Chapter 85 Eighty five

Chapter 85 Eighty five
The moment Mira stepped outside the mansion with Anna beside her, she felt like she could finally breathe again. She kept walking without looking back, but every step made her more uneasy because she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Anna opened the car door for her. “Get in.”

Mira climbed inside, and Anna quickly got into the driver’s seat before starting the engine. As they drove away from the mansion, Mira finally turned her head and looked through the window.

Salvatore was still standing outside.

He hadn’t followed them. He hadn’t sent Antonio after them.

He had simply watched her leave. Mira frowned as the mansion disappeared behind them. “This doesn’t make sense.”

Anna glanced at her. “What doesn’t?”

“He let me go.”

Anna looked at her for a second before focusing on the road again. “You wanted to leave, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but…” Mira shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. Salvatore doesn’t just let people walk away from him.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” Mira looked down at her hands. “Everything about that man is calculated. He knew I was investigating him from the beginning and still let me stay in his house. He knew who I was and why I csme to the mansion. Then he announces that we’re getting married, gives me a choice to leave, and when I actually leave, he doesn’t even try to stop me.”

Anna sighed. “Maybe he finally realized he can’t control you.”

Mira shook her head. “That’s not it.. no.”

“You sound very sure.”

“Because of the way he looked at me.”

Anna glanced at her. “Maybe he was just trying to get inside your head.”

“He did.”

“Then don’t let him.”

Mira gave a small laugh. “A little late for that.”

Anna reached over and squeezed her hand. “Mira, you need to stay away from him. Whatever you feel for him, whatever happened between you two, that man is dangerous.”

Mira swallowed and looked out the window. “I know.”

“Then get him out of your head.”

“Something  doesn’t feel right Anna.”

“What do you mean?”

Mira looked back at the mansion, even though it was already far behind them. “He wanted me to stay, but when I refused, he just let me leave. No argument. No threat. Nothing.”

“Maybe he was telling the truth when he said you were free.”

Mira shook her head. “Salvatore doesn’t do anything without a reason.”

Anna was quiet, and Mira leaned back against the seat, replaying their conversation in her head. She could still see the way he had looked at her when she said she was leaving, and she couldn’t forget the confidence in his voice when he told her she would be back.

“What was he up to?” Mira muttered.

Anna looked at her. “I wouldn’t waste my time thinking about him. You’re finally out of there, and that’s all that matters.”

“But what if he expected me to leave?”

Anna frowned. “Why would he?”

“I don’t know, but something about the way he acted felt wrong. He was too calm, like he already knew what I was going to do.”

Anna sighed. “Mira, please tell me you’re not thinking about going back there.”

“I’m not.” Mira paused, then looked out the window again. “I just want to understand what he’s planning.”

“Don’t. Whatever he’s planning, you don’t need to be part of it.”

Mira didn’t answer.

“Thank God you’re out of there,” Anna continued. “That’s all that matters right now. I’ll drop you off at your apartment, and you can get some rest.”

Mira nodded, but her mind was still on Salvatore. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t really let her go.

Anna pulled up outside Mira’s apartment, and Mira looked out through the window for a few seconds before reaching for the door handle. She had been quiet for most of the drive, and Anna had stopped trying to convince her to forget about Salvatore because she could already tell that Mira was thinking about something else.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Anna asked.

Mira nodded. “Yes, I just need to sleep and clear my head.”

Anna turned off the engine and looked at her. “Promise me you won’t go back to that mansion tonight.”

“I promise.”

“And you won’t pick his call or call him ?”

Mira hesitated for a second before shaking her head. “I won’t .”

“Good.” Anna leaned back in her seat. “Then go upstairs, lock your door, and try to forget about that man for one night.”

Mira gave her a small smile. “I’ll try.”

She got out of the car and walked toward her building, but before she reached the entrance, she stopped and looked back at Anna.

“Thank you.”

Anna smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. Just stay away from him.”

Mira nodded before entering the building, and Anna waited until she was safely inside before driving away.

When Mira reached her apartment, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a long breath. For the first time since leaving the mansion, she was completely alone, and the silence gave her too much room to think.

Her eyes moved to the bag hanging from her shoulder.

The envelope. She had almost forgotten about it.

Mira pulled it out and walked to the table, placing it in front of her as she stared at Salvatore’s handwriting on the front. There was no name, no explanation, just her name written neatly across the envelope.

She sat down and turned it over in her hands, wondering what could possibly be inside that would make Salvatore so confident she would come back.

After a few seconds, she opened it. Inside was a photograph.

Mira pulled it out and stared at it, and the moment she recognized the place in the picture, her stomach tightened.

It was the west wing. But that wasn’t what frightened her.

The photograph had been taken inside the abandoned building, and in the corner of the picture was something she hadn’t noticed when she was there.

A door. Mira’s eyes narrowed as she studied it more carefully because she was certain she hadn’t seen that door before.

There was another photograph underneath the first one, and when she pulled it out, her hands went still.

It was a picture of one of the six women. Mira stared at the woman’s face, trying to remember where she had seen her before, and then she noticed something written on the back of the photograph.

A date.

The same date the woman had disappeared. Mira’s heart began to beat faster as she turned the photograph over again.

There were six dates written underneath each other.

And beside the last date, Salvatore had written one sentence.

You’re looking in the wrong place, Mira.