All Chapters of Love Was Never The Deal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

Ava’s POVI run a shaky hand through my hair, trying to steady myself It’s just a door.Just one door.But for some reason, it feels heavier than anything I’ve ever faced.Taking a deep breath, I gather what little courage I have left and push it open without knocking.The moment I step inside, my world stops.Dad.He’s lying on the hospital bed, eyes closed, completely still.Too still.“No…” The word slips out before I can stop it.My chest tightens painfully as I take a few steps forward. He looks so weak… so fragile… like all the strength in him has been drained away.This isn’t the man I know. This isn’t my dad, tears blur my vision instantly as I break down, a quiet sob escaping my lips.“I’m sorry…” I whisper, though I don’t even know what I’m apologizing for.A gentle hand touches my shoulder.I flinch slightly before turning to see a woman in a white coat standing beside me, a notepad still in her hand. Her expression is calm, kind reassuring in a way I didn’t realize I neede

Mabel really had some nerve.The way she said it so easily still echoed in my mind. She actually suggested that I should call Dominic Hale the billionaire and ask him for money. Not just any amount, but fifteen million dollars.It sounded absurd.Dominic Hale was a complete stranger to me. I did not know anything about him beyond his name and the fact that he was wealthy enough to admit my father into one of the most expensive hospitals in the city. I had never seen his face, never spoken to him before, and yet here I was, being told to call him and beg for help.The idea made me uncomfortable.It felt wrong and slightly humiliating, like crossing a line that should not be crossed. I wanted to reject it immediately and tell Mabel that I could never do something like that. But the more I thought about it, the harder it became to say no.Because the truth was simple.I was desperate.There were no other options left for me. Fifteen million dollars was not an amount I could gather throug

Ava’s POVI stared at him, my mind going completely blank.For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood him. The words sounded too strange, too sudden to be real. Marry him? It did not make any sense.I let out a small, uncertain breath and searched his face, hoping to find even the smallest hint that he was joking. But there was nothing. His expression remained calm and steady, his eyes fixed on me as if he had just said something completely normal.That was when it sank in.He was serious.“I… I don’t understand,” I said slowly, my voice coming out softer than I expected.He did not repeat himself. He simply watched me, giving me time to process his words, as though he was used to people taking a moment to catch up with him.I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion in my mind.“This isn’t funny,” I said, a little more firmly this time. “We just met. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. You can’t just say something like that.”He leaned back slightly in his chair, his postur