Ava was living beyond her wildest dreams. She had always wanted to be a supermodel and live this glamorous lifestyle for the rest of her life but she didn’t know it would happen so fast or it would feel this real. She had lost count of the number of countries she’s been to in the past two months alone, she’s slept more in planes than on beds since her first breakthrough show outside of New York and while it was stressful, she wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. Maybe except Sebastian but she knew he wouldn’t ask her to quit something she dearly loved nearly as much as she loved him. She had the perfect relationship right now and she was living the perfect life headlining shows around the world with her amazing team putting it all together. She knew her parents would be proud of her and how far she had come ever since their deaths. It hadn’t been easy and there were times when she wanted to end it all and give up but Kim was always there to pull her out of every dark hole sh
“I’m pregnant,” Ava whispered, holding her palms to her face as she felt a mixture of emotions coursing through her. Violet and Kim screamed at the top of their lungs as soon as she spoke, they both rushed over to envelop her in a bone-crushing hug, kissing her all over the face much to Renee’s delight.Ava had taken a quick stop at Greece to see Violet and Kim who had gotten into the country a couple of days ago with her boyfriend. They were having a girl’s day out and Ava had only discovered she had been pregnant for two weeks now. She had earlier thought she was down due to accumulated stress but after Renee had forced her to go to the hospital, the doctor had dropped the bombshell on her with a flurry of congratulatory messages. Renee on the other hand was dividing godmother duties with Violet and Kim already but Ava didn’t know how she felt about the news. She had always wanted to have children of her own but she didn’t know how to take the news, especially at this stage of her
Ava could feel herself giddy with excitement. The few days she spent with her best friends had been the stress relief she didn’t know she needed, they spent all day laughing and making baby jokes. They all gave their suggestions on what she should name the baby whether it was a boy or a girl but she had decided to make the decisions with Sebastian once she got home. She couldn’t wait to see him just as much as she couldn’t wait to tell him about her pregnancy either, she was now certain that he would be happy they were starting a family. They had a genuine relationship right now and there wasn’t anything stopping them from having a baby even though it was a surprise one, Ava was sure that they could make it work. She would have a host of nannies and her friends would happily babysit if she had to get to work or if she got overwhelmed sometimes. She had tried to picture Sebastian’s face when she broke the news to him but every time she tried to do so, she ended up laughing at the shoc
It’s been a week since Ava came back from her trips to the Philippines and Paris and she hadn’t seen Sebastian yet, not even a glimpse of him. All she had gotten was excuses and not any one of them made any sense but that didn’t stop him from dishing it out regardless and that was what was getting on his nerves, the excuses he was constantly making up.If he was pissed about something, nothing was stopping him from taking it up with her instead of treating her like she didn’t matter. Ava had seen this script before, she had been involved in it more than once and every time she had wanted to call it quits and leave, Sebastian came running back with his tail between his legs, begging her to come back and she was tired of the stop-start nature of their relationship. This wasn’t what they had bargained for, Sebastian had promised to change, he had said they wouldn’t return to the horrors that had plagued them severely in the past. Given her condition, she wasn’t supposed to be under any
“Can I talk to you later, Damian?” Sebastian started. “I’ve got something to deal with and it’s pretty urgent.”“An impromptu business meeting?” “Not today, Ava just came in…” Sebastian trailed off, leaving Damian to fill in the gaps. “I never took you for an office kind of guys, remember to have the cleaners wipe the entire office when you guys are done. I wouldn’t want to come and have the whole office smelling like sex and stuff.”“Get your mind out of the gutter, Damian.” Sebastian laughed for the first time in days. “Your thoughts are always crazy and nasty.”“You can’t blame me, man. I’ve seen the way you look at her. That’s the same way I look at Violet and lord knows we get down to it everywhere and whenever we can.”“You’re going to get her pregnant one of the days,” “I don’t think I’d mind, you know?” Damian mused, just as Ava walked into the office. She was still as stunning as ever, nothing had particularly changed about her physical appearance but she seemed rather rig
Sebastian stared at Ava for a moment, it still seemed so surreal that all he could feel for her right now was hate. A week ago, he was absolutely in love with her but she had to just mess everything up because she could stay away from Jake despite the several times he warned her off him. She wouldn’t listen, she always felt like Jake wasn’t a threat. Heck, she was also trying to convince me to like him as well. But at the first chance she got, she jumped into his bed and lord knows how many times they did it and ended up laughing over his foolishness for trying to love someone like her. “We had something good going on together,” Sebastian started. “We were the model couple of New York and we weren’t faking any of it, it had been as real as it could get but what did you end up doing?”“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Ava sounded confused. “Are you angry because I postponed my trip back home? Is that it? I’m sorry, I just couldn’t make it because I had no finish up what
