The villa had finally slipped into silence. Even the faint hum of the air conditioning seemed to fade into the night. Every creak, every whisper of wind through the palm trees sounded unnervingly loud in the stillness. Lena pressed herself against the wall, heart hammering, and waited a long moment — listening, calculating, counting.
It’s now or never.
She exhaled, steadying her shaking hands, and slipped quietly from her room. The soft rustle of the silk dress she had hastily changed into yesterday whispered against her legs, but she ignored it. Every sense was on high alert.
Her goal was simple: find a phone, reach the outside world, get help.
The moonlight poured through the windows, but it was weak, and only the occasional spotlights tracing the terraces offered faint illumination.
