Ava"s POV
I never thought silence could feel this loud. But here I was, sitting across from Lucas in our dimly lit living room, the air so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife. His eyes were distant, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his wheelchair. He’d been quiet all morning, more quiet than usual, and that was saying something. We were still getting used to this whole “married strangers living together” arrangement, but today, something was off. I set my cup of tea down, watching the steam swirl up like a ghost between us. “You good?” I asked cautiously. He didn’t respond right away, his gaze fixed on the window as if it held the answers to every question in his life. “Lucas?” I tried again, leaning forward. “You look like you’re about to explode.” His jaw tightened, his fingers stopping their tapping. “Do you know?” His voice was low, barely more than a growl. I blinked, confused. “Know what?” His eyes finally met mine, sharp and piercing like he was searching for a lie in my face. “About the person I hit when I had an accident he said, his voice thick with bitterness. It took me a second to catch on. Hit? My heart dropped. “What are you talking about, Lucas?” I sat up straighter, my chest tightening. He laughed, but there was no humor in it — just bitterness. “Don’t play dumb, Ava. Your father knows. Your whole family knows. Don’t tell me they didn’t tell you.” I frowned, confusion mixing with frustration. “Nobody tells me anything, Lucas. I’m not one of them, I snapped, my voice rising. “I’m just the housemaid’s daughter playing dress-up in a Carrington gown.” His eyes narrowed, his head tilting slightly like he was seeing me for the first time. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, his voice laced with curiosity. I hesitated, realizing I’d said more than I planned to. My eyes darted to my hands in my lap, fingers twisting nervously. “It means,” I said slowly, lifting my gaze to meet his, “that I’m not a real Carrington. My mother was their maid. I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my voice to stay steady. “They’ve never let me forget it.” Lucas’s face shifted, his brows pulling together as if he was seeing something that didn’t add up. “So, you’re not…?” “No,” I said firmly, cutting him off. “I’m not like them. I never have been.” Silence settled between us for a moment, but then something else dawned on me. I leaned forward, heart thudding in my chest. “Wait… what do you mean you hit someone?” My voice came out sharper than I expected. His eyes shifted, guilt flickering behind them like a shadow. He rubbed his face with both hands, letting out a deep sigh. He started, his voice distant like he was pulling the memory from a place he’d tried to bury. “I’d just gotten off the phone with Tessa.” He snorted bitterly, his lips curling into a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “She broke up with me over a phone call, if you can believe that and I already had enough to drink that night. I stayed quiet, letting him talk. I knew that kind of pain — being discarded like you were nothing. “She said it wasn’t working,” he continued, his fingers tapping the armrest again. “I was angry. Hurt. Stupid.” He glanced at me briefly, then back to the ceiling. “I was driving too fast. It was very drunk I could barely see. And then, out of nowhere, He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “A person. Right in front of the car.” I could barely see. And then, out of nowhere, I saw them.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “A person. Right in front of the car.” “I tried to swerve,” he said, his voice cracking. “I yanked the wheel so hard, I lost control. The tires slipped, spun out, and before I knew it…” He closed his eyes, his fists clenching on his lap. “The car flipped. I hit something — hard. Metal twisted, glass shattered, and then everything went black.” My stomach churned. He hit someone? My mind scrambled to catch up, to understand. “Lucas… are you saying you… you hit a person? And is the person ok? I asked carefully, my heart thumping louder in my chest. He glanced at me, his eyes hollow. He passed away. he admitted, his voice hollow. “When I woke up, I was already in the hospital. My parents didn’t want to tell me anything at first but I was sure someone got hurt that night. He leaned forward suddenly, his eyes locking on mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. . And your somehow knew about the accident His words hit me like a punch to the gut. My father. Of course, he knew. That man had his hands in everything, always pulling strings from the shadows. He probably used it as leverage. That’s what he does best. Sucked in a slow breath, letting the anger build inside me like a storm. “He blackmailed your family, didn’t he?” I said quietly, but I already knew the answer. Lucas nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “He threatened to expose it if my father didn’t sell him part of the company. So, he did. He gave up his shares and made me get married to you to ‘seal the alliance.’” He laughed, but it was sharp, bitter, and full of anger. “He took everything from me, Ava. My place as heir, my pride, my future. All of it.” Silence fell between us like a heavy curtain. I could feel it pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe. “Looks like we’re both pawns,” I muttered, my hands twisting in my lap. “You lost your birthright, and I lost my freedom.” I shook my head, eyes focused on a crack in the wooden floor. “They used us, Lucas. Both of us. We sat like that for a while, quiet but not alone. For the first time, it felt like we were on the same side, not just two strangers forced to play a role. Lucas sighed deeply, rubbing his face with both hands. “What do we do now, Ava?” he asked quietly, his voice worn down like he’d already given up. I looked at him, really looked at him, and for once, I didn’t see a bitter, broken man. I saw someone who had been wronged just as much as I had. Someone who had been used, discarded, and left to fend for himself. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “We fight back,” I said firmly, staring straight into his eyes. “We take back what’s ours.” He raised an eyebrow. “And how do you plan to do that?” “Simple,” I said, leaning closer, my eyes burning with determination. “We play their game, but we play it better.” His lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner. “You think you’re up for it, princess?” “Don’t call me that,” I muttered, leaning back. “And yes, I am.” My eyes flicked to him, daring him to doubt me. “I’ve been playing this game since I was a kid, Lucas. I’ve survived them this long. I can do it again.” His smile widened just a little. “Alright, then,” he said, nodding slowly. “If we’re gonna do this, we do it together.” He held out his hand to me. “Partners?” I looked at his hand for a moment, then clasped it firmly in mine. “Partners,” I said, and for the first time since this nightmare started, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years — hope.
