Secret doorway swings both ways?

In the hallway, where she left her purse, phone and key, the door swung into the bottom of the hidden stairway, and you could see the hinges from inside the passageway.

When her husband let her out of the passageway, the door swung out.

Not entirely sure if it was the same door, but it would be odd for a secret passage to have doors that swung in opposite directions. Particularly since a door that swings outward would have to have special hinges for them to not be visible from the outside.

Also, who would build a secret door without a release mechanism on the inside?