Hailey

Evans was still on the phone when I hung up and went downstairs.

The monitors had been flickering for twenty minutes before I called him. I had been standing in the kitchen watching the basement door like it might open on its own, telling myself it was just an electrical issue, telling myself everything was fine.

It wasn't fine.

I pushed through the study, pressed the hidden button, and descended the stairs alone for the first time without Evans walking ahead of me. The corridor felt longer than usual. The hum of the machinery seemed louder. My footsteps echoed off the clean white walls and I focused on breathing...