Chapter 3: B: Cornered in the Corridor

👉 [Previous Decision]: You chose Option B – Confront Marcus directly in the hallway with the open door behind her.

“Marcus, what is this place?” I demanded, stepping out of the vault’s threshold. My voice shook, but I tried to hold my ground.

He stopped two feet away, his chest heaving, his face a thundercloud. His eyes darted past me, into the glowing surveillance room.

“You broke in,” he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. He lunged, his hand snatching my phone from my grip before I could react.

“Give that back!” I cried, reaching for it. He held it high, out of my reach.

“This is a private property. You’re trespassing. And you’re interfering with family business,” he said, tapping a button on my phone. “Aunt Evelyn? Ray? It’s Marcus. Maya has lost control. She’s broken into my private area here at the cabin and is making wild accusations. She’s unstable.”

He held the phone to his ear, listening intently. My heart pounded. He was turning them against me, just like that.

“She needs help,” he said into the phone, his voice suddenly laced with false concern. “She needs to be kept away from family affairs until she’s stable again. Permanently.”

He ended the call, a cruel smirk on his face. “No one will believe you, Maya. You’re just the quiet archivist, remember? Always dismissed.”

My shoulders slumped. He had trapped me, physically and socially, in the narrow basement corridor.