LIAMDays had passed since that horrible night, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Ava had been avoiding me, and every time I tried to get close to her, she would find some excuse to leave the room. I couldn’t blame her, though. I had failed her when she needed me most. I couldn’t protect her, couldn’t do anything but stand there, frozen in fear like the helpless child I had to pretend to be.I know that acting like a child is supposed to keep me safe, but at what cost? How could I just stand there and watch while she was in danger? Every time I close my eyes, I see the fear in her eyes, hear the desperation in her voice as she begged me to do something. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t break the facade, and now I’m paying the price.It hurts more than I thought it would. It’s like a knife twisting in my gut every time she turns away from me. I miss her so much, and I hate that I’m the reason she’s pulling away. I’m supposed to be her husband, the one person she can
AVADinner was supposed to be a calm, quiet affair. I had cooked Liam's favorite—roast chicken with mashed potatoes—hoping it would bring some semblance of normalcy to our chaotic lives. The dining room was filled with the soft clinking of silverware and the murmur of conversation as we all sat around the table.Liam was seated beside me, his usual cheerful self, humming a little tune as he piled his plate high with food. Across from us, Uncle John and Davies chatted about some business matter, their voices low but intense. Clara was scrolling through her phone, occasionally glancing up to add a comment here or there.I was just about to ask Liam how his day went concerning his usual hospital checkups when I noticed him pause, fork halfway to his mouth. His hand began to tremble, and the fork slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the plate. I frowned, reaching out to touch his arm."Liam? Are you okay?" I asked, my voice tinged with concern.He didn’t respond. Instead, his entire
AVANO!They want to take my husband away from me and what's worse, to a fucking mental asylum! He isn't mad!Suddenly, my chest became tight and my breathing grew to be difficult. I gasped for air and tears streamed down endlessly on my cheeks.Liam isn't mad. Nobody can take him away!"You can't do that!" I snapped at the doctor.The entire family stared at me in blank amazement, like they had seen a phantom."I beg your pardon Mrs Tyson" the doctor said to me. I shook my head at him, affirming my words, "I said you can't do that. You can't take my husband away from me! He isn't mad" I boldly stated."Ava are you mad?" Davies sharply uttered, glaring at me.Clara let out a spiteful chuckle, "It seems so. We are doing what's best for Liam and you are trying to stop him from getting treated. What's your problem?"I turned my teary eyes to uncle John, pleading with him to not let them do this. "Uncle John please. Liam is your nephew. You can not stand for this. You care about him don'
Richard sat in his home office, staring at the financial reports on his desk, but his mind was elsewhere. His bills were pilling up and the company funds on shaky grounds. He had expected to get a huge amount of money off Ava's alleged cheating scandal but unfortunately for everyone involved, things didn't go as planned.He needed money and he needed money fast.The more he thought of the entire mess he had plunged himself into by getting his youngest daughter, Ava, married into the Tyson family, the more frustrated he became.His phone buzzed, jolting him out of his thoughts. The name on the screen made his heart sink—Cynthia- his mistress. He hesitated for a moment before picking up the call."Cynthia," he greeted, his voice tight with tension."Don’t ‘Cynthia’ me, Richard," she snapped. Her tone was sharp, accusatory. "I need money. Now."Richard let out a tired groan, trying so hard to keep his cool. Cynthia was another person he needed to take care of. Behind Isabella's back
AVAAs I sat in the living room, the ticking of the wall clock seemed louder than usual, each tick amplifying the tension in the air. I glanced at it for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few minutes. Any second now, my father would walk through the door, and I still didn’t know what to expect.Ever since I received his call a few days ago, I had been on edge. It wasn’t like my father to sound so desperate, to insist on meeting in person with such urgency. What could possibly be so important that it couldn't be discussed over the phone? I’d replayed the conversation in my head a thousand times, trying to discern any hidden meaning behind his words. But all I could sense was an underlying tension, something that didn’t sit well with me.The thought of seeing him again filled me with a mix of dread and reluctant anticipation. My mind raced as I tried to imagine what he could possibly want from me now. Had something happened to Isabella? My heart clenched at the thought. What
AVAThe dining room was unusually quiet, the only sounds coming from the clinking of silverware against fine china and the soft murmur of conversation from the other end of the table. I could feel the weight of Uncle John’s gaze on me, even before he spoke. My stomach twisted into knots as I anticipated the inevitable confrontation.“Ava,” Uncle John’s voice cut through the quiet, smooth yet edged with a sternness that never failed to make me uneasy. “I trust you’ve prepared the monthly expenditure statement?”I swallowed hard and nodded, placing my fork down carefully beside my plate. “Yes, Uncle John. It’s on your desk. I made sure to include every detail.”He nodded, his expression unreadable. “Good. We need to keep a close eye on our finances, especially with everything that’s been happening lately.”I could feel Clara’s eyes on me from across the table, sharp and watchful, like a predator waiting to strike. I hesitated, knowing that what I was about to say would likely set off a
AVA The only sound I could focus on was the loud stomping of my feet and my erratic heartbeat that filled my ears accompanied by my heaving breathing.Anger would be a terrible understatement of what I was going through.I was exasperated, filled with fury, disgusted and frustrated at how low my own father would go to just to extort money and sympathy from me.How could he lie so confidently to my face, playing a facade card of regret so as to elicit money from me? What sort of father is that?Now, for the first time, I had actually appeared to be deceitful and cunning with funds left in my care. The satisfied look on Clara's face the moment I got trapped in my father's web of lies and tricks made my stomach churn.Tears glistened in my ears as I approached the front door of my parent's home but I blinked them back, a stern resolve washing across my face.I was going through so much already, I didn't want to add or to complicate things further for me.Without knocking on the door, I
LIAMI didn’t belong here. That was the thought that looped in my mind every time I opened my eyes to the sterile white walls, the muffled cries from the other patients, and the smell of antiseptic that clung to everything. This was not my life. I wasn’t supposed to be here. But here I was, locked away in that hellhole, treated like I was some kind of monster. How did it come to this? When would this nightmare end?I am not a mad man. Nobody wants to believe me.The memories were blurry, like a bad dream I couldn’t shake off. I remembered getting angry—so angry that I couldn’t think straight. But the details were hazy. It was like I was watching myself from the outside, unable to stop what was happening. It scared me because it reminded me of how I used to be, back when my parents were still alive.The rage, the fits—it all started back then. But I thought I had it under control. I thought I was past that. So why did it come back now? And why in the dining, of all places?It was ha