Chapter 13 – "Ghosts in the Hall"
It's been two days since Ava arrived in Zurich, and the isolation is unbearable.
She has no phone, no internet beyond restricted access, and no contact with the outside world—not even her mother. Dominic insists it's for her protection, but she knows better than to trust words from a man who deals in half-truths.
That morning, she hears voices outside the apartment. Men talking in hushed tones in German. One of them says her name.
She presses her ear to the door. Nothing. When she opens it later, the hallway is empty—but she notices a shadow-shaped scuff on the floor. Someone was standing guard.
She explores the apartment again, more carefully. In Dominic's office, she discovers a locked drawer. She tries different tools to pick it open but fails. Then, behind a row of books, she finds something—an old photo, folded into quarters.
It's Dominic. Younger. Smiling.
Next to him is Serena, the woman Ava saw at the gala.
And there's something else in the photo: a ring.
The same one Ava wears now.
Her stomach drops.
Later, when Dominic returns, she waits for the perfect moment and confronts him.
> "Who wore this ring before me?" she asks, holding up the photo.
He doesn't answer right away.
> "That doesn't concern you."
> "It concerns me if I'm wearing her leftovers."
His jaw tightens. For a brief second, Ava sees something flicker in his eyes—guilt? Rage?
> "Don't open doors you can't close, Ava."
But she already has.
That night, unable to sleep, she hears footsteps outside her door again.
She opens it silently.
And for the first time, she sees Serena standing there.
Alive. Elegant. Smiling like a secret.
> "You look just like I did… before he broke me."