AVA'S POV My mind was already jumbled, and I couldn’t bear to witness another argument between them, “Goodnight” I muttered before walking out and heading straight to my room.As I entered my room, I collapsed on my bed, feeling extremely weak and exhausted. My eyelids drooped and felt heavy, and I let out a deep breath. The ceiling above me became a blur as my gaze drifted lazily, and before I knew it, I slipped into a deep sleep. I woke up the next morning, feeling a bit disoriented and hazy. As I sat up, my gaze fell on a small note on my bed stand, “Hey, I didn't want to wake you up since you looked tired, Carter will take you to the hospital. I have an important meeting to attend to, sorry I couldn’t accompany you. —Zayn”I guess this was his way of apologizing for the stunt he pulled yesterday. Stretching my arms, I got down from my bed and headed to the bathroom. In no time, I was ready and walked out of my tell only to bump into Cassandra.“Oh…. I’m sorry. I was about to c
Ava’s POV“You spent everything?!” I exclaimed, my voice rising as my hungover husband stumbled into our room and onto the bed.It was 6am, but I hadn’t been able to sleep since I found out that he had closed our joint account on the count of bankruptcy.Ethan groggily lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes squinting at me. “Keep it down, woman,” he groaned, his voice rusty before he gulped down the hungover drink I made him.What a joke? I wasn’t even going to talk about the fact that he was coming in by this time.Tossing a pillow over his face, he muffled, “My head is killing me, just let me sleep this off, okay?"I was shaking in anger as I re-read the paper on my hand, “Ethan, our joint account is empty, and you want to do what? Sleep it off?”“I’m pregnant! I’m with child, and we have nothing but this house? What happened to our savings! What happened to…”“That’s enough woman, you wanted this and not me, so please don’t just start! I fucking lost an investment and all I want to do
Ava’s POV When I got to the doctor's office, I froze at the doorway. The doctor was there but he wasn’t alone.“Ava, you are here…”, Dr. Smith's face when I walked in wasn’t encouraging, and I immediately panicked.“Is there something wrong with my baby?” I asked, still at the door, and before he could answer a deep husky voice drew me to the man seated opposite him.“Mrs. Ava Brown? Do come in” there was something about his voice that helped me calm down but only for a second before the alarms in my head started ringing.“Who is this?” I asked immediately I took in his appearance. Dressed in a white shirt and jeans that did nothing but show his chiseled body structure, my eyes trailed down from his defined jawline down to his toned body.He smelt like danger.“Mrs. Brown, please come in and settle down so we can talk” Dr. Smith said, pulling me out of my trance and as he cleared his throat I composed myself, hiding my flushed face with my hair.Holding his piercing gaze, I asked, m
Ava’s POV“How long are you going to cry?” Zayn finally asked, and I froze, my sobs halted mid-breath. I had spent the entire day crying, from the divorce to this latest betrayal. Zayn's words struck a chord within me. I took a deep breath, wiping away my tears. I looked up at Zayn, my eyes locking onto him. “You may have signed a contract with my now ex-husband,” I began, my voice steady, “and honestly, it has no business with me. I suggest you get a refund from him, this is my body, and it’s only I that gets to decide, you don’t know how much I have always wanted this child, and I will not let you take him away from me.But Zayn interrupted me, “Yes, that's why you would have access to them, and the best part is after everything you would be paid for everything”“Being a paid live-in nanny doesn't sound bad?” He added, and I felt like I'd been slapped. A live-in nanny? “You are a joke mister, do you think money matters to me, I didn’t take a dime in your trashy money so you had b
AvaA week passed since I was brought to his place. I counted all the days. Every single day I tried to find a way, but all the paths had been blocked. I wasn't allowed anywhere outside the mansion and all the guards left had their eyes on me.It was suffocating. Same routine of eating, taking vitamins and sleeping all in isolation.I couldn’t help but wonder if this was how the next nine months of my life would be.No, I refused to stay here for that long. I wanted to live with my child, in a place full of life. My child deserved more than this.I refused to give up hope. I was going to find my way out of here, but first, I had to confront Ethan.The reminder of the man I once called my husband made anger surge inside me. He had ruined my life, was cheating on me and used me and my child for his gain. He was going to answer to everything mAnd thereafter, I was going to take as many belongings as I could and run from this place. Even if it meant leaving the city, I would do it if it m
ZAYNI was startled by her last words. No one has ever spoken to me in that manner before, but I’d let her. Hurt shone in her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, I felt remorseful forever causing her pain. At this point, I couldn't do anything besides just stare. Was I truly a monster as she thought? I believe that I was doing the right thing. She wasn't going to leave with my legacy or harm him in any way.Sophia's arms stroked my arms gently as I continued brooding. “I hate seeing you this way. Why do you allow such a non-entity to have so much impact over you?” I scoffed at her accusations because this was not what I was expecting her to say. “How is your trip to Rio de Janeiro going?” I replied. She moved away from my back and sat on my lap. “I believe that you have a lot to tell me about your trip too. How come I am just finding out that you are leaving without informing me? That's wild if you ask me.” She responded, ignoring the question. That was a cop-out. “Soph
