Chapter 42: The Source of the Nightmare

The private room Ethan had booked was a sanctuary of quiet elegance, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Ava's heart. It was a traditional tea house, with shoji screens filtering the afternoon light and the gentle scent of sandalwood in the air. But no amount of tranquility could soothe the tremor in her hands. Across the low table, a woman in her late forties sat hunched, her face pale and etched with the lines of perpetual fear. This was Maria, the former nurse from the Northwood Psychiatric...