ZAYN I watched her leave. Of all times this piece of shit to show up it had to be now! This wasn’t how I planned to confront Sophia, this wasn’t the fucking plan! Ava…. I’d hurt her yet again, seeing her tear up broke my heart into a million pieces. But I had no choice— we needed a location— The private investigator I hired has been on my neck all day—The plan was supposed to be me catching then red-handed, but all efforts to find their private home was abortive, and so he suggested I propose to Sophia, she would want to relate it to Andrew, and then we can get their location. I was supposed to inform Ava this night before anything, but seeing Sophia lie and try to guilt—trip me when she had three kids for my uncle disgusted me to the core, and it seemed like the perfect time—the only regret was that I hurt the one I loved. Sophia broke away from the hug, a smile formed on her face, “This feels unreal, baby. Never would I have thought this was your plan a
AVA I froze, still unsure of what I had just heard, “What did you just say?” I questioned, turning to face him. “Sophia is sleeping with my uncle,” What?! How is that possible? “Then when did you…” “I found out the day we fought at the hospital, not only is she sleeping with my uncle, she is married to him, and they have three kids,” Fucking hell! This revelation was mind-blowing…. How did no one suspect? I mean….my mind drifted off to when I saw them sitting at the sitting room the other time, There were signs! “Ava, I know I have hurt you multiple times but this—none of what I said was true,” Zayn continued, now walking to where I stood. “Don’t come any closer,” I said, my voice low and calm, and he paused, “I tried giving you a sign, I winked multiple times and I know that wasn’t enough but—”. “But what Zayn? You should have told me!” I interrupted him, “At least beforehand, we were together all day, and you didn’t say a word, how did you expect me to fe
CARTERI walked out of the house, with nothing but a small suitcase and a broken heart. The mission here was supposed to be easy—Destroy the Beckham family. But I couldn’t. It’s been two years now, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My family vendetta was against Williams Beckham—Zayn’s father, and now he was dead, the plan was to destroy everything he ever built to the ground. The first mistake was getting close to Zayn and realizing that he was nothing like his father, and the second mistake was,AVA.I don’t know how and when it happened, but—I’ve fallen deeply in love with her. And I might be leaving for now, but I’m going to be back when she needs me the most.Zayn didn’t deserve her. She was too pure and innocent to be intoxicated by his family drama. For now, I was going to stay on the low and watch. Andrew Beckham Cassandra Beckham Anna Beckham and last but not the least, the devil orchestrating all of this—Rebecca Beckham.They all wanted Ava dead, so my missio
ZAYN I arrived at the location he had given me, and brought out my phone to call when a slight tap on my window glass stopped me. I unlocked the door, and he joined me, “Good evening sir,” He greeted, handing me a file, “The papers and pictures are all in there,” “Are you certain this is their house?” I asked, looking at it again, “Yes sir, I followed Miss Sophia and this was where she entered,” “Okay, your balance will be sent to you. Thank you,” I said, and he wanted to open the door when he paused, turning to face me, “Is there any problem?” “Yes. About the poisoning you said I should look into, Ms. Sophia is also responsible for it,” What?! It was shocking to know that the Sophia I knew was capable of this. Why would she—because they were after the property all this while! How foolish was I? I couldn't, I see all this? I heaved a deep breath, “Where’s the proof to support that?” “Ms. Sophia had purchased some heavy substance of drugs that can flush out babies, she
ZAYN The ride home was smooth, my mind racing with thoughts of Ava…. I couldn’t wait to share the good news with Ava—To tell her it was all over, No more problems No more attacks We could change the environment and build the family we always wanted. A fresh start. The gate was opened, and I drove in, parking the car before getting down. My eyes scanned the compound, some of the guards had retired for the night and only a few of them were roaming around the compound to ensure safety. I made my way into the house, eager to see Ava, but on entering, an odd quietness greeted me. The house was too quiet, as if no one was in. Normally, Ava would sit and wait for me, but she was nowhere in sight, Something was off. I could feel it. “Ava?” I called out, my voice echoing through the room as I walked up the stairs—The first thing was to check her room. I got to her room, and that was when panic set in—She wasn’t there! “Ava?” My voice ro
ZAYN Ava's screams and wails were the only thing that could be heard as we reached the hospital. I had somehow managed to keep her awake all through the ride. The nurses immediately rushed out to help with the gurney, “Zayn…. It…hurts,” Ava cried out, and I tried to contain my emotions as I held her hands tightly, “Nothing is going to happen to you,” I whispered, my heart racing with fear. I just couldn’t understand what had happened. “Zayn!” She screeched in pain, and I tightened my grip on her hands, as we rolled the bed into the theater room. Just at the entrance, two security men stopped me, “You have to let me in, please”. I begged, my voice strained, “I’m sorry sir but—” “For fuck’s sake, that’s my wife! She needs me, can’t you see how she’s screaming in pain!” “I’m sorry, sir…” “Fuck you!” I cursed at him as I hit the flower vase, it came crashing on the ground, but I didn’t care. The only thing in my mind was AV
ZAYN She froze for a moment as if contemplating what to say. “I’m listening, Casandra,” I spoke up, impatiently. She scoffed, “That’s a silly question, Zayn, how do you think I knew she was in the hospital?” “How the fuck am I supposed to know that?!” Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms. “Since you always want to create a scene. I’ll tell you.” She replied, her voice loud and sharp, “I went to the house after finding out what Uncle Andrew did, only for me to hear from the guards that Ava was rushed to the hospital.” I eyed her suspiciously, I had to keep all of them very far away from me—no one was to be trusted again! “How did you think I knew?” She asked again. “That’s not important, Cassandra”. I replied coldly, “She’s fine, you can leave, we don’t need visitors now.” “But the doctor said that—” My eyes narrowed, “How did you know about what the doctor said?” “Why are you asking me these stupid questions, Zayn?
