed stepsister. It had seemed a promising lead — family, after all, was harder to fake — but the more she pulled at the threads, the more the picture unraveled.

"Not even real..." she muttered, leaning back in her chair. Whoever had crafted this identity had done so with surgical precision. No paper trail. No photographs. No legitimate birth records. Just smoke and mirrors.

Lux smiled faintly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Clever girl. But you can't hide forever."