AVAI could hear the drilling of the door from where I sat, but I didn’t care. The maids and guards had tried getting me to open the door, but I refused, and I’m sure they already called Zayn; hence the breaking of the door. Being locked in this room like a prisoner was already messing with my head, and he would have to shove that food in my mouth if he really wanted me to eat.There was a loud bang as the door fell to the floor, Zayn’s eyes blazed with anger as he walked into the room, his eyes throwing daggers at me “What the fuck is wrong with you, woman?” He thundered, but I didn’t even spare him a glance. “What’s this I hear about you locking the door and refusing to eat? Do you plan to starve my kid to death? “ He asked, but I kept mute as if he weren’t talking to me.He stared at me for a while and when he saw that I want going to speak, he spoke again,” I didn't know that I was talking to a deaf person.” He hurled another insult at me and I rolled my eyes, clearly annoying him
AVA “Grrrrrr!” The harsh sound of the alarm clock filtering into my ears had me groaning as I woke up with a start. I massaged my temples and stretched, letting out a small yawn. “Freedom at last,” I muttered under my breath when A chuckle filtered into my ears again, making me jolt. My hands flew to my chest to stop the beating organ from bursting out in fright.Emily? Standing right in the middle of my room with a wild smile on her face was the maid who helped me escape that day.I stared at her for a minute, blinking and rubbing my eyes to be certain she was the one.“It’s me, Ava” She said, smiling, and I jolted from my bed, running to meet her. “It's you!” I squealed in delight, throwing my arms around her in a tight hug. “How did you get in here? Did he see you?!” I whisper-yelled after releasing her from my grip. She nodded, raising her hands in a placating manner. “Yes, he saw me”What?!I hugged her again. “I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that because of me.
AVA'S POV My mind was already jumbled, and I couldn’t bear to witness another argument between them, “Goodnight” I muttered before walking out and heading straight to my room.As I entered my room, I collapsed on my bed, feeling extremely weak and exhausted. My eyelids drooped and felt heavy, and I let out a deep breath. The ceiling above me became a blur as my gaze drifted lazily, and before I knew it, I slipped into a deep sleep. I woke up the next morning, feeling a bit disoriented and hazy. As I sat up, my gaze fell on a small note on my bed stand, “Hey, I didn't want to wake you up since you looked tired, Carter will take you to the hospital. I have an important meeting to attend to, sorry I couldn’t accompany you. —Zayn”I guess this was his way of apologizing for the stunt he pulled yesterday. Stretching my arms, I got down from my bed and headed to the bathroom. In no time, I was ready and walked out of my tell only to bump into Cassandra.“Oh…. I’m sorry. I was about to c
AVA’S POV After lunch break, the day ran by quickly. It was already night and I believed almost everyone had ended their day. My gaze lingered on Zayn’s office door, he hasn’t come out or spoken to me since I rejected the offer to eat lunch with him.I looked at the clock, 8:50pm. What was he still doing? Or perhaps he was asleep?After a few minutes of waiting to see if he would come out, I finally stood up and headed straight to his office, knocking softly before pushing the door open. He was seated in his chair, going through some files, he didn’t even look up, “Mr. Beckham, it's almost 9pm” I started to say, my voice low and calm, “I want to go home”. I added, but he didn’t respond, Instead he continued flipping through the pages of the file he was holding.“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing, but it’s quite late and…..” I trailed off, he wasn’t even listening to me and I could feel my frustration rise. “You know what, don’t bother. Carter will take me home and return to come pick you
AVA'S POV “What the fuck are you doing here?” Zayn yelled, his tone icy as he stared daggers at the lady who had just walked in. “And what happened to knocking before walking into someone's office?” I stood there frozen, unsure of what to do. The lady walked closer, her eyes on me as she scanned me from head to toe before turning back to face Zayn, “That’s not how to greet your sist…” She was still saying when Zayn cut her short.“Step-sister! And you’re yet to tell me what you’re doing in my office”. Zayn had a sister? But why was he so angry? “Stop barking Zayn, you might scare the pretty lady here” She started to say, a girl formed on her face, “Who’s she and where’s your supposed fiancée?”Zayn's face darkened, “None of your business, Cassandra!” He responded, his voice cold and detached. “And now if you would excuse me, I have important things to attend to, Get out!”The tension was so thick as they both stared at each other, not breaking contact. Shit. This was a very awkwa
