Semua Bab THE CHARADE: Bab 51 - Bab 60

AVA'S POVThe silence after he left was the loudest sound I had ever heard. It screamed of endings. Of finality. I stood there in the library for I don’t know how long, my own harsh sobs the only thing breaking the quiet. My knees gave way and I slid down the wall, the cool wallpaper doing nothing to soothe the burning in my chest. I had expected it but it still hurt so much, a part of me hoped for something different but reality as always played a joke on me again.He asked me to leave.As much as I had expected his anger, as much as I knew I deserved it, the words had felt like a physical blow. “Take your things and go. We’ll both pretend none of this ever happened.”But the worst part, the part that truly shattered me, was what came after. The cold, hard practicality in his eyes. “If you take longer than an hour, it won’t take long for your death. And it won’t be from me. My men… it’s the code. Death for betrayal.” He’d looked away then, his voice dropping, almost to a whisper. “As

Ava's Pov The ropes bit deeper into my wrists with every frantic pull. Nick just watched me, a sickening mix of pity and pride in his eyes.“You always had so much fire, Ava,” he said, almost admiringly. “That’s what I always loved about you. Even when you were a scared teenager after the accident, that fire was still there. I knew then I had to have you.”“Have me?” I spat, my voice trembling with rage and fear. “I was never yours to have!”“But you were!” he insisted, his voice rising. “I was there! I was the one who picked up the pieces after your mother died. I was the one who told your father you could be useful instead of just a liability. I protected you!”“You’re insane,” I whispered, shaking my head.“Am I?” He started pacing in front of me, like a caged animal finally showing its teeth, like a psychopath looking at his masterpiece. You think you’ve done all of this for your father? Killed for him? Lied for him? Threw away your own life for him? Which is kind of good for me,

Dante's POV The clock on the wall was too loud. Each tick was a hammer blow to my skull. Two fucking days. She’d been gone for two days. I stood at the window of my study, staring out at the city, but I didn’t see the lights. All I saw was her face, shattered and tear-streaked, right before I told her to leave.My chest felt tight, like a fist was squeezing my heart. I told her to go. I threw her out to save her from my own men, from my own code, and now… now she was just gone. The thought of something happening to her after I forced her out was making me sick.The door flew open and Kyle rushed in, his face pale. “Boss. The cab. We found it. The driver just dropped it off at a garage on the south side.”I turned from the window. “The driver. Where is he?”“We have him. In the basement.”I didn’t say another word. I just walked. My footsteps echoed in the hallway, each one a beat of my own panic. Regret was a bitter taste in my mouth. I never should have let her walk out that door al

Ava's Pov The past week felt like a dream. Waking up in Dante’s massive bed, tangled in his sheets and his arms, felt more like home than any place I’d ever known. I wasn’t Sophia anymore. I was just Ava. And for the first time in years, I could just breathe.I’ll never forget the look on Kyle’s face when Dante brought me downstairs that first morning. His jaw practically hit the floor. He stared at me, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and dawning understanding. “Ava?” he’d finally stammered. “But… you… I knew there was something familiar about Sophia! I just… I never would have guessed.” He’d been a friend back in high school, and seeing him now, the relief on his face that I was alive, was a comfort I hadn’t known I needed.But Dante… Dante was everything. He was so patient, so loving, it almost hurt. He spent every day trying to make up for the lost years. He had a whole garden of my favorite magnolia trees planted along the driveway because he remembered I loved them. He took me

Ava's Pov The second Dante's lips touched mine I was lost for words, his kiss was ravaging hungry, we both left the party early just for this to spend time with each other. He didn't waste a single second as we heard the click of our bedroom door, he instantly captured my mouth a hasty hungry kiss directing me towards the bed without breaking the kiss. I moaned softly as he trail his kisses down my neck his teeth grazing against my skin, he was making his mark and I was more than happy to be marked by him. He kissed me again, this time even deeper, I ran my hand through his hair tugging it , he groaned roughly his voice filled with lust and so much passion. Dante kissed like a man starved, he devoured me with so much precision and hunger that equally matched mine, it had been so long since I had sex, I hadn't been with anyone except him since. For five years of being celibate, I was here with him being completely unraveled, bring seen by him but I need more, I need more friction betw