Chapter 144. A Grave with No Body

The room feels impossibly small, its shadows pressing in on me as if to pull me back. I steady myself against the wall, pressing my hand to my racing heart. Summoning the last of my courage, I step toward the door and turn the knob.

The hallway beyond is deathly silent. No guards. This vast house, so full of dread and dark corners, is eerily still, like a tomb. He must have bribed them to stay away. Whatever the reason, I have minutes—maybe seconds—before alarms ring out or someone discovers the body. I have to move.

I rush down the corridor, my bare feet padding softly across the cold wooden floor. My mind reels with questions—where to go, how to blend in, whether anyone cares if I disappear. I shake my head, pushing them aside. Focus, Rachel. Find a way out.

At the foyer, a row of large drawers stands beneath a grand mirror. I fling them open and rummage through the contents: empty envelopes, old letters, a dusty set of ornamental combs. Nothing useful. My heart