HER MOTHER SLAPPED HER AT THE DINNER TABLE—THEN DAD’S ATTORNEY WALKED IN AND SAID, ‘THERE’S BEEN A MISTAKE ABOUT WHO OWNS THIS HOUSE.
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Chapter 2 / 6
CHAPTER 2: The Locked Door
The workshop stood behind the main house, hidden by overgrown hedges—almost like it had been erased on purpose.
Mara hadn’t been there in years.
Her father used to spend hours inside, always alone.
Always locked.
Her hands shook as she slid the key into the rusted lock.
Click.
The door creaked open.
Dust floated in the air like ghosts waiting to be seen.
Inside, it wasn’t just a workshop.
It was an archive.
Stacks of documents. Labeled boxes. A safe embedded in the wall.
And in the center—
A workbench covered with files… all marked with one word:
PAIGE
May you like
Mara’s breath caught.
“What did you do?” she whispered.