Sebastian wasn’t able to finish his discussion with Ava because he got interrupted twice by an important call he had to take and when he was done, he had to head out to take care of the company’s business. Ava could wait and they could always conclude the meeting later. Despite the hurt on her face, Sebastian ignored her as he walked out of the room and instructed his secretary to lock up after he did. Sebastian checked his watch as he sped past others on the highway. He was hoping she would be home right now, it was a little past eight o’clock. The meeting had run late into the night and rather than come home to Ava yelling and losing his temper, he decided to spend the night at a hotel for both their sakes and confront her the next morning. It had taken him a great deal of sacrifice but he was able to clear his schedule for the rest of the day to deal with the mess Ava created in their relationship. They had to resolve this relationship today and know where they both stood and wh
Sebastian couldn’t believe what he had just heard. There was no way she was pregnant, he wasn’t going to believe this. She was trying to tie down and keep him in this relationship with her by any means necessary and this was the best way to do it if he kicked his pregnant ex-fiancée out of his house, nothing was stopping her from doing a media tour narrating her side of the story and given how many people were in love with her right now, he didn’t need a shaman to tell him the impact it would have on his personal and business life. If she’s been pregnant for a month, why was he just knowing now? It wasn’t making any sense to him and given the situation they were in right now, it was so hard to do the math. She had kept the information from him on purpose and now that she had the whole night to herself to think about how best she could salvage this relationship of theirs, she had come up with a pregnancy scare to keep him always.“I know what’s going on in your head and I know you thi
One month laterThe wedding had been a splendid affair and from the start, Ava was practically forbidden from lifting a finger for herself by Kim, Renee, Violet, and the flock of servants at her disposal due to how heavy she had become and she resorted to staying put unless she risked the ire of the women helping her dress up. Sebastian had planned a proposal with the rest of their friends leaving her in the dark. It was unexpected and it felt real and different this time around, they had come through so many difficulties and they both knew it was the right time to make it all real this time around.At the stroke of midnight on her wedding, Ava was standing at the entrance of the hall already adorned with palatial decorations with cascading floral arrangements hanging from every side of the grand room, sparkling white chandeliers hung high above with delicate draperies completing the settings designed to evoke an atmosphere filled with love and warmth. A group of violinists was posit
It’s been two months since Sebastian was released from the hospital and Ava moved into the mansion with him. The penthouse held too many hurtful memories and she wasn’t eager to go back there and be plagued by nightmares during her sleep. Jake’s trial hadn’t taken a lot of time either, there was a ton of insurmountable evidence against him and the jury didn’t take much liking to him either, or the judge. In reality, no one was going to take the side of a journalist with murderous intentions over New York’s most desirable couple. Their return to the spotlight had been a field day in the media world especially as articles and gossip about their breakup had been going on for a while now, their appearance together had all but quietened every rumor going on about them. Ava was becoming used to being pregnant and after a few weeks of tedious work down at the agency, she had gone on maternity leave that would run well into a few months after she gave birth.One of her favorite parts of be
Damian looked back and forth between Ava and Sebastian and it was pretty obvious that they had eyes for just each other right now, everything else faded into the background. He didn’t need any further clue, his time here was up.“I believe it’s best I give you both some space to talk things through.” Damian cleared his throat, gave Sebastian a nod, and patted Ava’s shoulders as he walked past her. “Do you think they’re going to be fine?” Violet asked Damian as soon as he got to the door. Sebastian spared them a glance over his shoulder before returning his gaze to Violet. “I can’t possibly say for sure but if what I noticed between them was true then we’ve got nothing to worry about.As soon as Ava heard the door shut behind her, she walked towards the bed, maintaining a friendly distance as she pulled out a chair and sat on it. Sebastian didn’t know how to start tackling their issues so he decided to make small talk first, it always worked for him and he was hoping that it wouldn
