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Chapter 44
publish date:
2026-09-03 09:02:28Ava POV
The morning of the convoy, I woke before dawn.
The house was too quiet. No birds singing, no wind through the trees. Just the heavy stillness that comes before something terrible. I lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of the bracelet on my wrist. It had been there so long now that I barely noticed it. But this morning, it felt cold. Like a warning.
I dressed slowly. Black slacks, a dark s
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Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 57
Ava POVI didn't make it far.I was halfway down the corridor when I heard the door open behind me. Heavy footsteps. Marcus. I knew his walk by now—the steady, deliberate rhythm of a man who'd spent his life moving with purpose."Ava, wait."I kept walking. "I said I needed space.""And I'm saying you can't have it." He caught up to me, his hand closing around my arm. Not hard, but firm. "Not right now. Not with Margot's people everywhere."I spun to face him. "So what? I'm supposed to just stand there while you three tear each other apart?""No. You're supposed to let me handle it."The words hit me like a slap. I stared at him, my exhaustion flaring into anger. "Handle it? Like you handled Damien? Like you've handled everything else since we got here?"His jaw tightened. "That's not fair."
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 56
Ava POVIt took an hour to clean Damien's wounds.Lucas worked in silence, his hands steady, his face unreadable. Marcus stood by the door, his arms crossed, his jaw tight. I sat on the floor beside the couch, watching Damien drift in and out of consciousness. The drugs Margot's people had given him were still in his system, making his words slur and his eyes glassy.But when Lucas pressed a cold compress to his broken ribs, Damien gasped and came awake."Easy," Lucas said. "You have three cracked ribs. Possibly a concussion. You're lucky it's not worse.""Lucky." Damien laughed, then winced. "Yeah. That's me."Marcus moved from the door. "You think this is funny?""Marcus," I warned."No." Marcus stepped closer, his hands clenched at his sides. "He's been holding out on us. On you. For days. Maybe longer. And now we'
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 55
Ava POVI didn't sleep.The guards had thrown me into my room and locked the door from the outside. I'd pounded on it until my fists bruised, screaming Damien's name until my voice gave out. No one came. The walls absorbed my cries like they'd absorbed everything else—the secrets, the lies, the slow unraveling of everything I thought I knew.I sat on the floor, my back against the bed, my knees pulled to my chest. The red dress from the gala was torn at the hem, stained with champagne and tears. I didn't bother changing. What was the point? Nothing mattered anymore except getting to Damien.When the lock finally clicked open, I was on my feet in seconds.Marcus stood in the doorway, his face pale and drawn. Lucas was behind him, his eyes dark with worry. Neither of them spoke. The look on their faces told me everything."Where is he?" I demanded."Ava—""Where is Damien?"Marcus stepped inside, his hands raised like he was approaching a wounded animal. "We can't find him. His room is
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 54
Ava POVThe applause still echoed in my ears when the guards came.They surrounded us quietly, efficiently, like wolves closing in on wounded prey. Margot had already turned away, gliding through the crowd, accepting congratulations with that cold, satisfied smile. But her people knew their orders."Mrs. Sterling," one of them said, his voice low. "Madam Kessler requests a private word.""It wasn't a request." I didn't look at him. "It never is."The guard didn't deny it. He just gestured toward a side door, half-hidden behind a curtain of black silk. Marcus stepped in front of me, his body a wall."She's not going anywhere alone.""Madam Kessler said you would say that." The guard's expression didn't change. "She also said to remind you that the oath is not yet sealed. Your cooperation is expected. Your resistance is... anticipated."The word sent a chill down my spine. Anticipated. Like she'd already planned for every move we might make. Like she was standing at the center of a web,
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 53
Ava POVI was halfway to the door when the screen flickered again."Wait." Margot's voice cut through the murmur of the crowd like a blade. "There's more."I stopped. My back was to her, but I could feel her eyes on me, sharp and knowing. The room had gone quiet again, the guests turning back toward the screen with hungry anticipation."Turn around, Ava." Her voice was soft, almost gentle. "This part is about you. About what you carry."I didn't want to turn. Every instinct screamed at me to keep walking, to push through those doors and run until my legs gave out. But something held me there. The weight of the moment. The terrible need to know the truth.I turned.The screen had changed. A new document glowed against the white backdrop. Another DNA report, but this one was different. It wasn't about paternity. It was about something else
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 52
Ava POVThe gala arrived like a storm.The estate transformed overnight. Workers had been moving through the halls for days, hanging black silk and crimson velvet, filling every corner with roses so dark they looked almost black. The ballroom was lit by a thousand candles, their flames flickering against the polished marble. The air smelled like wax and perfume and something metallic underneath. Blood, maybe. Or anticipation.I stood at the top of the grand staircase, my hands gripping the railing. The dress Margot had sent for me was blood-red, tight at the waist, flowing like water to the floor. It felt like armor and a wound at the same time.Marcus stood beside me, his hand resting on my lower back. "We stay close. No matter what.""I know."Damien and Lucas flanked us, both in black suits, both armed with weapons the guards hadn't found. We'd been carefu
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