AVA My eyes fluttered open, but I immediately shut it, due to the bright light before opening it slowly once again. The beeping of the machines, the scent of antiseptic and the comforting presence of Zayn beside me, filled the room. I turned to face him—He was still asleep, his face looking worn out. My hands found its way to his face, tracing his features softly. Sometimes I wondered how he felt seeing me in this frail and vulnerable state almost every time. He probably blames himself….. I heaved a deep breath, my hands now on his chest, and just then something pressed against my hand from his shirt pocket. I reached out for it, pulling out a small shiny object. My heart melted—It was a ring. A beautiful one. A warm smile spread across my lips, he had wanted to propose last night…. I could feel my heart swell as I imagined walking down the aisle with him, calling him my husband, raising our kids together. He had managed to sneak into my like and shower
AVAI’ve lost count of how many days I've stayed here. Escaping proved more difficult than I thought it would. The other day I found out that Carter had changed my name, and even created a new passport.How he was able to do that in my unconscious state still amused me. Everything about the house was creepy, from the colors of the room, to the old maid, to the numerous bodyguards. Who knew Carter, Zayn's supposed bodyguard and trusted servant, could be this rich? I’ve not been allowed to leave the house and anytime I ask why, Carter's excuse was that I am not strong enough to start moving out. And when I persisted, he said I didn’t have the right clothes to go out with. And so today, he decided to get me the ‘RIGHT’ clothes. The sound of his horn broke me away from my thoughts. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me he’d arrived. I hurriedly went into the room and laid down on the bed. In no time, the door was open ajar and Carter walked in. This has been the normal routine of com
CASSANDRA I stepped out of the house for the first time in two months. I couldn’t leave the kids for a second with the fear that my mother would strike. Seconds, minutes, days and now two months, I have cried every night and woken up to different nightmares. Her face haunted me—I could still remember how she looked when she found out I had betrayed her. Guilt was killing me slowly, and it only worsened when I looked into Zayn’s eyes. I see him struggling every time, the other day I found him crying in the garden. The last time I’d seen him like this was when he lost his mother, and it hurts that I partook in his pain. I was stupid, wicked and misled. Sometimes I felt like coming clean, but that will make him hate me and distance me from the kids I’d vowed to protect with my life. And now, I was in my car, going to see the mastermind behind all this—Rebecca Beckham. My mother. I was done hiding, it was time to stand up to her. It was a three-hour journey and
ZAYN It’s been 74 fucking days since I last saw her. Papers, files, documents, and lots more were scattered on the table, all contained clues and places I’d already searched. But I wasn’t stopping anytime soon.If I have to, I’ll search the whole world for her. I refused to accept that she died. It seemed too convincing. The shrill of my phone rang loudly, and I didn’t bother checking it, “Any news?” I asked, immediately, my voice hoarse from days without proper rest. It was my agent, Noah. “No sir.” He responded, “But one thing is confirmed, she is not in the waters. In all my years of expertise, if someone dies in the water, the current always returns to the body after a few days, a week, or even a month. But in Ava’s case, there’s nothing to show even after continuous searching.”I heaved a sigh of relief. This was what I wanted to hear—that she didn’t die in the water, that’s why I asked them to search.This was also confirmation that Ava was RESCUED. She had been pulled out,
AVA The door creaked open, and I shut my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep. I could hear footsteps coming closer to where I laid. And then—strong, sweaty hands roamed around my body and I felt like I was being pricked by a needle. I already knew who it was…his fragrance was choking the hell out of me. His hands reached my chest and I stiffened. What did he want to do? My heart was racing and just as I was about to hit his hands off, the shrill of his phone rang. His hands left my body as he stood up, I heaved a deep breath. “Blackwood speaking.” His irritating voice spoke out, and I peeked my eyes open to see him by the window. “I can’t believe it worked. The universe seems to work in my favor.” I froze, my ears listening attentively, I couldn’t hear what the other person was saying but from Carter's response, I already had an idea. “She doesn’t remember a thing, Noah!” He squealed in delight and I tightened my hands underneath the bed. “I’m not let
AVA What was he saying? Christopher? My husband? Why was Carter telling lies to me? Or were we in any sort of trouble?Every nerve in my body screamed at me to react, to shout, to call out the lie—but I didn’t. Something about the way he was looking at me…the way his words were so carefully chosen… told me this wasn’t just a misunderstanding.This was a setup.My heart was racing beneath the calm facade I put on my face. The last thing I could recall was the sound of the gunshot…falling from the cliff and sinking deep into the river. And then…darkness clouded by vision. But here I was, Alive and Awake with Carter spilling lies to me. My eyes scanned around the room before landing back on Carter, he had a smug expression on his face. “Where are we?” I asked, my voice low.My body ached so bad, especially my legs and I could barely sit upright. “My love, we are home.”Home? This didn’t look like home. The vicinity didn’t even look familiar, and it made me wonder where I was.
