Chapter 32
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Six months passed, bringing the bright, warm days of early summer to the city. The domestic-worker advocacy program expanded exponentially, fueled by the massive public awareness generated by the Mercer case. We opened two new regional offices, and my days were consumed by training sessions, legal clinics, and empowering marginalized workers to recognize their own strength.
I was standing at the front of a crowded community center hall, finishing a lecture on the legal limits of confidentiality agreements, when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
It was a text from William.
The Open Room. 4 PM. Ethan wants to show you something.
I dismissed the class with a warm smile, packed my briefcase, and caught a taxi across town. The old Sterling mansion, now fully converted into the family-housing nonprofit, was bustling with activity. Children were playing in the courtyard, their laughter echoing off the stone walls that had once housed so many dark, oppressive secrets.
I walked into the massive, sunlit space that used to be the grand ballroom. The heavy, suffocating silence of the past was completely eradicated, replaced by the vibrant hum of life.
Ethan and William were standing near the far wall, where the grand painting had once concealed the terrifying entrance to the hidden panel.
"You're late," Ethan teased gently as I approached them. He was wearing his ordinary dark sneakers and a simple blue shirt.
"I was teaching a class on how to dismantle empires," I replied smoothly, stopping beside him. "What did you want to show me?"
Ethan didn't say a word. He simply gestured toward the newly constructed archway that led into the corridor where the hidden cabinet used to be.
May you like
I walked through the archway. The walls had been completely repainted in bright, warm colors. But sitting right in the center of the corridor was a massive, beautifully crafted wooden display case.
Inside the glass case was the puzzle we had completed on Ethan's eighteenth birthday. The image of the brick wall with the bright, open doorway in the center. But it wasn't just a puzzle anymore. Ethan had commissioned a local artist to frame it perfectly, and below it rested a small, simple brass plaque.
