Chapter 7: Beneath the Floor
I tore the boards up with my bare hands. The smell hit first — damp earth and something older, like rot trapped for decades.
A narrow crawlspace. Just big enough for a child.
Anna begged me to stop, but I couldn’t. I crawled through, my flashlight flickering.
At the end, I found a small tin box. Inside: a bracelet, a lock of hair, and a note smudged with water.
He didn’t make it. Forgive me.
Then — cold breath brushed my ear.
“Now you know.”
Cliffhanger: I turned and saw her face in full for the first time. It was Anna’s.
