PART 1: THE CLOSET CONFESSION
The storm outside raged.
Avery felt the cold floor biting into her knees.
She could hear Serena’s voice drifting through the floorboards.
"Someone will be coming for her tomorrow afternoon."
The words felt like a physical blow.
She clutched the phone.
Her thumb hovered over the contact list.
She found the name: "Dad."
Avery hit the call button, her heart thudding in her throat.
The ringing felt endless.
Finally, a deep, weary voice answered.
"Avery? It’s two in the morning, sweetheart. Everything okay?"
Avery choked back a sob.
"Dad?" she whispered, terrified.
"She’s moving your money."
"And planning to send me away."
There was a sudden, sharp silence on the other end of the line.
"Avery, stay exactly where you are," Donovan commanded.
"Don't let her see you."
"I am going to get you out of there."
Avery listened to the hum of the line.
Suddenly, the floorboards outside the closet creaked.
Heavy footsteps stopped right in front of the door.
Avery stopped breathing.
The doorknob turned.
The door swung open, and light flooded the small space.
Serena stood there, a glass of wine in her hand.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the little girl on the floor.
Avery dropped the phone.
The screen illuminated the dark closet.
Serena stepped forward, her smile dropping away to reveal pure malice.
She reached down, her grip like iron.
"You really should have stayed in bed, Avery," she hissed.
"Now I have to change my plans."
She grabbed Avery by the arm and pulled her out.
The phone slid across the floor, the line still active.
Donovan’s voice roared from the device.
"Serena! Don't you dare touch her!"
Serena looked down at the phone.
She smiled, a cold, empty gesture.
She stepped on it, shattering the screen into a thousand pieces.
"Donovan," she whispered into the dark room.
"You really shouldn't have left me in charge."
She threw Avery into the room and locked the door.
The sound of the key turning in the lock was final.
Avery crawled to the window, watching the rain.
She was alone.
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But she knew her father was coming.
She didn't know that Serena had already planned the final trap.
