Ava's POVI started to have trouble breathing, so I quickly grabbed a water bottle from the table next to my bed. I drank it quickly and then went back to using my phone, but I was still coughing.Looking at the picture Tyler had sent, I noticed that it was definitely taken around the time I was dating him.I tried to remember if I had ever slept at his house without clothes on, but I could not recall a single instance. Despite the numerous times I had stayed over, I don't remember being asleep without clothes on.Yet, despite my disbelief, I could not completely rule out the possibility that the person in the picture was me. I knew that a picture could last longer than memories. But when and why had he taken the picture? Was it so he could blackmail me in years to come?I heard the phone ring and immediately picked it up."What the hell, Tyler?!! I never slept naked at your place." I countered him in the most assertive way possible, but he only laughed."Oh please," he sneered. "I ha
Tom's POVFrom where she sat in a corner of the room, Dora looked up at me, and I immediately averted my gaze.Without wasting another second, I turned and hurriedly left the hall, driven by a sense of guilt. It was probably the guilt that had compelled me to go and see how she was doing. And to my relief, she seemed to be doing well. She appeared content and happy.Damn, Chris was crazy!! He made me feel like I had ruined everything, but she was still here, smiling brightly.Unwanted memories flooded my mind, causing me to loosen my tie and unbutton two buttons on my shirt.I hurried to my car and quickly got inside, taking a moment to catch my breath.Dora was the main reason why I had always been afraid of commitment. That was why I preferred having a contract relationship.Our relationship had been great at one point, but it didn't end well, not for me and not for her.I pulled out onto the road and began driving when I received a call from Mr. Brown.Seeing his name on my phone
Tom's POVAva lay on the sofa, her long hair cascading down to the floor. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere; she was lost in her thoughts.We had devoured the entire pizza and all of the desserts, consuming more than we should have. We ate and drank to the point of being uncomfortably full, making it difficult to even move."Today… I checked the notice I should have checked a long time ago," she started, still staring at the ceiling, and I observed her. "The board seems to think I am not skilled enough to match the needs of the company. They say the investors are worried that my capabilities are not enough," she continued, and although she didn't look like it, her voice carried a strong bitterness.As I listened, my hands gradually clenched into fists."I was so happy that we had gotten another investor so we could produce our products on a larger scale, but... it really doesn't matter now. If the board decides that I haven't been running
Ava's POVI couldn't believe it!I knew Tyler could be unpredictable, but I never thought he would stoop so low as to drug me."Now, should we go have some fun?" he asked, lifting me into his arms. It was easy for anyone to assume that I had been drinking and passed out, considering we were leaving a bar.Slowly, darkness enveloped my vision, and I sensed my arms easing into a state of complete relaxation until I could no longer feel anything.Tom's POVI had just finished setting dinner on the centre table in the living room, where Ava and I preferred to eat, disregarding the dining area and its beauty, when the doorbell rang."Why is she ringing the doorbell?" I found myself asking as I instinctively adjusted the plate of garlic chicken.Then I stood up abruptly.The doorbell rang again, causing me to pause and tilt my head in confusion.Ava never rang the doorbell; she always entered the house using the passcode. Besides, she was not the type to get so intoxicated that she would f
Tom's POVI couldn't believe what I was seeing, and it gave me an instant headache.I placed my right hand on my forehead and tightly gripped the paper.How on earth did he manage to obtain these documents?I stood up from my desk and began pacing around the office.I suddenly kicked the trash can in anger, sending it flying towards the door.My hands were trembling uncontrollably, and my thoughts were scattered.Chris possessed these documents. If the public found out, it would spell disaster."Mr. Lockwood, is there a ….," Henry burst in but stopped abruptly as he noticed the mess I had made on the floor."Call Chris. Call him now!" I ordered through gritted teeth and Henry promptly scurried off to retrieve the telephone.Meanwhile, I paced back and forth, my hands frantically running through my hair. The mere sight of that document lying on the floor sent my mind into a whirlwind.Christ!! The document was in the wrong hands."He's not answering the phone. The call just keeps ringi
Ava's POV"That's not going to happen, Tyler. Open the door," I said in a commanding tone.Melody and I had anticipated that Tyler, being uncultured and unpredictable, might attempt to coerce me into sleeping with him. However, we had completely overlooked the fact that the first action of a rapist would be to lock the door.As Tyler slowly approached me, I realized the flaws and gaps in both mine and Melody's plans.***FLASHBACK***"Of course, we need to have a plan. I am very certain that jerk might try to pressure you into doing it with him," Melody had replied and I took a sip of the tea she had made for me."The asshole has already sent the address, so I will forward it to you now," I had said, sending the message to both myself and Melody's chat."Make sure you call or text me, and if he tries to do anything suspicious… if that happens, I'll... I'll... Well, I'll say something foolish. Something out of line, something that doesn't make any sense. And once I do, you should be on
