ログインAVA'S POV
It was a beautiful morning. The sun came through my window and made the room warm and yellow, and I woke up with a smile on my face for the first time in weeks. Lucas was still asleep beside me, his teddy bear under his chin. I thought about Ethan, the garden and the papers he had promised to bring, then I felt like everything was finally going to be alright.I stretched my arms and reached for my phone under the pillow. There was a new message on the scrDamien's POVSelene came home from her meeting in the afternoon, and I was waiting for her in the hall. I wanted to hear everything. I wanted to know what Harold said and how he looked at her. But she walked past me and took off her coat like it was any normal day."How did it go?" I asked."Fine.""What did you two talk about?""Business," she said. She dropped her bag on a chair and fixed her hair in the mirror. "He had an idea he wanted to pitch to me. Some project in the city. He wanted me to invest in it.""That is all?""That is all, Damien. It was boring." She looked at me in the mirror and smiled a little. "You worry too much."I did not believe her, but I did not push. She did not like it when I pushed. I told myself I would find out later and went back to my study.That evening, a messenger brought me a thick envelope. Inside was an invitation to a dinner party at the Silver Lake Club. It was for important families, and it started at eight. I read it twice. Then I thought of
Selene's POVI stood at the window of the sitting room and watched Damien walk back across the yard. His head was down and his shoulders were low. He moved slowly, like a man who had just lost a fight. I knew right away that Ava had said something sharp to him. She always did.A small smile came to my lips. I had been waiting for this. Ava was tired of the estate, and she was tired of him. She shouted at him every day, and she did not even try to hide it. A weak man would feel hurt by that, and a hurt man could be led anywhere. I decided to use it.I walked out into the hall and met him near the stairs."Damien," I said softly. "You look terrible. What happened?""Nothing.""It was Ava, wasn't it?"He did not answer. He only rubbed his neck and looked at the floor. I stepped closer and crossed my arms."I am going to say something, and I want you to hear it," I said. "You are a fool."His head came up fast. His eyes were wide. "What did you say?""You are a fool, Damien. A complete fo
AVA'S POVIt was a beautiful morning. The sun came through my window and made the room warm and yellow, and I woke up with a smile on my face for the first time in weeks. Lucas was still asleep beside me, his teddy bear under his chin. I thought about Ethan, the garden and the papers he had promised to bring, then I felt like everything was finally going to be alright.I stretched my arms and reached for my phone under the pillow. There was a new message on the screen, and it was from Ethan. I opened it with a happy heart, and then read it.I had to leave for an urgent work. I am sorry I could not tell you in person. I promise you, I will be back.I read it once, then twice, then a third time. My hands began to shake. The words did not make sense, because he had been in the house last night and he had said nothing about leaving. He had held my hand and told me to be strong. How could he be gone?I jumped out of be
SELENE'S POV"She does not want to?" I said. I stared at him. "What does that mean?"Damien did not answer. He looked at me for one second, and then he walked past me for the stairs. His boots hit each step slowly, and he did not look back. I stood alone in the big hall with my mouth open.It made no sense. Those words were too simple, and they were also too hard. I had seen Ava with my own eyes only days ago. She had been so excited to leave that she could not sit still. She had packed her bags and told me to my face that she hated this house. How could she not want to go now? And Damien did not even try to explain. He gave me one short line and left me there like a fool.I took out my phone and called Gia. She answered on the second ring, and her voice was low and scared."Miss Selene?""Tell me everything," I said. "Where is Ava? Why did Ethan leave without her?""I do not know all of it, Miss," Gia said. "I was in the hall when it happened. Mr. Ethan talked with Master Damien for
SELENE'S POVMy hand hit his face so hard that the sound rang through the empty lab. Louis stumbled back and held his cheek with both hands. His glasses fell to the floor."You useless fool!" I shouted. "You are incompetent! How can you let Damien fire you? And now he has hired another doctor, and I do not even know who it is! Do you understand what you have done?"Louis picked up his glasses with shaking fingers. His eyes were red, and I could tell he had been crying before I came."It is your fault, Miss Selene," he said in a small voice. "I sent you the results the first time, and you got rid of them. You told me to make excuses. I made excuses for days. Damien got tired of me. He called me a liar and threw me out of his house.""Do not blame me!""I am not blaming you. I am only saying what happened." He wiped his nose with his sleeve. "I told him I lost the samples. It was the only thing I could think of.""That was the stupidest lie I have ever heard," I said."I know."I looked
DAMIEN'S POVI stood at my study window and watched them in the garden. The moon was bright, and I could see them clearly by the fountain. Ava ran to Ethan and put her arms around his neck. He laughed and held her. She wiped her eyes and laughed too. They stood close and talked for a long time, and she looked happy. I had not seen her look like that in years.I gripped the window frame so hard that the wood cracked under my fingers. I told myself to stay calm. I told myself it was only for the test. But my chest burned the whole time I watched.After a while, Ava walked back toward the house with fast steps. Ethan stayed by the fountain alone. He looked at the water for a minute, then fixed his coat and started walking toward the east wing.I left my study and took the short way through the hall. I reached the corner of the east corridor before he did. I stood in the middle of the hall with my hands in my pockets and waited.He turned the corner and stopped when he saw me. He did not







