When the elevator’s doors slid open punctuated by a cheery ding!, Ava found herself inexplicably torn. There, right there, was the open world, ready to receive her with no strings attached for the first time in what felt like an entire lifetime.
Right now, the dimly lit garage before her was practically nirvana, yet here she was rooted to where she stood, actually contemplating whether it would be better to press the button that would send her right back upstairs. But then what would she do if she did? Go sit right back down where Xavier left her, hoping that he’d see her compliance as an act of good will? Screw that, if he didn’t believe she was innocent by now, he was never going to, and Ava had to come to terms with that sooner rather than later.
But what laid out there, on the oth
