Another pause.
Longer this time.
Avery didn’t move. Didn’t push. He just waited—the way he always did when the truth was about to surface and didn’t yet know it had been cornered.
Finally, the man stepped aside.
“Upstairs. First door on the left.”
Avery gave a small nod and moved.
Each step up the staircase felt louder than it should have. The hallway at the top was dim, curtains drawn tight against the daylight. The first door on the left was closed.
He knocked gently this time.
“Lila?”
Silence.
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