Chapter 5

AVA

"Are you sure about this?" Noelle’s voice came out tight, almost breaking, as she shoved another box into my arms.

I slid it into the trunk of my black car, trying to be careful, like if I placed it just right maybe my nerves would settle. They didn’t. I brushed a strand of hair out of my face and forced the words out. "Yes, I’m sure." My chest didn’t believe me. It felt hollow, aching.

Noelle crossed her arms, chin tipped down, watching me like she might rip the box back out. "Ava, why? Why are you even doing this? None of it makes sense. You’re walking away from everything. For what?"

I gave her a smile. A fake one, the kind that never touches your eyes. "Even if I told you, you wouldn’t get it."

She let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. "You’re scaring me. It’s like you’re running straight into a storm with your eyes shut."

I opened my mouth, ready to snap back, when a voice cut through the air, loud, sharp.

"Ava!"

I froze. That voice. My father’s.

He came charging toward us, eyes burning like he was about to rip the ground open. "Are you seriously telling me you’ve lost your mind?"

I gripped the trunk edge so hard my knuckles ached. "Don’t start, Dad. I’ve made my decision. That’s it. End of story."

He stopped in front of me, close enough that his shadow swallowed mine. Towering. Heavy. Always heavy. "Give me the keys."

My jaw dropped. "What? No. This is my car."

His mouth twisted into a smile that wasn’t a smile at all. "Who bought it for you?"

Heat burned my face. My voice shrank. "You did."

He didn’t even pause. His hand shot out, snatching the keys from me before I could blink. My breath caught in my throat.

"Security!" His voice cracked like a whip as he waved to the guards by the gate. "Take her things out of the trunk. She doesn’t need this car anymore. Her husband can buy her one if she wants to play grown-up."

I just stood there, frozen, chest rising and falling like I’d been punched. Box after box came out of the trunk, my life spilling onto the pavement, while he looked at me the way he always did, like he owned me. Like I’d never really get to leave.

I almost broke right there. My chest caved, breath snagging, but Noelle was quick, her arm slid around me, holding me upright like I might collapse.

“Don’t cry, Ava,” she whispered, though her own voice wobbled, like she was swallowing back tears herself.

I looked up, and my eyes locked on him. My father. His face was carved out of stone. No cracks, no mercy.

“Since you’ve decided to be so stupid as to marry your father’s enemy,” he said, each word sharp enough to cut, “everything you own that I bought for you, you will leave behind.”

My lips parted. Nothing came out.

And still, he went on.

“And did you really think I was joking when I said your assets would be seized?”

My stomach dropped so fast I thought I’d be sick. “Father, ”

But he didn’t let me finish. He was already pulling out his phone, scrolling with that slow, deliberate calm that always scared me more than his yelling. He lifted it to his ear.

“Good afternoon,” he said, voice clipped, businesslike, as if I wasn’t even standing there shaking. “This is Mr. Morgan. Restrict every single transaction on Ava Morgan’s account immediately. Yes. Lock it. Effective now. She has no more access.”

The blood roared in my ears. “What?!” The word ripped out of me, raw. My hands shook as I stumbled toward him. “You can’t do this!”

Tears burned hot, but I didn’t care anymore. I lunged closer, voice breaking. “You have no right, Father! That money came from my charity. It’s mine. I’m not some child you can pull around on strings!”

His head snapped up, and his glare hit me like a slap.

“Your charity?” His mouth curled into a laugh that held no warmth. “Don’t fool yourself, Ava. I started Hope Foundation. I poured millions into it. Without me, there would be no Hope Foundation for you to brag about.”

My breath caught in my throat. “That’s not true. I worked for that. I built it. You gave money, sure, but I gave it life.”

His jaw flexed, teeth grinding. “And now you want to throw it all away, for him.”

I opened my mouth, ready to spit the truth, that he’d already tainted the charity, used it to wash his dirty money, but the sound of an engine cut through the tension. Low. Smooth.

A black car rolled into the compound, its tires crunching against gravel like the opening of some slow, inevitable storm.

Noelle’s hand tightened around my arm. She leaned in, whispering, urgent.

“Ava… Is that not…..”

My stomach lurched. “What the hell is he doing here?” My voice came out sharp, harder than I felt inside.