CARTER.United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Cleveland Clinic, 9am. The sound of the beeping machines was the only thing that could be heard in the room. I walked to where she was laying down…looking so pale but her beauty remained untouched. She was still as beautiful as ever. Infact the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. I heaved a deep breath taking a seat beside her, my eyes fixed on her. I couldn’t stop wondering— what if I didn’t get there in time? When I called that fateful day, and she didn’t pick my calls, I knew something was wrong. My men confirmed it when they spotted her car speeding out of her house. We tracked her location but by the time I got there, it was already too late. The divers began their work and Ava was found deep in the water. It was a miracle that she still had a faint heartbeat. We made sure to clean all our tracks before leaving the vicinity. Treatment commenced immediately in New York but when I discovered Zayn still believed she was alive I had t
ZAYN. I staggered into the house, my head spinning. This had been my daily routine for two months now, and I didn’t care. Ava has left a deep void filled with darkness in my heart and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to accept she was dead. I ended up getting drunk every day, so I could see her in my dreams. Immediately I stepped into the sitting room, the light was turned, and I covered my eyes with my hands. “Who the fuck is that? Turn off that light!” I yelled, my head pounding. “When are you going to stop this?” Cassandra’s brittle voice spoke up, “For goodness sake, Zayn, it’s 4am in the morning, and you have been in the bar all day.” She continued, “You think this is what Ava would want? You drinking yourself to stupor?” “I …w…wasn’t drinking.” I lied. She scoffed, “You reek of alcohol, Zayn. From your clothes to your scent, everything about you and it’s so infuriating since you’re supposed to be a father of newborn babies.”
ZAYN I heard it. A gunshot. My stomach twisted as I redialed her number, but it wasn’t going through. Without hesitation, I dashed out of my office—running. I didn’t care about the stares I was receiving as I shoved past anyone in my way. The last words of Ava kept ringing in my ears. “Save the kids…” My breath was ragged as I ran down the stairs. I couldn’t wait for the elevator. The panic…the fear… in her tone shook me to the core. They are in danger. My family is in danger! In minutes, I was at the parking lot. I got in my car, my hands trembling as I started the engine. “Nothing is going to happen to them.” I kept muttering to myself, like a prayer I was trying so much to believe. I tried her number once again, but it kept redirecting to voicemail. My heart sank. With one hand on the steering, I called the police. “Ava and the kids are in danger.” I said, my voice laced with urgency, “I need your men at my house, now.” The ch
AVA My eyes widened in shock as tears threatened to fall from my eyes….Casandra…was the…. “Fuck you!” I yelled at her, “What did I ever do to deserve this from you?!”I trusted her.I thought we had a sisterly bond, but she wanted me dead all along. She couldn’t look me in the face and from where I stood I could see a teardrop from her eyes.“Why the hell are you crying, you witch?” I continued, as tears rolled down my cheeks, “Zayn warned me….he did! But I choose to trust you.”Why did everyone I trust always end up hurting me? She raised her face to look at me, “I… I’m sorry, Ava…it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. This is not about you, and I’m so sorry you got dragged into all this, but it has to happen.”What was she saying?“What…”“Oh, dearest Ava,” Sophia cut in with a smirk on her face, “let me answer your questions.”She stepped closer, the gun still in her hand, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.“Cassandra has never been the angel you thought she was…..remember Am