Chapter 183

• Charlotte bolted after him, heart slamming against her ribs, bursting into the dimly lit hallway just as the elevator doors hissed shut. Howard's silhouette vanished behind the polished steel, the soft ding sealing her out like a final rejection. She skidded to a halt, fists clenched at her sides, nails biting into palms hard enough to draw crescents.
• Tears welled hot in her eyes, spilling over as she pounded once on the doors—futile, echoing her desperation. Why won't he believe me? Why? The question clawed through her mind, frustration boiling into a silent scream. Grandpa's warnings, Anastasia's shadows, and the rebirth's fragile truth—it all crashed against his walls of doubt.
• She stood there, chest heaving, the empty hallway mocking her solitude, fists trembling as the elevator light blinked downward, carrying him away into the night.