I watched as Nathaniel repeated the name and ended the call, his whole body looked tensed up. The room was quiet, I didn't say a word, he just stared out the window like he was thinking or brain storming.
I started staring at him, observing him like I had never seen him before. Then my mind went to those words he said;
>"You're not Ava Collins anymore. You're Ava Hargrave."I started picturing the way he looked when he lifted James? His eyes, he was cold, calm and protective. The way he looked at me after and grabbed my hand to take me away? Like I was something worth defending. Like I mattered. My cheeks started turning red.
But then his other version of him slipped back in with a warning and brought me out of my day dream.
"Next time you leave this room without telling me, don’t expect me to fi
Ava's POVDavid finally turned around, his expression wasn't good. "Why the hell I found out that your marriage is fake? That it’s a contract? That you’ll divorce Nathaniel in three years?"My eyes went wide open. Only Jessica, Angela and Priscilla knew about this, so who could have told him?"W-What?" I whispered. "How do you even know that?"He didn’t answer. He just looked at me, disappointed.“I told you before you got married,” he said. “if you needed anything let me know. All you had to do was communicate."I kept quiet, not knowing how respond."Ava, I told you I really liked you..since university days and I finally met you...only for you to be stuck with Mr.playboy....even right now, I am just holding myself being around you cause you are now Ava Hargrave. You could have said something before it all got to this." He said, brushing his hair backwards in frustration.I
Ava's POVOur honeymoon was finally over. I told myself not to take the drunk sex as anything because it was a huge mistake. I could let go because I couldn't recall anything that happened. Not even one. I hope it stays that way cause Nathaniel doesn't have feelings for me either and doesn't find me attractive.At first it was awkward around him, and he kept giving me some awkward stares or glances like he disliked something about me. We spent our last day in silence."Are those the photoshoot pictures." I said, trying to lean over to look at Nathaniel's laptop. He quickly shifted like I was smelling.I looked at him wandering, "What's wrong?""Oh nothing. Here you can have the laptop." He said, while handing it over to me.I knew Nathaniel disliked me but since the whole sex mistake, he would avoid any physical touch in anyway possible. It did make me feel uncomfortable and insecure. I started avoiding him as w
Nathaniel’s POVI knew I was in trouble the second she dropped to the yoga mat.She rolled it out in the center of the room like it was just another regular day. There was no music, she just had that blank, focused look on her face like she was about to bend time and space with her yoga poses.She started slow, her arms went up, breathing slowly... I tried not to look but my plan didn’t work.She dipped forward into some forward fold and her ass was in the air like God himself was testing me.I sat still on the edge of the bed, pretending to scroll through my phone, but my screen was dark. Then she dropped into downward dog and I nearly passed out.Her leggings were black and tight. It was Jessica who added that to her clothes. My mother wasn't making things easier for me. Cause thanks to that leggings, I could see everything. Every curve, every muscle flex and I realized something even worse than lust; she had no idea.She had no idea what she looked like from this angle. No idea wha
Nathaniel’s POVWe didn’t speak the rest of that morning. Ava rushed into the bathroom and came out in her robe without a single word. I wrapped myself in the nearest robe I could find and holed up in the bathroom for an hour, just... staring at myself. Splashing cold water on my face. Trying to scrub the irritation and guilt off my skin, but it didn’t work.By the time I came out, Ava was dressed, barely. One of those loose sundresses with thin straps and a back so low I was ninety percent sure it was just held up by prayer. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was already vlogging again. Like we hadn't had sex some hours ago.She looked at me once, then looked away immediately. We were mutually avoiding each other, which was good cause that worked for me.“I’m heading out,” she said casually, slipping on sunglasses.“Where?”“To do my job,” she said flatly. “Make content. Get views. Influence things.”“Right,” I said, scratching my neck. “Be safe.” That was definitely awkward coming
We got back to the villa, and I tucked the pouch into the little bag next to the bed, still thinking about the old woman’s words.Later that night, after some content editing, dinner and the usual silence, Sarah’s “special drink” sat on the bedside table with two glasses. A strange, honey-sweet scent rose from the bottle like it was blooming in slow motion.I stared at it. “Why did you bring this out?”“It was lying around,” he shrugged. “And it looks good.”“Do you remember what Sarah said?”“Who?”“Sarah. About the drink.”He picked up the bottle and sniffed it. “Nope.”“Oh! She said we should take it before sleeping. Together.”“What? Why? Is it alcohol?”“I don’t think so… maybe it’s wine?”“I doubt that,” he said, turning th
Ava’s POVThe fortune-teller didn’t speak right away. Her fingers shuffled the cards with precision, like she'd done it a thousand times in her sleep. The way she moved was too calm.Nathaniel gave an exaggerated sigh behind the camera but I ignored him."You carry a loud beauty,” the old woman said without looking at me. Her voice was deep, melodic. “But your spirit is quieter. Like it’s waiting for something.”I blinked. “Excuse me?”She finally looked up, her gaze soft. “Something inside you has gone quiet. A part of you once full of music and light.”I gave a nervous chuckle. “Marriage does that to a woman.”Nathaniel smirked. “We’re five days in. The light can’t be dead yet.”The woman ignored him completely. She laid the cards out in a fan and gestured. “Pick FIVE.”I glanced back at Nathaniel. “You're really recording this?”“Of course,” he said. “If she summons a demon, I want the footage.”I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, choosing five cards. My fingers hovered over each