The rain had stopped, but silence was worse. It fell over the mansion like a burial shroud, heavy and smothering. Ava stood in the hallway, the letter from the doorstep still clenched in her fist, the words echoing louder now than the storm had ever roared.

You are the key… to everything.

Her breath came shallow. Her fingers tingled. The hardwood floor beneath her felt miles away, like the world had shifted and she no longer belonged in her own skin.

Noah watched her carefully from a few feet away. His knuckles were white where they gripped the doorframe. "Ava, if there's even a chance what he's saying is true, we need to start digging. You can't keep this buried anymore."

She turned to him slowly, her voice fraying at the edges. "I don't know what's buried, Noah. I don't remember a 'Project Winterglass.' I don't remember being anyone's key or weapon. I remember growing up scared and alone. I remember—"

Her voice cracked."I remember fire. Screaming. A man with no face."

Luca stepped forward. "They erased your memories to protect their asset. You were valuable to them, Ava. You still are. And now they're back to reclaim what they think is theirs."

Ava flinched as if the truth itself were a physical wound. Her hands trembled.

"I'm not some experiment," she hissed. "I'm not theirs. I'm not anyone's."

Luca's voice softened. "You're right. But they don't care what you are. Only what you can become. And they've already started looking for the activation protocol."

Noah narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Luca exhaled. "It means someone close to her—someone in her life—is working with them."

Ava froze. Her thoughts spiraled. Who had gotten close to her lately? Who had asked strange questions? Who had watched her just a little too carefully?

Her world was turning into a mirror maze, and she no longer knew which reflection was real.

She whispered, "Then we're not safe here."

Luca nodded. "No. And we have less time than you think."

As he spoke, the lights flickered.

Ava's heart dropped. Noah grabbed her arm and pulled her back just as a bullet tore through the windowpane behind her.

Glass shattered.The past had come knocking—And this time, it wasn't asking questions.

To be continued...