Chapter 18 - The Protector’s Betrayal

I walked to the window, my image shattered against the glass.

Disappear or destroy.

Freedom or fire.

Nathaniel’s voice repeated in my mind: Don’t let him win.

I turned back to Isabella. “If we do this, what happens to him? ”

“Charles? ”

“No,” I said softly. “Nathaniel.”

She paused. “He’s the leverage. If we make this move, Charles will use him as bait.”

I clenched my hands. “Then we take him back first.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re serious.”

I met her eyes. “He went to prison because of me. I’m not leaving him there.”

Isabella sighed. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

“Then let him try,” I said strongly. “For once, he won’t be the only one with a plan.”

We sat for hours, going over every detail. The vaults. The accounts. The records.

Halfway through, Isabella stopped, looking at me with something like pride. “You’ve changed.”

“I had to,” I said. “The woman he married died the moment he locked me in that glass room.”

She nodded slowly. “Then maybe there’s hope for both of us.”

By dawn, we had a plan. It was risky. Dangerous. But it was all we had.

As Isabella prepared to leave, she turned at the door. “One last thing, Ava.”

“What? ”

She paused, her tone softer. “There’s something you don’t know about Nathaniel.”

I frowned. “What do you mean? ”

She looked away. “When Charles hired him, it wasn’t random. He wanted someone to protect you. Someone he could control.”

My pulse quickened. “What are you saying? ”

“I’m saying,” she said slowly, “Nathaniel wasn’t just your protector. He was your watcher. Your guard dog. Until he fell in love with you.”

The room went quiet. My heart stopped beating for a moment.

“You’re lying.”

“I wish I was,” Isabella whispered. “He didn’t know the full truth at first. But when he did he tried to walk away. Charles punished him for it.”

I couldn’t breathe. Every memory, every touch, every promise it all blurred into chaos.

“He knew? ” I asked, my voice breaking. “He knew who Charles really was and still stayed? ”

“He stayed to protect you,” Isabella said softly. “But you deserve to know that loyalty like that comes with guilt.”

My chest tightened painfully. I didn’t know what to feel betrayed, or thankful for.

When she left, the quiet that followed was awful.

I looked down at the folder on the table, then at the picture of the three of my mother, me, and Charles hiding behind.

The truth was poison. But it was also powerful.

And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid of it.

My phone buzzed. A message.

No name. Just one line.

“He knows where you are.”

I didn’t invite her out of kindness. I invited her because she was useful.

She looked smaller than I remembered. Her eyesred from tears or exhaustionheld that same stubborn glow that once made Nathaniel forget everyone else in the room. I hated her for that. I hated how her sadness still had beauty in it.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I said, sitting across from her.

Ava didn’t smile. “Maybe I have.”

Her tone was sharp, almost cutting. The world had turned against her, and yet she stood as if daring me to break her more. I respected that, even when I wanted to crush it.

“You came because you need something,” she continued quietly. “No one from Charles’s world ever reaches out without a reason.”

I let a soft laugh escape. “You always were quick.”

“Then don’t waste my time.”

I leaned back, studying her face. She looked nothing like the woman who once attended charity galas with Nathaniel’s hand on her waist. She looked… raw. The right time to make her useful.

“There’s a document,” I began slowly. “A will. My brother’s secret will. If it’s found, it will kill him completely.”

Ava frowned. “And you want me to help you find it?”

“Yes.”

Her voice dropped. “Why me?”

“Because you were married to him,” I said sharply. “Because you know his habits. His passwords. His flaws. You know where he hides the things he fears most.”

She stiffened. “And what do you get from this?”

“The truth,” I said simply. “And freedom.”

She shook her head. “You mean revenge.”

I smiled weakly. “Maybe both.”

Her eyes narrowed, searching my face for lies. She wouldn’t find the kind she could name.

“Nathaniel is in prison because of Charles,” I said softly. “The arrest, the leaks, all of itCharles orchestrated everything. He wanted to ruin you both. But that will… It's proof. Proof of his corruption, his hidden deals, his crimes. If it ever comes out, he’s finished.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re saying Charles framed him?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible. Charles is cold, but not stupid. Why would he risk everything just to destroy Nathaniel?”

I leaned closer. “Because of you.”

She froze. “What?”

“Because Nathaniel loved you,” I whispered. “And Charles never forgave him for choosing you over his loyalty to the family.”

Ava stared at me, disbelief flashing through her eyes. “You’re lying.”

I didn’t look away. “I wish I was.”

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table, shaking slightly. When she finally spoke, her voice was hollow.

“So, what now? You think I’ll just walk into his office and steal something from his vault?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

She stood suddenly, anger filling her face. “You think I owe you anything? After what your family did? After what you did?”

Her words hit harder than I expected. I swallowed them down. “You want the truth? Fine.”

I rose from my seat, my hands shaking despite my calm voice. “I loved him first. Nathaniel.”

She froze.

“I loved him before he loved you,” I said, my voice sharp as glass. “Before you showed up at one of those ridiculous charity events and smiled like you owned the world. Before he forgot I existed.”

Her lips parted, but no words came.