And then Roman was there. Striding toward me like he owned the ground. He didn’t even blink before leaning down and brushing his lips against my cheek. Quick. Possessive.

I froze. Every muscle locked tight.

“Are you ready to leave, darling?” he asked, smooth as silk, voice dripping with the kind of charm he used like a weapon. “I’m so sorry I’m late picking you up. Got held down by business, you know how it is. Your husband’s a busy man.”

I stared at him, caught between shock and fury. Can’t recall calling him to come pick me up? My lips parted, the thought burning, but he’d already turned, already moving past me.

Straight to my father.

“Hey, father-in-law,” Roman said easily, almost too casually. “Glad to see you out of custody. What did you tell them to walk free so fast? You must be really good at covering your crimes. But don’t get too comfortable, this is just the beginning.”

“Roman, stop!” My voice cracked as I pushed forward, heart slamming against my ribs.

My father’s rage hit like a storm. His face flushed, his eyes lit with pure fire. “Get the hell out of my house before I do something I’ll regret!” His body trembled, fists clenched.

But Roman only smiled. Calm. Cocky. Dangerous.

“I’m sorry to be taking your precious daughter away,” he said softly, like a blade sliding between ribs. “I promise to take good care of her.”

That did it. My father snapped. His arm flew up, hand raised, ready to strike Roman across the face,

“No!” I screamed, throwing myself forward, clutching his arm before it landed. “Please, don’t!” My chest squeezed tight, breath ragged, tears stinging hot behind my eyes.

Roman laughed. Loud. Cruel. The sound filled the room like it didn’t belong in a moment this fragile. “Let’s go, baby,” he said with that smug little smirk, like this was all some kind of joke.

I looked at my father. My throat ached, words knotted up inside me. I wanted to explain, to make him understand, but the truth was, I didn’t even understand it myself. This whole mess was spinning out of my hands.

So I did the only thing I could. I stepped back.

My gaze found Noelle. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and wet. I leaned close, whispering, “I’ll call you. I’ll come tomorrow… to see Mom at the hospital.”

Her mouth parted in shock. “Ava, shouldn’t you be at the hospital with her right now?” Her voice broke, trembling with disbelief.

The words hit me square in the gut. I froze. She was right. God, she was right. I should’ve been with Mom. Holding her hand. Sitting by her bed. Instead, I was here, drowning in chaos, fighting battles that left her alone. Guilt tore through me, sharp and merciless.

And then my father’s voice cut through, flat and cold. He didn’t even look at me.

“I’m disappointed in you.”

That was all. No yelling. No threats. Just those four words. And then he turned his back, disappearing inside, leaving me standing in the wreckage of what used to be home.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Then Roman’s hand slid into mine, firm, possessive, pulling me away before I could even decide if my legs wanted to follow.

And I let him.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped the second I slid into the passenger seat. The door slammed harder than I meant, rattling against its frame.

Roman didn’t answer right away. He just adjusted his seat belt like we weren’t sitting in the middle of the most screwed-up day of my life. His calm only made my skin crawl.

I stared at him, waiting. My throat was tight, heart pounding like I’d just sprinted.

Finally, he glanced at me. “What?”

My laugh came out sharp, ugly. “Don’t play dumb. You’re not supposed to be here. We’re not lovers, remember? This is a contract. A deal. Nothing more.” My words tumbled out faster, hotter. “So why the hell are you showing up like some, some boyfriend? I have a car. I don’t need a chauffeur.”

That’s when he smiled. Not wide. Just that tiny, cocky curve of his lips that made me want to throw something. “You mean the car your father just took from you?”

My chest caved in. “What?”

He said it so casually, like it was small talk. Like he wasn’t ripping the floor out from under me.

My mouth went dry. “How the hell do you know about that?” I whipped my head around, scanning the car, corners, dashboard, even the mirror, as if I might find a hidden mic or some tiny black camera light blinking at me. My voice rose, frantic. “Are you spying on me now? Is that it?”

Roman didn’t blink. Didn’t even bother pretending. He fastened the belt across his chest and leaned back, eyes fixed on me with that maddening calm. “Noelle told me.”

For a beat, I couldn’t breathe. Then the anger hit, hot and sharp, rushing through me like fire in my veins. My nails dug into my palms.

“Of course she did.” The words tasted bitter. I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached. “That girl doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut to save her life.”