“So I went and bought you a little something to wear with your new dress,” Ethan lifted a pricey looking box from the bag.Inside were the prettiest pair of heels I had ever seen in my life. They glimmered in the evening light and reminded me of a glass slipper from fairytales.“Allow me?” He inquir
The click of my heels against the marble echoed in the ballroom. It was so quiet despite there being a hundred people in attendance. I kept my face as unbothered as possible and leaned into Ethan slightly.“Why are they all staring at us?” I whispered, eyes raking over the guests and their unrelenti
Part of me wanted to run. Two women who had made my life miserable were working together on something - or they were friends at least, and I wanted to hide away.But the bigger part of me, the part that I didn’t even know I had, wanted to confront them. I wanted to let them know that I wasn’t going
The dance was over and Ethan left as the final note was played. Standing at the filled dancefloor, watching Ethan chase another girl, I assumed, was mortifying. Multiple people saw the way he abandoned me as the song was finishing, and the whispers already started.Couples glanced at me suspiciously
Who is she? My mind was screaming over and over again. I couldn’t understand. Why was he holding her? Why did he seem so surprised to see me? What’s going on?“Ethan!” Mars cried out, taking Ethan’s attention away from me. He let go of whoever the girl was and approached me to help support Mars. I s
Several guests called after Ethan, disappointed that he was leaving so early, but he waved them off and promised to throw his own party where they could get together soon. Olivia waved to some of the guests as she left, too, and more questions rang in my head.Ethan and Olivia got Mars in the back o
Ethan puts his hands up and pulls away from me. He’s hurt, I can tell by the way his eyes are wide with concern. I found it hard to believe that he didn’t know why I was so upset. Did he really not understand why this was a big deal to me?“Ava, I will do whatever you want me to do.” Ethan whispered
The chalkboard sign read: ‘Volunteers needed!’Curiosity got the better of me, and I meandered into the main office of the building. A short older lady with a hunched back looked up from her computer as I came in. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and regarded me with a skeptical glance.“Can I
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