Anna tightened her grip on the wheel, her knuckles white. The weight of the file in her handbag seemed heavier than ever, as though it was anchoring her to a fate she couldn’t escape.
The car’s tires screeched as it made the final turn onto the secluded road. The trees loomed on either side, their dark branches twisting like claws. Anna’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, her pulse quickening as the unsettling calm of the area pressed in. She was close now—too close to turn back, yet every fiber of her being screamed to stop, to go home.
But she couldn’t. Not when Lilly’s life hung in the balance.
The building ahead came into view, a small, unassuming structure tucked in the corner of the street. It looked like a local Chinese restaurant, with faded red lanterns hanging outside and
