The door opened without warning.Ava didn’t hear the footsteps this time.Didn’t hear the approach.Just the sudden, sharp creak of the hinges—And then light spilled into the room.Her head jerked up instinctively.Her body tensed despite the exhaustion weighing her down.And then—Vanessa.She stepped in slowly, composed, controlled, like she belonged in the chaos she had created.Behind her, the two men lingered briefly at the doorway before she gave a small nod. They stepped back, closing the door behind them, leaving the two women alone.Alone.The silence that followed was suffocating.Ava stared at her.Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her lips dry, her eyes rimmed with exhaustion—but the moment she saw Vanessa, something else sparked through her.Anger.Fear.Demand.“You,” Ava rasped, her voice rough from dehydration.Vanessa didn’t respond immediately.She took her time.Her gaze swept slowly over Ava’s body—taking in the ropes, the disheveled state, the visible weakness.T
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