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Chapter 20: The Shot
publish date:
2026-08-27 19:22:45“Ethan!”
Ava’s scream echoed through the street. Ethan collapsed on top of her. His weight pressed against her chest. For one horrifying second, she thought he was dead. Then he groaned. Relief flooded through her. “Ethan.” His hand tightened around her arm. “I’m okay.” “No, you’re not.” Blood spread across his shirt. Victoria immediately dropped beside them. “Move.” Ava looked up. “What?” “I said move.” Victoria ripped open Ethan’s jacket. Everyone froze. The bullet had torn through his shoulder. Painful. Bloody. But not fatal. Victoria exhaled. “It missed everything important.” Ethan laughed weakly. “That’s comforting.” Another gunshot rang out. Everyone ducked. “Sniper!” Damien shouted. Richard’s guards immediately scattered. The street exploded into chaos. Ava looked around frantically. The second key. It had fallen when Ethan pushed her down. She couldn’t see it. Panic gripped her chest. The key was gone. ⸻ Across the street… Hidden on a rooftop. A figure lowered a rifle. A small smile appeared on his face. Through the scope, he watched the confusion below. Then he reached into his pocket. And pulled out a small silver key. The second key. “Finally.” ⸻ Back on the street… Ava searched desperately. “It’s gone.” Ethan looked at her. “What?” “The key.” His face went pale. “No.” She checked the ground again. Nothing. Damien joined her. “Did you see where it fell?” “No.” Victoria searched nearby. Still nothing. Then Richard started laughing. The sound sent chills through everyone. Ava looked at him. “What is wrong with you?” Richard’s eyes were fixed on the rooftop across the street. Too late. The shooter was already gone. Richard slowly shook his head. “We’re finished.” Ethan looked up sharply. “What do you mean?” Richard didn’t answer. For the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face. Not fear for himself. Fear of someone else. Someone far worse. Ava noticed immediately. “Who was that?” Richard looked at her. Then toward Adrian. The twin had gone completely silent. “Tell her,” Richard said. Adrian didn’t move. “Tell her who took the key.” “No.” Richard laughed bitterly. “Still protecting him?” Ava’s heart pounded. Protecting who? Adrian finally looked up. His face had lost all color. “Because if I say his name…” He swallowed. “…everyone here dies.” Silence. Absolute silence. Ava stared at him. For the first time since meeting Adrian, he looked terrified. Not angry. Not manipulative. Terrified. Ethan slowly stood despite his injury. “Adrian.” His brother looked away. “Don’t.” “Tell me.” “No.” Ethan stepped closer. “Tell me.” Adrian closed his eyes. Then he whispered a single word. “The Founder.” The night suddenly felt colder. Ava frowned. “The Founder?” Nobody answered. She looked around. Every face had changed. Richard. Damien. Elena. Her father. Even Ethan. All of them knew the name. All of them looked afraid. “What does that mean?” Richard spoke first. “The Founder is the person who created everything.” “The Black Ledger?” “Yes.” Ava blinked. “I thought you created it.” Richard laughed. “You really think I was at the top?” Her stomach dropped. If Richard wasn’t the most powerful person involved… Then who was? “The Founder built the network.” Richard’s voice became quiet. “The politicians.” “The judges.” “The shell companies.” “The hidden accounts.” “The corruption.” “He built all of it.” Ava’s fingers trembled. “And the keys?” Richard looked at her. “The keys lead to proof.” “Proof of what?” “His identity.” The words hit like a bomb. Ava looked at Ethan. Then Adrian. Then her parents. Suddenly the plane crash made more sense. The attacks. The murders. The lies. Someone had been trying to stop the truth from being exposed. Not Richard. Not Adrian. Someone higher. Someone hidden. “The Founder ordered the crash?” Ethan nodded. “We think so.” Ava looked at Adrian. “You knew.” His eyes filled with guilt. “I suspected.” “You let all of this happen.” “I was trying to stop him.” “No.” Ava shook her head. “You were trying to get the keys first.” Adrian didn’t deny it. That silence told her everything. Then Ethan’s phone rang again. Lucas. Ethan answered immediately. “Lucas.” The man’s voice sounded weaker than before. “Ethan.” “We lost the second key.” “I know.” Everyone froze. “How?” Lucas coughed. “Because he came here.” Ava’s heart stopped. “What?” Lucas’s voice trembled. “The Founder.” Silence. Then Lucas whispered something that made the blood drain from every face in the street. “He’s been pretending to be someone else this entire time.” Ava gripped the phone. “Who is he?” A long pause followed. Then Lucas answered. And the moment he said the name… Ava felt her entire world shatter. “Damien.”
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The Widow Who Married My Husband Chapter 32: No More Running
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The Widow Who Married My Husband Chapter 31: Before Sunrise
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The Widow Who Married My Husband Author’s Note
Dear Readers,First of all, thank you for taking this journey with me. Every chapter, every comment, every vote, and every moment you spend with The Widow Who Married My Husband means more than you know.When Ava buried her husband, she believed her story had ended. She never imagined that the man she mourned would return, bringing with him secrets, lies, and a past far more dangerous than she could have imagined. What began as a story of grief and loss has become a battle for truth, love, and survival.As we move deeper into the story, the mysteries surrounding Ethan, Adrian, Ava’s family, and the Circle will continue to unfold. But at its heart, this novel is still about one woman fighting to reclaim her life after discovering that everything she believed was true was built on lies.The road ahead will bring shocking betrayals, painful sacrifices, unexpected alliances, and emotional choices that will test every character. Some secrets will finally be revealed, while others may chang
The Widow Who Married My Husband Chapter 30: A Mother’s Betrayal
The cabin fell into complete silence.Nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The only sound was the rain hammering against the roof.Ava stared at the photograph in Ethan’s hand.Then she looked again.And again.As though staring longer would somehow change what she was seeing.It didn’t.The woman standing beside Richard Cross was her mother.Elena.Dressed in black.Standing calmly among armed members of the Circle.Not frightened.Not captured.Not forced.Standing there as if she belonged.Ava’s fingers began to tremble.“No.”The word barely escaped her lips.Ethan remained silent.Adrian looked away.Neither man wanted to be the one to say it.“No.”Ava took the photograph from Ethan’s hand.“This isn’t real.”Her voice cracked.“This has to be fake.”Nobody answered.Because they had all already asked themselves the same question.And none of them had found an answer they liked.Ava stared at her mother’s face.The expression was calm.Confident.Familiar.And that somehow made it worse.
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The message glowed on the screen.Bring Ava Brooks to Blackwater Church before sunrise.Or Ethan Cross dies.The cabin felt suffocatingly small.Ava couldn’t breathe.Her eyes remained fixed on the phone.The words refused to disappear.As though reading them again might somehow change them.It didn’t.The threat remained.Real.Terrifying.And very specific.Adrian slowly lowered the phone.His face had become unreadable.“What do we do?”Ava hated how small her voice sounded.For several seconds, Adrian didn’t answer.Then he laughed bitterly.“They finally did it.”“What?”“They backed me into a corner.”Ava stood.“We’re not going.”His eyes immediately met hers.“You don’t know that.”“I do.”She shook her head.“I’m not walking into a trap.”Adrian stared at her.“Ava.”“No.”“If Ethan is really in danger—”“He wouldn’t want this.”Silence.Ava swallowed hard.“He would never trade my life for his.”The words hurt because they were true.Ethan had spent months risking everything
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