Ava’s POV:
I lock my phone and slip it back into my bag, forcing my expression into something neutral before stepping fully into the corridor. The building smells faintly of citrus cleaner and old paper, the kind of scent meant to suggest order. People move past me without looking twice. No one pauses. No one stares.
That doesn’t mean no one is watching.
I walk to the elevator and press the button once. I keep my hands still at my sides, my posture relaxed. When the doors slide open, I step inside alone. The mirrored walls reflect me back from every angle. Calm face. Steady eyes. A woman who belongs here.
The doors close.
Only then do I exhale.
My heart is still racing, but I welcome it. Fear sharpens attention. And attention is the only thing that will keep me alive in this.
The el