Ava's POVWhen I saw Tom in the room, my heart started pounding in my chest.He was the backup plan, but I hadn't thought about what to do next after he found out Tyler.Tyler shoved the phone in front of his face, and the shock was visible as his eyes widened.He clearly hadn't expected to see a nude picture of me on the phone. In the blink of an eye, Tom reached out to snatch the phone from Tyler's hand. But, he suddenly stopped, and I was surprised to see his eyes widen even further than I thought possible.Tyler then turned to me with a smirk on his face."Ah!! Screw both of you, screw all three of you," he said, showing me his phone.However, he was far away, so I couldn't see clearly.Either way, a sense of dread filled my heart because I saw that he was browsing Instagram, most likely about to post the pictures.Tom immediately stepped in and gave Tyler a punch that sent him landing on the floor."Who the hell are you?! I am going to...!" He was saying, but Tom relentlessly c
Ava's POV"Shit! Shit!! Shit!!! He is actually going to say it!" I exclaimed, rushing towards the 1TV as if I could somehow stop Miller from disclosing the details of our contract marriage to the whole world."Christ! Where is my phone?" Tom asked, frantically searching around."It's definitely in your pocket," I replied, turning to him, and he reached into his pocket and found his phone in it.In his moment of shock and fear, he had forgotten that the natural place for his phone to be when we were just returning from outside was in his pocket.His hands shook as he swore and tried to dial Chris' number hastily.I turned back to the television, worry etched on my face."I heard you have some exciting news for us today. Could you please begin by introducing yourself?" the female host asked, wearing a warm smile, while Chris responded with a smirk.In that moment, he pulled out his phone, causing his smirk to widen even more."Excuse me, I'll have to take this since I forgot to turn off
Tom's POVThe idea of getting married had always been daunting to me because it represented a lifelong commitment.It was not something I could easily walk away from, but the way she asked me about it gave me a sense of excitement. It made me feel like there was a lot to expect from her. After all, ever since our relationship began, we had been able to overcome many obstacles and challenges, which had only brought us closer than contract marriage partners typically would be."Alright, that's it. Well, since you guys need to come to a better and more sincere decision, I'll be on my way," Melody announced. She gave Ava a deep hug and left the restaurant.After staring at Melody for a long while, Ava's gaze returned to meet mine."I don't know about you, but I want to spend a lifetime with you. I can't imagine being with anyone else now. I don't want us to see where this goes, I want us to take us where it goes. And Chris won't have power over us anymore, because this time, we'll go thr
Tom's POVAva and I exchanged a fearful glance as terror gripped us.Had Chris heard or seen us approaching, or was he angry because I hadn't shown any fear when he talked about detaining Melody?Ava swallowed and took the first step. After three more steps, she broke into a run and smashed through the window. It was quite impressive how forceful she was. How on earth could a woman break through a window?I followed in her footsteps and saw a trail of blood coming from the hall.My eyes widened and immediately I tried to stop Ava from running headfirst into whatever was waiting for us, but she was too fast.As soon as she reached the end of the hall, she let out a scream and instinctively placed her hand on her chest before bolting into the living room.I followed her and found Chris on the floor, blood pouring from his leg.Melody still had her gun pointed at him, but Ava hugged her tightly as if she had been raised from the dead.Tears streamed down Melody's cheeks, but her grip on
Ava's POVChris had abducted Melody, there was no other way to put it, but I still clung to Tom because he was at his most vulnerable at that moment and wasn't ready to deal with anything else.As his tears continued to fall, I felt conflicted.I was afraid for Melody's safety in the hands of the reckless Chris, and afraid that if I interrupted this moment with Tom, I might never experience anything like it again.I held him closer, and for a moment he remained still. He rested in my embrace, perhaps reflecting on the painful memories he had been made to endure.We were there for about half an hour, and the entire time was filled with a sick feeling of worry for me.Finally, he pulled away from me and stood up."Wine for us? I believe we have no secrets now," he remarked, and I nodded with a faint smile. "Is something bothering you?" He asked, sitting down again."Are you feeling better now?" I asked, gently touching his tear-streaked face."I never thought I could cry, but you seem t
