Ava stared at the silent phone.

"Hello?"

Nothing... only the dull hum of the disconnected line. She lowered the phone and frowned.

Dr. Harris had sounded frightened; not concerned, not cautious... frightened.

She immediately called him back. The call rang once before going straight to voicemail.

She tried again, and again, with the same result.

A chill settled over her.

She wanted to believe it was a poor network connection, yet something deep inside told her otherwise.

Several miles away, Dr. Michael Harris stood frozen inside his office.

The lights were off, with only the glow of his desk lamp illuminating the room.

His office door, which he distinctly remembered locking, now stood slightly open. Someone had been inside.

Slowly, he walked to his filing cabinet.

The bottom drawer hung ajar.

His pulse quickened.

"No..."

He dropped to one knee and began searching through the folders: patient records, insurance documents, surgical reports... everything appeared untouched until he reached the file marked:

ALEXANDER KINGSTON

It was gone.

Dr. Harris's face drained of colour.

The only missing file in the entire cabinet belonged to Alexander. Someone had known exactly what they were looking for.

A sudden creak echoed behind him. He spun around, but saw no one.

The hallway outside was empty. His breathing became shallow.

He quickly locked the office door and reached for his mobile phone, his finger hovered over William Carter's number, then stopped. If someone had stolen the file... could they also be watching him?

.....

Across the city, Alexander sat alone in his study at Kingston Manor. Stacks of reports lay untouched on the desk.

Normally, work was the one thing capable of clearing his mind; not tonight.

His thoughts kept drifting back to Ava. He remembered the sadness in her eyes, the way her voice trembled when she called herself his wife.

She hadn't looked like a liar, she had looked... broken.

He leaned back and rubbed his temples.

Why did seeing her cry hurt so much?

He didn't know her... he couldn't know her. Yet every time he closed his eyes, he saw her standing in the rain with two suitcases.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Sophia entered carrying a tray with coffee. "I thought you might need this."

"Thank you."

She placed the cup before him and smiled. "You've been thinking about her again."

Alexander didn't answer.

Sophia sat opposite him. "You don't have to feel guilty."

"I divorced someone I can't even remember." He said, staring blankly ahead.

"You were confused after your accident."

"I still am." He replied.

Sophia reached across the desk and gently touched his hand. "Some people come into our lives for a season."

Alexander slowly withdrew his hand. "But she was my wife."

Sophia's smile faltered for the briefest moment. "Legally."

The word lingered in the room.

Alexander looked at the wedding ring still resting on his finger. He had tried taking it off twice that day. Both times, something had stopped him. He couldn't explain why.

.....

Ava barely slept.

Every noise outside her motel room made her sit upright.

At dawn, she packed her belongings, there was no reason to stay.

She had already decided: she would leave the city; she would start somewhere no one knew the name Kingston.

As she zipped her suitcase closed, there was a knock at the door.

Three slow knocks; not loud, not impatient... deliberate.

She hesitated... No one knew where she was.

Another knock.

"Mrs. Kingston?"

The voice was calm, elderly, respectful.

"I know you're inside."

Ava cautiously opened the door a few inches.

Standing in the hallway was an elderly gentleman in a perfectly tailored black suit. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his posture was straight despite his age. He removed his hat.

"My apologies for disturbing you." He said courteously.

"Who are you?" Ava asked.

"My name is William Carter."

The name meant nothing to her.

"I served Mr. Edward Kingston, Alexander's grandfather, for forty-two years."

Ava remained silent.

William glanced down both ends of the hallway before lowering his voice.

"I've spent all night looking for you."

"Why?"

"Because your life is no longer in danger..."

He paused, his expression turning grave.

"But Alexander's is."

Before Ava could ask another question, the lift doors at the end of the corridor opened. Two men in dark suits stepped into the hallway.

William's face changed instantly.

"They've found me."

He grabbed Ava's wrist, not roughly but urgently.

"Whatever happens next..."

He slipped a thick, sealed envelope into her hands.

"Don't let anyone else have this."

The two men began walking towards them... Fast.