"She was a threat in the only way that fucking mattered to him."

Her shoulders tense up and her fists clench, her posture shifting as if she's going to suddenly lash out at something—it's the kind of body language Carolina may still recognise, from the many times South took out her frustration on door panels, locker doors, and other inanimate objects.

But then, just like that, it falls away. South's shoulders slump.

"Damn fucking right you failed her," she says, and, beneath the anger, her voice threatens to crack. "You were too wrapped up in the Director's fucking games to really see anything else, too busy trying to get what you wanted."

There's a sense she's not just talking to Carolina, anymore.