MasukAva:Dante dropped Belle and I off at the premises of the school. He came down, and rounded the car, opening my door, and helping me out.“There really wouldn't have been any need for you to drive us over here. It's a walk-able distance.” That was exactly the same thing I had been telling him since we left the house, but his response was the same, again and again.“I’m heading this way, Ava.”I knew with certainty that he was only being persistent. Because the truth is, he wasn’t heading this way, he was heading the other way. I didn't argue further, since there was no use anyway.He carried Belle down from the back seat, and helped her pick up her lunch box, along with her school bag.Then he picked her up in his arms, before we walked into the entrance of the school together.The morning air was still cool, and the school grounds were already buzzing as students trooped on. Kids ran around in their uniforms, parents chatted in small groups near the gates and the teachers stood by t
Ava:“Wakie wakie, Mommy. Wakie wakie, Daddy.”Belle was the first to wake up, and as usual she just had to wake us up too.I blinked my eyes open to find her gummy smile directed at me, and her face was very close.“Good morning, Mommy,” she mumbled, leaning to press a kiss to my cheeks.The little action made my heart melt, and I pulled her closer, letting her warm scent wrap around me. “Good morning, Isabelle.”I wasn't sure what I might have said that she picked offense to, but her brows squeezed tightly and she tilted her head. “Who's Isabelle?” She looked really serious and confused.It was only then it finally dawned on me what I had done terribly wrong. I held back a laugh, looking up at her.The confused face she made was very similar to Dante when he was also confused. The similarity between them was so clear and striking that it was hard to miss.Instead of correcting myself immediately, I decided to play along. “Ah, sorry. Good morning, Belle.”Her frown tightened. “We hav
Ava:By the time I heard the sound of his footsteps approaching the kitchen, I had already set down everything for the two of us.Two servings of the reheated chicken and rice, still steaming hot. The vegetables I'd made earlier were arranged more carefully than they needed to be. And in the center of the table, a small basket of fruit was arranged, which I'd washed and placed there almost without thinking.I'd set the plates across from each other at the small dining table, and I was sitting on one of the stools, waiting for him.When Dante walked into the kitchen, my gaze flickered to him, and I noticed his hair was damp and he was now wearing very casual clothes. He was wearing black joggers with a grey T-shirt, which gave me enough to look at.My eyes fell on the small tattoo on his biceps, and I wondered why I hadn't seen it before. But immediately realized it was because he had never worn such a small-sleeved shirt in front.I dragged my gaze out of the drawing on his forearm a
Ava:I stepped inside first, and Dante followed me into the house after, shutting the door behind him and clicking the lock shut.“How long have your security lights been out?” he asked as he dropped his suitcase beside one of the couches.“Two to three weeks now,” suddenly feeling very conscious of my step.I had been fuming with anger less than an hour ago, but now that he had explained everything, there was nothing else to be angry about. It was really just a misunderstanding, and he had cleared it up.“So you didn't see me out there before you opened the door?” he asked as I stepped into the kitchen.I could hear his steady footsteps behind me, but not once did I turn to look at him. “No, I didn't.”I didn't need to turn around to know he had stopped walking.“That’s dangerous, Ava.”I paused by the counter, my fingers curling around the edge to keep me grounded. “What is it?”“No lights outside. Opening the door without checking, especially this late.”I finally turned to face hi
Ava:The corners of his eyes creased, and he looked really confused.The look on his face fueled my anger more, because what exactly was he planning to do? Come here and pretend like nothing at all happened? That after he was done having fun with Georgia, he could come back here and act all confused so he could step into my house and simply crash his way back? Did I look that much of a fool to him?Or did he even take me for a doormat to accept it all like that?I shook my head again, intending to slam the door on his face, but before I could, his hand shot up and he held the door open.I needn't say anything else; the frustration was evident in my expression, and he was very good with reading people's expressions and moods.“Dante, take your hands off the door.” I warned, glancing up at his hand, which was pressed flat against the door, holding it back.“What’s going on?” he asked softly, looking seriously confused.I forced out a laugh. “Are you really asking me that?”He nodded, wa
Ava:I woke up at around 3 A.M. because I felt pressed and needed to use the bathroom, but as soon as I reached for my phone, my phone vibrated with the number of messages and news headlines coming in.A frown curved my brows, and I pushed down the urge to unlock my phone. Instead, I went up and used my phone’s flashlight.I darted a glance over at Belle, who was still fast asleep, before entering the bathroom.Stepping out a bit later, my phone vibrated in my hands again, forcing me to swipe through the passcode and check the news headlines that had been buzzing my phone all night.There were a couple of messages from Cecily. Actually, it was more than just a couple of them. There were numerous of them, and they were all pictures taken from different shots and different angles.My eyes furrowed tight, and I tried to wipe off the remaining sleep in my eyes because the pictures seemed blurry.I tapped into one and nearly faltered on my step.The image loaded fully, and my heart dropped