AVA'S POV “No….please no!!!” I yelled as I jolted up from my sleep, my body drenched in sweat despite the air conditioners, Zayn who was sitting on the chair beside me was also awake as he came closer to the bed.“Are you okay?” He asked, concern etched on his face and I nodded, still reeling from the dream.I heaved a deep breath, “it’s just a dream” I spoke up, my voice cracking as the tears threatened to fall. These days I was becoming an emotional mess and I hated it so much; perhaps because of the pregnancy.“Care to share?” He asked, breaking me away from my thoughts and I turned to face him, “It’s nothing, just a replica of what happened hours ago”.“It’s fine, don’t let that bother you. She’s gone now. If anyone else is going to come after you, I’ll get them before they can get to you” He assured me, stroking my hair gently. I settled back into my bed,“But she said something.” “Who?” “Emily.” I started to say, my voice low and calm. “She's following orders. Someone made h
AVA’S POV.I pushed the door open, striding into the room, heading to my closet. “Sweater, sweater….” I muttered continuously, as my fingers brushed through the clothes. There it was, hiding behind a dress. I snatched it, and closed the closet door. However, before I could turn, a shrill sound rang out, and my eyes were drawn to the bed stand, where a phone lit the room.Wait, that wasn't mine. I walked to it, peering down into the screen. Then the call ended abruptly, and I saw 29 missed calls. This was Emily's. “So forgetful.” I muttered, shaking my head fondly, as I kicked up the phone. Almost immediately, a message came in. I wasn't going to look, but… I saw it anyway.What?! My fingers went weak instantly, and the phone slipped out of my hand, clattering to the floor. My feet fell back, as my heartbeat rose, pounding in my chest as I kept staring at the phone, with trembling parted lips. I kept swallowing, trying to calm myself down, but it seemed impossible. My body was
AVA’S POV.I pounced on my bed, heaving a deep breath. That conversation escalated into a quarrel real quick, and I was at fault.My emotions were all over the place and coupled with the dream I had, I just felt like releasing all my frustration on him. He just… Why did he have to blast out of nowhere screaming at me when I was still having a hard time defining what the heck was going on between us?I had to apologize. Tomorrow I was going to be in the same office with him and this tension between us won’t help. After minutes or perhaps hours of contemplating, I strode out through my door, as I headed to his home office. My hand rose to knock on his door, “Ma'am. He's not in.” One of the men told me curtly, and my hand fell. I turned to look at him, “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?” I asked, my voice low and calm. “I’m afraid I do not know that, ma'am.” Right. That was pointless. Why did I even ask?I left the hall, looking around, but eventually decided to go out
ZAYN'S POV.“Shit!” I yelled, hitting the steering as I sped down the highway. Carter’s words still echoed in my mind, “Ms Ava has been involved in a home accident”.My grip on the steering tightened, an image was already forming in my head; An image of Ava hurt and vulnerable like the night of the painting and my heart was already racing, I had promised that no harm would come to her.I screeched to a halt in front of the mansion, not caring to pack inside as I ran into the mansion, minding the stares from my workers. My only concern was Ava’s safety.Carter was standing in front of the kitchen, looking more relaxed than I'd have expected him to. “Carter!” I called out as I walked to where he stood, my voice laced with urgency and concern. “Were you able to catch the culprit?”He looked at me, confusion etched on his face, “There was no culprit sir, it was just a minor home accident in the kitchen”.“And why are you here instead of safeguarding her room?” I asked, my voice cold and
AVA’S POV.“What are you doing here?” Carter growled, his voice piercing through the silence like a rugged dagger. Emily seemed to turn into an autumn leaf, rustled continuously by the bitter wind. Her fingers found each other, as she trembled, her gaze falling to the floor. Then she dropped to her knees quite painfully, “I apologize! I know I shouldn't be here when Miss Ava isn't around, but I was unable to find one of my possessions which I dropped, while I was cleaning the room earlier,” Her lips trembled as she spoke, her eyes refusing to meet mine. “Carter, you terrified the poor girl,” I said, hitting him slightly on the arm as I came out from behind him. “It's fine. Did you find what you were looking for?”Emily shook her head, eyes glimmering. “Hey, he's just being cautious. You know about the painting story and all.” I said, going towards her, taking her by the shoulders, “He doesn't mean any harm. You don't have to cry,”Emily nodded, clearly shaken by Carter's rigid to
AVA’S POVSilence. The only thing that could be heard was the ringing tone of his phone, while we both stood still, coming to terms of what we had just done.“Ava?” He called out, finally breaking the silence, as I made sure not to meet his gaze, “I’m so…”“You should pick the call” I interrupted, my voice low and cracking, “I’ll be in the car” I concluded, trying to calm the turmoil brewing inside me, without another word, I turned back and walked out.“Shit!” I cursed at myself as soon as I walked out of his office. My heart was still pounding, and adrenaline was still tingling down my fingers from the force of the whole thing. My head was jumbled, and I couldn’t shake off the memory of the kiss, no matter how hard I tried.It had been a sweeping rush that had overtaken and overwhelmed me in such a way that I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore. My body was cold with sweat, but inside me, it was a boiling volcano, and the craziest of it all was that I kept wondering what wou