006 Torn Desires

(Ava)

Later that night on our rooftop terrace the Vegas skyline glitters, but I’m not looking at the lights.

I’m thinking about Tuesday.

About Zach Lorne’s reaction when I sign those divorce papers.

The Strip glitters like a mirage, mocking me with the memory of our impulsive wedding night. That night was my first time.

He doesn’t know this time is goodbye. 

He doesn’t know I’m about to make him bare his soul, only to rip it from his chest.

The baby monitor screen glows faintly on the table beside me. 

Lila is safe, sleeping two floors below. She’s my reason, my shield, the heartbeat.

I’ll never let anyone endanger her again.

The door clicks. I don’t turn. I don’t have to. The heat of his presence wraps around me before he even speaks.

“Ava,” Zach says softly, his voice low, coaxing. “Lila’s out like a light.”

I keep my eyes on the horizon. “She had a big day.”

His hand presses at the small of my back.

My body shivers at the touch, traitorous as always.

I force myself to remember: tonight, I’m not his adoring wife. I’m his executioner, giving him one last taste of heaven before I drag him through hell.

“You seem restless, princess.”

That word… princess. 

Once it melted me. Tonight it’s different. 

Yes, call me that. Because soon you’ll wish you never loved me enough to say it.

“I was thinking about my degree,” I lie smoothly, turning to face him. “About starting my firm.”

He cups my cheek, thumb brushing tenderly. “You’ll nail it. You’re brilliant.” 

His smile softens, the kind that once made me believe in forever. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?

Perfect. He’s already softening, already vulnerable. Tonight I’ll crack him open until he bleeds love and need for me.

“Then make me believe it,” I whisper, dragging his hand lower.

A growl rumbles in his throat as he pulls me inside.

Our suite glows gold in the low light, the massive bed waiting like an altar. He presses me back against it, kissing me hard, desperate.

I kiss him back, but I take control, my fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper. 

He thinks he’s leading this. 

I’m the one setting the pace.

“Slow down,” I whisper against his lips. “I want you to feel all of me. Every part.”

His chest heaves. His eyes darken. “God, Ava. I always feel you.”

Good. 

Say it. 

Say more. 

Spill your heart so I can rip it out on Tuesday.

He kneels between my thighs, eyes devouring me.

His mouth lowers, his tongue teasing me until I’m gasping, writhing. 

But instead of surrendering, I thread my fingers through his hair and hold him there.

“Look at me,” I demand.

His gaze flicks up, startled by the command.

“That’s it,” I murmur, arching against his mouth. “I want you to see what you do to me. I want you to know you’re the only one who can make me this way.”

His groan vibrates against me, sending shocks through my body.

He thrusts his fingers inside, hitting that spot that makes me cry out, and I hold his head tighter.

“Beg for me,” I whisper, half daring, half plea. “Tell me how much you need me.”

He pulls back, panting, his lips slick. “Ava, I… fuck… I need you more than anything. You own me. You always have.”

He drops his forehead against my thigh, voice rough with desperation. “Don’t ever leave me. I couldn’t take it. You’re all I’ve got, Ava. I swear to God, you’re all I’ve got.”

The words lance straight through my chest, sharp and sweet.

For a second, the ache almost breaks me. 

Then I remind myself… perfect, Zach. You’ve just handed me the knife I’ll use to cut you open.

I drag him up and guide him onto his back, straddling him, surprising him with the sudden power shift.

His hands grip my hips, but I pin them to the bed. “Not tonight,” I whisper, my voice low and commanding. “Tonight, I ride you. Tonight, you give me everything.”

His eyes flare with heat and something more vulnerable… trust.

He whispers, broken, “Please don’t stop, Ava. Please don’t hold back. I need all of you tonight. I don’t care what it takes… just don’t shut me out.”

And I take it all.

I move over him slow, deliberate, dragging moans from him. His control shatters with every roll of my hips, every kiss I press to his throat.

“You love me,” I whisper, bending close, taunting. “Say it.”

“I love you,” he groans, helpless. “God, I love you, Ava.”

His voice cracks on the next words. “You’re my whole world. I’d fall apart without you. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Again. Again. I force him to say it until the words tumble from his lips in a frantic litany, until his voice is ragged and his eyes glassy with desperation.

Each confession cuts me open, because I know he loves me. And the truth rips me in two… he did love me. But love isn’t enough.

He never trusted me enough; never gave me the faith I deserved. His loyalty was not to me and Lila first.

That’s the wound I can’t forgive. That’s the scar that makes this a victory and a loss all at once.

But tonight, I’m twisting the blade in myself as well as him.

Tonight, I make him bleed love so that on Tuesday, when I sign those papers, when I walk away, he’ll finally understand what betrayal feels like.

When release finally rips through me, it’s violent, overwhelming.

Not just pleasure, but grief, rage, vengeance, and goodbye all tangled together. I cry out his name, and for once it feels like a curse, not a prayer.

We collapse in a sweaty tangle, his arms wrapped tight around me. He buries his face in my hair, whispering, “Forever, Ava. You and me. Forever.”

His voice is so raw, so unguarded, that tears prick my eyes. Because I know he means it, even now. And still… he’ll never believe in me the way I believed in him.

I close my eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Yes, Zach. Forever… until Tuesday.