Semua Bab Revenge From Ashes, Ruin for the Billionaire: Bab 21 - Bab 30

(Zach)The divorce file is sitting on my office desk.Signed by both of us.My lawyer stands across from me. “If I lodge these today, the decree can be processed by the end of the month.”I look down at the file again and open the folder. Both our signatures.Her name next to mine. It used to mean something to me.It still does.“Shred them,” I say.He frowns. “Sir?”“They’re not being filed. Shred them.”“Mr. Lorne—”“Not up for discussion. If anyone asks, I’m still a happily married man.”He opens his mouth, but one look from me ends it. He gathers the papers fast and leaves without another word.I lean back in my chair.I used to think I was sure of everything. The company. The family. Ava always being here when I needed her.Then one stupid, mistaken blood report, tore it apart.I let it happen.All that rage. All that certainty. Every word I threw at her. Every time I called her a liar, told her she disgusted me, that she’d tricked me.And now she’s gone.But she was ready, she w

(Ava)I don’t know what day it is or how much time has passed.My body is a battlefield. Everything hurts. I’m shaking, sweating through the sheets.Caleb said breathe, it’ll pass.It doesn’t pass.I think I’ve thrown up everything I’ve ever eaten. I slept but I’m not sure for how long. The shadows crawl along the walls.Then I hear a voice like an angel. Maybe she is an angel.“Ava.” Soft, familiar, full of that stubborn kind of love that never quits.I twist toward the sound. Maybe it’s another hallucination. I’ve heard flames roar where there is no fire, heard Lila cry when she wasn’t even in the room.But I turn and look anyway. Even in hallucination form, Paige being with me will be a lifeline.“Ava, hey. I’m here.”And there she is… Paige. Real.I start to cry and shake my head.“Oh my God.” She’s crying when she reaches me. “Look at you. You’re a mess.”I laugh but it’s a scratchy sound. “You’re real?”She drops to her knees beside the bed. “Real enough to slap sense into you i

(Ava)We do the second spread faster, as if the cards already want the truth out.Paige flips and her brow dips one more time. “He’s not gone, Ava. He’s… lost. Pride and fear. He chose protection of image over action. But there are things he also doesn’t know.”“True. But just proving what Sienna is doing isn’t enough. He never put me first. He used me. He made it impossible for me to leave him. I see that now. I made wrong choices but I didn’t know any better. Now I do.”She pulls another card. “He isn’t going to back down. His pride and manhood are at stake. His love for you was warped. Unhealthy.”She continues… “He loved you but not as his equal. As someone he could treat badly and control when his life felt hopeless and out of control.”That’s it exactly. I’ll make sure he will see his world crumble while I build mine.We sit with the cards a moment longer.“So, get your facts, use your memories. Even do a past life regression to look for clues in your subconscious.”That’s when

(Ava)I sit there in the bed, still half-dizzy, still half-shaking, staring at my father like the universe has a sick sense of humor.Part of me wants to collapse into him. Part of me wants to throw something at him.But the bigger part of me is just tired. Tired in the bone-deep way you only feel after years of being lied to by the people who claimed to love you.Paige bursts into the room like a hurricane.“Oh, thank God,” she says, pressing a hand to her chest. “You’re awake. You are never allowed to pass out on me again. I aged ten years.”She stops when she sees Dad sitting beside me.“Oh,” she whispers. “Am I interrupting? I’m sorry.”“No,” I say flatly. “It’s okay.”Dad gives her a tiny nod, almost sheepish. “Hi, Paige.”She crosses her arms. “Hi.”The door swings open again. Caleb walks in.He stops the second he sees me awake. And then sees Dad. And then sees Paige looking at him like she’s about to turn into a feral creature.“Ava,” he says quietly, relief softening the edge

(Ava)I walk into Sinclair Architecture without slowing down.Every step is a countdown to retribution.Like the seconds between me and the woman who carved out my life once. The woman who will stop at nothing to have her way.Not today.Not ever again.The receptionist jumps up when she sees me.“Ms. Sinclair is in a meeting—”“I know,” I say. “And she is about to have one with me.”My voice is firm. My heart is racing but not from fear. My mood is calm.The kind of calm that comes after losing everything once already.The kind of calm that means I’m not scared of anyone anymore.I push open the office door.Sienna stands at the center of the room, mid-pitch, all sleek lines and curated perfection.A wall of architects and clients sits around her.She freezes when she sees me.Not a flinch—A full-body step back.“Ava?” she says, her voice too high. “What are you doing here?”The room falls completely silent. They’ve seen the media reports. They know about the rumors. The rumors I’m