Lucy didn't go home immediately.
She stood outside the company building.
Still.
Breathing unevenly.
Three days.
Her hands slowly clenched.
"I didn't do it…" she whispered to herself.
Then she turned back.
And walked inside.
The building felt different now.
Colder.
Like it was watching her.
She moved quietly.
No one stopped her.
But eyes followed.
She ignored them.
"I need to think…" she muttered.
File room.
That was where it started.
She walked down the hallway.
Each step heavier than the last.
When she reached the door
She paused.
Her hand hovered over the handle.
"What if…" she whispered.
Then she pushed it open.
Inside
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Shelves.
Cabinets.
Files arranged neatly.
Lucy stepped in slowly.
Closed the door behind her.
She walked to the system desk.
The same place Clara mentioned.
Her fingers hesitated over the keyboard.
Then she pressed a key.
The system came on.
Lucy swallowed.
"Okay… think…" she said under her breath.
She checked the logs.
Scrolled.
Looked carefully.
Her ID.
There it was.
Two weeks ago.
Late at night.
Lucy's chest tightened.
"No… no, I was here that night but it doesn't mean it was me.…"
She checked again.
Same result.
Her hands started shaking.
"This doesn't make sense…"
She searched for more details.
Access time.
Duration.
Door entry.
Everything pointed to her.
Perfectly.
Too perfectly.
Lucy stepped back slowly.
"This was planned…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
She turned quickly and began checking the shelves.
Opening files.
Looking through cabinets.
Nothing.
She moved faster.
More desperate.
Still nothing.
She crouched down.
Checked lower drawers.
Empty.
Her breathing became uneven.
"Where are they…" she muttered.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Still nothing.
Lucy leaned back against the cabinet.
Her strength slowly leaving her.
"This is bad…"
Her mind raced.
If she couldn't find anything
If she couldn't prove anything
Her chest tightened again.
Her family…
She shut her eyes tightly.
"No… I can't fail," she whispered.
She stood up again.
Forced herself to keep moving.
She checked another shelf.
Opened another file.
Nothing.
The silence in the room felt louder now.
Then—
The door opened.
Lucy turned sharply.
Clara stood there.
"You're still here?" Clara asked softly.
Lucy nodded slowly.
"I need to find something."
Clara stepped in and closed the door behind her.
"You won't find anything like this," she said quietly.
Lucy looked at her.
"Then what should I do?"
Clara hesitated.
"Think," she said.
"Who has access to your ID?"
Lucy frowned.
"No one."
"Are you sure?"
Lucy paused.
Her mind went back.
Thinking.
Trying.
"…No," she said finally. "No one."
Clara sighed.
"Then someone is very careful," she said.
Lucy looked down.
Her chest felt heavy again.
Day one—
And she had nothing.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing to hold.
Just pressure.
Clara touched her arm lightly.
"Go home. Rest."
Lucy shook her head.
"I don't have time to rest."
Clara looked at her with concern.
"You have two more days," she said.
"Don't break before then."
Lucy didn't respond.
Because deep down
She already felt like she was.