Ava's POV"Are you telling the truth? Will you really tell me everything, no matter what happens?" I asked.He was silent for a while but eventually spoke. "I will tell you everything, no matter what happens. I promise you, Ava.""Is that Tommy?" Dora suddenly asked, bursting into a high cackle."Oh, um, Tom. She's here. Dora is here," I said uncomfortably as she began to approach me."What?! Dora?? Where? Where are you, Ava?""We are in the parking lot," I replied immediately. "She told me she wants coffee, cigarettes, and her brother.""Take her to the closest coffee shop and get her whatever she wants. I'll be there soon," he told me before I ended the call."You want coffee right?" I asked her, my voice a bit shaky."I thought you weren't going to give me any," she raised a brow at me."I've changed my mind. Tom said to give you whatever you want.""Oh, my sweet Tommy. I always knew he still had feelings for me.""But what exactly happened between you two?" I quipped."He tried to
Tom's POVThe nurse explained to me how they had gone to Dora's room to offer her treatment, but found out that she wasn't there.They had tried calling Chris, but he was wanted so his phone was turned off. Then they had called me, but I had also been unreachable.When I had gone to visit her some days ago, I was asked to provide all of my contact numbers, so I included my office number as well and it turned out to be the only way for them to reach me now."Are there any CCTV cameras?" I inquired, and the nurse let out a sigh."The last time she was seen, she walked into the staff toilet and never came out. When it was checked again, it was discovered that she had stolen the clothes of a nurse and left her unconscious. At the time, no one suspected her, so she was able to run out," she explained, her voice trembling slightly."So?" I asked."We think she might go to visit any of her relatives. Maybe you or her brother," she finished, and I licked my lips."It's fine. If she comes to s
Ava's POVI was about to open my room door, but then I remembered that Chris had made me lock it from the inside. I realized that I would probably have to find another room to sleep in. I quickly went into the room next to mine and slammed the door in anger. Then I flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.It was so frustrating that he didn't feel ready to tell me anything about Dora. He wasn't prepared to narrate the whole thing to me, leaving me in the dark.The fact that I had trusted and loved him blindly brought tears to my eyes.How could you tell someone you loved them and still refuse to let them know all there was to you?I hated secrets. I hated liars, and I hated deceivers!!With that thought, I found myself drifting off to sleep.The night I had had indeed been an eventful one, full of fear and anxiety.*************The next morning, I woke up at dawn, took a shower, looked through the wardrobe for clothes set aside for unexpected guests, and chose an outfit.
Ava's POVI was dumbstruck; I mean completely speechless."Wait, isn't that Tom's wife? The new girl he loves?" She started to shout. "Ha, she's not as pretty as we thought." She then paused and looked around. "Hey guys, why were we scared? Obviously, it's because we didn't expect a stranger. I can't believe he ended up saving her after all. If it weren't for us, she would have lost her fingers. Why did you even tell him the location? You should have just let her hands rot. She doesn't need them."The way she spoke to herself was unnerving. Suddenly, she began to laugh like a maniac, and I found myself breathing faster out of fear of what she might do."Does Tom think he'll lead a good life after ending mine? No!! I'll make him miserable too. I'll make him share my hospital room and laugh with me, too!" she promised as she ran her hands over her bed.I stumbled back a few steps.."He… he made you like this?" I asked in a shaky voice.In a fit of bubbling rage, she angrily demanded, "A
Ava's POVI gasped, and my phone slipped from my grasp."Raise them. Those hands," he said slowly, and my hands shot up to the ceiling immediately. "Good. Now, any little, stupid sound that I don't approve of, and I'll blast your head," he threatened softly, causing my eyes to close tightly.He was dressed entirely in black, with a black cap covering his head.He then moved closer to me; even with my eyes closed, I could feel his presence growing stronger.My limbs trembled, and it seemed like I would collapse any moment. "You need to lock the door," he whispered into my ear, his voice dangerously close, as he pressed the gun against the back of my neck.My legs sprang into action instantly, a little too fast."I'm not trying to run away. I'm not," I assured him in a wavering voice as I proceeded to lock my door.With the tip of the gun in his hands, he forcefully pushed me to the bed while he leaned against the nightstand, carefully observing me."You must think you've won. Everythi
Tom's POVMr. Roger looked nervous as he had finally confessed their greed, and as he met my expressionless eyes, it seemed he understood the gravity of what he had done."That's why they were so adamant," he explained, his eyes darting from Henry to me. "I actually wanted to pull out, but I had already used the money for my wife's surgery, and there wasn't really any way of getting it back." He moistened his lips nervously as he spoke."So are you saying that he successfully bribed the entire board too?" Henry asked.Mr. Roger shook his head. "No. A few persons rejected the money because they wanted to stick with Mrs. Lockwood. And I really wanted to, but I …""I can imagine the others saying exactly what you're saying - making excuses. But excuses don't cover up what you've done. Mrs. Lockwood will be the one to decide whether or not to expose you," I announced, noticing fear crossing his eyes."I… I know what I did was wrong…," he stuttered, avoiding my gaze.**************Ava wen