Ava made her way outside the building and towards the parking lot, it was lonely, just how she wanted it to be. She didn’t want any disturbance or interference from anyone. All Ava had wanted was for Sebastian to wake up from his coma. She spent days at his bedside, urging him to come back to her and he eventually did but she ran. There was no telling why she ran and she didn’t even have any logical explanation as to why she did it, the only thing she could say is that she was scared shitless and that was all she could say. She would eventually have to go back and talk to him afterward but she didn’t know if she could bring herself to do it. “Hey, sis.” Ava looked up to see Kim walking towards her flanked on either side by Renee and Violet, they all wore worried expressions on their faces and she could tell from their hesitation that they didn’t know if they should come any closer or maintain a healthy distance. “How did you guys find me?” Ava asked, her eyes were fixed to the g
“I’m only trying to look out for you,” Kim sighed. “I’m tired of seeing you crying after a couple of months where you think you’re in love and your troubles are behind you. It hurts me as much as it hurts you, Ava.” “I know,” Ava smiled sadly. Kim was right, she’d always been eager to jump right back into it without putting provisions in place in case her assumed fairytale moment didn’t come to pass. But things were different this time around, she had been through a lot and as a result, she’d been forced to put herself first for now before anyone else and if anything was going to happen, she would be the last person to instigate anything. She’d done enough and it wasn’t going to work, she wasn’t going to invest her time lifting a finger. She’s done enough already. “Things aren’t going to be the way it once was. I promise you that.”“Tell me you’re sure you know what you’re doing?” Kim nibbled on her lower lip. “I can’t promise you I know what I’m doing, Kim. But my heart is in the
“You really should stop feeling this way and making us feel like we’re strangers as well,” Kim frowned. “We’re here because we love and care about you, that’s the truth. You’re part of our lives so I don’t see how you keep interfering in what you’re a major part of. You’ve got to accept that so you’d stop feeling like you owe us something because you don’t.”Ava sighed. “Okay, you’re right and I’m sorry for feeling this way. It’s unusual to see a lot of people wanting to help me at the same time and that’s why I reacted that way,” “It’s okay, we don’t hold it against you. We know your past and how you’re still getting used to a couple of good gestures. Kim suffers from the same problem as well.” Violet assured her. “So, you mentioned that Sebastian woke up a while ago?” Kim asked, eager to steer the conversation away from their childhood. She wasn’t prepared to visit memories that she had worked so hard to repress. “Yes, he did. He wasn’t a hundred percent conscious and the doctors
Ava walked back into the hospital room as soon as the doctor mentioned it was okay for her to return. She walked back into the room to see Sebastian soundly asleep. “Is everything alright, doctor?” Ava sounded worried. “Did he go to sleep on his own or did he pass out?”“We gave him a sedative to keep him under for a couple of hours until he regains his full strength, he should feel much after he wakes up this time around and that’s what we’re hoping for. When that happens, we can then begin the final stage of his recovery process.” Ava nodded. “Thank you, doctor. We’re so grateful for the help you’ve rendered.”“It’s my pleasure to help. I’ve known Sebastian since we were both boys and my father has been the Bancroft’s family doctor for decades. He’s like family to me as well.” “Do I need to call you guys once he wakes up?” Ava asked, her eyes fixed on Sebastian. “You don’t need to, we’d be counting down the hours ourselves and carrying out checkups before midnight. You’ve got no
It’s been a week since the ugly incident and Sebastian hadn’t woken up yet. Ava was struggling to pull it together but she knew she didn’t have any other option, she couldn’t afford to break down right now not when she had to look after herself and the baby as well given the fact that the pregnancy was entering into its crucial phase.The doctor urged her to give him time and be patient till he decided to come around. His vitals were good and his condition was improving, he was going to wake up any moment from now, the doctor would always say giving her a warm smile in return. The conviction in his voice always seemed to calm Ava’s nerves so she waited calmly until Sebastian decided to come around.She was in his hospital room, sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed, her knees were pulled up under her chin with her face buried between a historical romance novel by Nora Roberts. Reading helped her calm down and forget her worries and she’d been doing a lot of it during the past f
“Life isn’t meant to be fair to everyone,” Damian offered Ava a soft smile. “It’s just the way life is and we’ve got to make the best out of what we’re given.”“Sebastian doesn’t deserve this,” Ava grumbled.“No one does but shit happens.” Damian shuffled his feet as he struggled to find a comfortable situation. “Do you think he’s going to come out of this? Be honest with me. I could use that right now if you don’t mind.”“Sebastian’s tough as nails. He’s one of the most stubborn men I’ve ever met and if there’s anyone I know who’s going to come out of this, it’s Sebastian.”“Thank you, Damian.” Ava rubbed her arms, trying to calm her nerves. “You’re welcome. If there’s anything you need, please, do not hesitate to inform me.”“I’m good. Besides, I have a lot of people doting on me already and you have work to do.” “If you say so but I’m still here if you need anything.”“I should’ve done this a long time ago but I want to thank you for talking to Sebastian and managing to convince