“What do you mean?” I blurted out without thinking.“Ava, you know what I mean,” He gently scolded, a smile lifting the corner of his lips. “Say yes. Or say no, but answer.”I looked up at him. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to shout ‘obviously’ at him over and over again, but something stopped me. A
“Which one do you think?” She held up two dresses side by side. They were practically identical, I had no idea what I was even looking for.“Um the left one?” I suggested from the viewing couch. One of the associates handed me a chute of champagne, and I tenderly took a sip. It was nice and bubbly a
“Andrew, what are you doing here?” Olivia asked, astonished.“Thought I’d come and visit my fiance,” He smiled, wide and teeth-y.His voice, the way he looked; it sparked something in my mind. I’d seen Andrew before. Not just on television or in magazines. No, there was some familiarity there, like
Sammy had been invited, and was incredibly excited to get drunk and dance with strangers at a crowded club.Sammy met me at the house. Ethan was locked away in his studies on the phone with Mars, and the two of us were doing our makeup in the bathroom together.“You look hot, by the way,” Sammy smil
Ethan pulled away from me, swinging his head to the side so that my lips caught his cheek rather than his mouth. Much like the stunt I pulled during the photoshoot at the children’s home.“I don’t want to kiss you for real for the first time in weeks while you’re drunk,” He corrected my posture, cre
“It was the best day of my life.” Ethan pecked at the top of my head as he finished the last button.“Let’s get to the venue, we have to help Andrew and Olivia with any last minute preparations.” I smiled, leaving the room to grab my clutch for the event.Ethan followed closely behind, keys in hand,
The entire room let out one loud gasp as Mars stood and shouted his objection. Murmurs followed closely after, creating a deafening roar of confusion to replace the silence from before.“On what grounds, Mars?” Andrew seethed. His face was red with rage and his eyes were narrowed into dangerous slit
I smiled at Ethan as he got out of the car. Of course Olivia would be staying with us, why would I expect anything different if she needed help?If he noticed that the smile was fake or forced, he didn’t say anything. He opened his door and ran to the passenger side to open the door for me. I grinne
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