CHAPTER 16 The Arrest

The way he said it was low, cold, and finally made my chest tighten. I looked at him and saw not just a man who’d saved me, but someone already ready to lose everything for me. And that scared me more than Charles ever could.

I whispered, “You’re risking too much.”

He didn’t look at me. “I already lost everything the day I met you.”

I froze. The honesty in his voice cut deep. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Minutes stretched between us before I finally found my voice again. “You don’t mean that.”

His grip tightened on the wheel. “I do.”

He stopped the car suddenly by the side of an empty road. The sound of the engine cutting off felt like the world had gone quiet.

He turned to me slowly. “Ava, do you even know what it’s like watching you suffer and being unable to touch you? To see him hurt you and not be able to stop it?”

My breath caught. “You think I wanted any of this?”

“I think,” he said quietly, leaning closer, “you’ve been trained to believe your pain keeps others safe.”

His words hit too close. “Stop,” I whispered.

“No,” he said furiously. “You’ve spent years surviving him. But survival isn’t living. And I’m not going to let him keep you in his cage.”

Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away. “You think this is that simple? You think we can just run away and it ends?”

He didn’t move. “It ends when we make it end.”

We didn’t talk again until we reached the safehouse. It wasn’t the same one as before; Nathaniel had moved sites.

Inside, Isabella was waiting. Her face said everything, fear, urgency, and anger all mixed together.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” she hissed. “Charles has people everywhere. You led them straight to us.”

Nathaniel shot her a look. “I took every back road I could find.”

“Not enough,” she snapped. “His men are already in the city. You think you’re faster than Charles Hawthorne?”

I stepped forward. “Enough, both of you. Fighting won’t help.”

Isabella turned to me, her eyes narrowing. “You don’t understand what you’ve just done, Ava. You gave him a reason to destroy everyone related to you.”

Her words chilled me. “What do you mean?”

She took a breath. “Charles’s empire isn’t just built on business deals. It’s built on pressure, loyalty, and fear. The moment you ran, you became his weakness. And that means everyone around you is now expendable.”

Nathaniel’s voice was cold. “Let him come. He’ll regret touching her again.”

Isabella shook her head slowly. “You really don’t get it, do you? You’re not fighting a man. You’re fighting a system that’s been built to protect him.”

For a moment, the room felt suffocating. I sat down, my hands shaking.

“What do we do now?” I whispered.

Isabella crossed her arms. “We finish what we started. We expose him. Every deal, every account, every name.”

I looked at her sharply. “You said there were files. Where are they?”

Her gaze flickered. “Hidden. But not for long. He’s looking for them.”

Nathaniel stepped closer. “Then we get them first.”

She paused. “It’s not that simple. The files are protected and stored in his personal safe. Inside his private estate.”

I frowned. “You mean the one we just escaped?”

Isabella nodded sadly. “Yes.”

Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. “Then we go back.”

I turned to him in disbelief. “You’ve lost your mind. We barely made it out alive.”

His voice was steady. “If those files can destroy him, they’re our only chance.”

I shook my head. “That’s suicide.”

Isabella smiled angrily. “Maybe. But sometimes, death is the only way to kill a monster.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy with unsaid fears. I looked between themNathaniel’s drive and Isabella’s cold pragmatismand felt something twist inside me.

For the first time, I saw how far this had gone. This wasn’t just about escape anymore. This was about stopping something that had started long before I met either of them.

I whispered, “He’ll expect me to come back.”

Nathaniel’s head snapped toward me. “What?”

I met his eyes steadily. “He knows I won’t stay hidden for long. He knows me too well. If we want those files, I can get inside without raising suspicion.”

Nathaniel’s voice was sharp. “No. Absolutely not.”

Isabella gave a cold smile. “She’s right. He’ll lower his guard for her.”

Nathaniel turned on her. “You’re not using her as bait.”

“She’s not bait,” Isabella responded, her tone unwavering. “She’s the only one who can walk into the lion’s den and come out alive.”

Nathaniel looked like he was about to explode. “You think I’ll let her walk back to the man who nearly killed her?”

“She’s stronger than you think,” Isabella said softly.

Their eyes met, neither willing to back down.

I stood up. “Stop it.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “I’m not asking for permission. I’m telling you what has to be done.”

Nathaniel looked at me with disbelief. “You think I’ll let you”

“You don’t get to let me or stop me,” I interrupted. “This is my life. My war. You saved me once, Nathaniel, but if I run forever, he wins.”

His chest rose and fell quickly, his voice low. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

I stepped closer, looking him straight in the eyes. “Then I’ll die fighting.”

The stress in the room was overwhelming. Isabella looked almost impressed; Nathaniel looked crushed.

He finally mumbled, “You’re not going alone.”

I nodded. “Then we do this together.”

For the first time in hours, he looked at me not with anger, but with something softer. Something like faith.

Later that night, as the others slept, I sat alone by the window, unable to calm my rushing thoughts. The city lights blinked in the distance, mocking me. I could almost hear Charles’s voice smooth, confident, spiteful.

“You disappoint me, Ava. I gave you everything.”

I closed my eyes, saying to myself, “You gave me a prison.”

Footsteps approached quietly. Nathaniel.

He sat beside me without a word. After a moment, he said softly, “You’re shaking.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

He reached out and took my hand, his touch warm and grounding. “You don’t have to keep pretending to be unbreakable.”

I looked down at our joined hands. “I’m not pretending. I’m surviving.”

He gave a faint smile. “Then let me help you survive this time.”

I turned to him. “And when it’s over?”

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes searched mine, like he was afraid of what I’d say next. “When it’s over,” he said slowly, “maybe we start over too.”

I froze. “Nathaniel”

He leaned closer. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel it. You can lie to him, to the world, even to yourself but not to me.”

My breath hitched. “It doesn’t matter what I feel.”

“It does,” he said softly. “Because I’d burn for you, Ava. And I don’t care if it kills me.”

His words tore through me. I looked away, my heart trembling between guilt and desire.

“I can’t give you what you want,” I whispered.

He nodded slowly, though his eyes were filled with pain. “Then just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t go back to him alone.”