My mind was reeling. After Sarah told me about Mars, she left the shop and I had no way to get in contact with her to ask her what she knew. That whole interaction was so strange, I didn’t understand her at all.The next week at work was so busy, I barely had enough time to think about it. The shop
I tried to sneak past him, but the floorboard creaked and alerted him of my presence.“Ava?” Ethan lifted the rag from one eye and looked over at me.“Hi,” I whispered, relenting to come closer to him. “Are you feeling okay?”“Just a headache.” He grunted as he pulled himself up to a sitting positio
“What?” I pulled away from him on the couch, eyes wide with confusion. “You want me to quit?”“No, not quit!” Ethan insisted.“Why would you give me this job then take it away from me?” I asked, standing up off the couch to pace on the carpet in front of him. “This is unfair!”“Ava,” Ethan sighed as
“No, don’t worry yourself over it. I’ll handle everything,” He gave me a reassuring smile. I was a little disappointed, but it did make sense that he would be the one who needed to make preparations.Ethan went back to work, Tristan brought me the dress, and I busied myself trying to style my hair a
I backed away from him, tears pricking at my eyes. After everything, he didn’t trust me?My heart felt like it was shattering with each step I took from him. He chased me, walking with me.“Please, Ava listen to me,” He reached out to grab my wrist, but I pulled my arm back. The tears in my eyes blu
Ethan wasn’t avoiding me. He was just too busy.That’s what I was telling myself anyway. After that kiss, something changed. But we’ve kissed before, I didn’t understand what was so different about that one.Ethan wouldn’t tell me, he had his walls put back up and he was spending a lot of time with
I pushed Frank away. He stumbled back and looked at me in bewilderment.“Ava?” He held his hands up. “What’s wrong?”“What are you doing?” I demanded, thinking back to Mr. Dillon, my previous supervisor, and the way I misconstrued his advances for praise in the beginning. Was this happening again?“
Ava nodded, bidding a quick farewell to Frank, and left the room with hasty steps. I peered over at Frank, he didn’t look the least bit ashamed. I couldn’t read his expression at all, but I had a feeling I knew what he was doing.“Clean these candles up, will you?” I asked him, putting on my nicest,
Ethan’s face morphed into one of ecstasy and despair mixed together. He had found me, he found his son, but he missed the first three years of his son’s life. He missed his birth, my pregnancy, he never got to pick the name.Part of me felt guilty for hiding him away all these years, but I knew in m
It’s been three years since I saw Ethan. Three years since that night when I escaped Andrew. Three years since I found out I was pregnant with Ethan’s son.I named him James.My mother and I had run ‘Wonder Dough’ bakery ever since we escaped. It was flourishing within the new city that we inhabited
I bit my lip, hearing Ethan’s voice was enough to cause my heart to skip a beat.“If you do not back down, I will take one of Ava’s fingers for every failed business deal you cause me,” Andrew growled. I took a step away from the door, still listening. My breathing became ragged.“Why do I care?” Et
Running away from Ethan that night was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. Only followed by having to pretend to be madly in love with Baron.After I left Ethan in the bathroom, I went back to Baron and wrapped my arms around him. The same arms that were previously around Ethan’s shoulder
Barging into the bathroom, I let the tears of stress and heartache flow freely down my face. I gripped the marble countertop and let my head fall as I sobbed. I didn’t know how much longer I could take this.“Ava?” Ethan’s voice echoed in the empty bathroom.I quickly wiped my eyes and turned to see
Baron told me he loved me. He said he always had, even when he knew I was with Ethan. He said he loved me, and I didn’t say it back.I couldn’t even stomach the idea of loving someone like Baron back.“Baron said he loves me,” I told Andrew one night over dinner. My mother took dinner in her room, s
Even if it also broke mine.“Ethan,” I gave Andrew a sideways glance, “I can’t go back with you.”“Why?” Ethan pleaded, “What happened that made you leave me?”I furrowed my brow and cocked my head to the side. As if he didn’t know? He acted as though he didn’t ignore me for a week and immediately r
Ethan’s Point of View- Ava leaving was one of the worst things to happen in my life. The day I went to work extra early, I came home to an empty house.Ava and I hadn’t been talking, but I was always hyper-aware of where she was in the house, what she was doing, whether she was taking care of herse
Ethan left after I told him who my father was. He wanted nothing to do with me, or he needed time to think it over. I didn’t know, he didn’t say anything.I didn’t see him for days. He avoided me every chance he got, and it tore apart my heart each time I woke up to an empty bed. He started sleeping