All Chapters of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The countdown continued.29:17.Ava stared at the woman standing across from her.For several seconds, neither of them moved.The woman looked almost like her.Not exactly.There were differences.Her eyes were darker.Her jaw was sharper.And there was something frighteningly familiar about the way she held herself—as though she had spent years learning how to survive in places where kindness was a weakness.But the resemblance was undeniable.Daniel stepped slightly in front of Ava.The woman smiled.“You don't need to protect her from me.”Daniel's jaw tightened.“I'll decide who she needs protection from.”The woman's eyes moved to him.“You're still doing that?”“Doing what?”“Standing between Ava and everything that wants to destroy her.”Daniel didn't answer.The woman laughed softly.“That's what your family has always done.”Daniel froze.Ava noticed.“You know his family?”The woman's gaze returned to Ava.“I know much more than that.”The Serpent's voice echoed through the

“Mother.”The word echoed through the chamber.Again.And again.And again.Ava stood frozen.Seventeen children stared at her from seventeen opened chambers.Some were little.Some were teenagers.The oldest looked no more than seventeen.They all had the same black serpent mark.And every pair of eyes was fixed on her.Not Daniel.Not Noah.Not Elena.Her.Ava's heart pounded violently.“No…”Her voice came out as a whisper.The youngest child smiled.“You came back.”Ava stared at him.“Who are you?”The child tilted his head.“You don't remember?”Ava took a step backward.Daniel immediately moved beside her.“Stay behind me.”The children all turned toward him.Their expressions changed.For a moment, they looked afraid.Then every child spoke together.“Guardian.”Daniel froze.Ava looked at him.“How do they know you?”Daniel shook his head.“I don't know.”The oldest girl stepped out of her chamber.She was thin, pale, and barefoot.A black dress hung loosely around her body.

Ava couldn't breathe.She stared at the little girl standing inside the shattered Serpent core.Same face.Same eyes.Same lips.Same small scar beneath her left eyebrow.It was like looking at herself in a mirror from another lifetime.Except the girl was only about six years old.Barefoot.Pale.Wearing a simple white dress.And smiling.Not a frightened smile.A knowing one.Daniel moved in front of Ava.“Stay behind me.”The little girl tilted her head.“You always say that.”Daniel froze.Ava's heart pounded.The girl looked past Daniel directly at her.“You still let him protect you.”Ava whispered, “Who are you?”The girl smiled.“You know.”“No.”“You've forgotten.”“I don't know you.”The girl's smile disappeared.“That hurts.”Ava stepped forward.Daniel caught her wrist.“Ava, don't.”She looked at him.“She's a child.”Daniel's expression remained tense.“We don't know what she is.”The girl giggled.“You never did.”Daniel immediately raised his weapon.The girl didn't re

“Hello, Ava. I’ve been waiting for you.” The voice came from Daniel’s mouth. But it wasn’t Daniel’s voice. It was deeper, colder, and ancient enough to make the air inside the chamber feel suddenly thinner. Every word seemed to travel through the walls before reaching Ava’s ears, as though the entire underground facility had spoken through him. Ava stared at the man she loved. His eyes were completely black. Not dark brown. Not shadowed by the dim lighting. Black. There was no visible white, no reflection, no sign of the familiar warmth that had always made her feel safe, even when the entire world seemed determined to destroy her. “Daniel?” she whispered. His head tilted slightly. The movement was so familiar that it hurt. Daniel used to tilt his head that way whenever she asked him a question he didn't want to answer. Sometimes he did it before kissing her. Sometimes before telling a terrible joke and pretending he expected her to laugh. But this time, there was no tea

“My daughter.”The voice echoed through the chamber.Ava turned slowly toward the doorway.A woman stood beneath the flickering lights, wearing a white dress stained with old blood. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes were identical to Ava's.For a moment, nobody spoke.Then Amara whispered, “It can't be.”The woman smiled sadly.“Hello, little sister.”Amara staggered backward.Ava looked between them, her heart pounding.“Who is she?”Amara's lips trembled. “Celeste was my eldest sister. But this woman…”She swallowed.“This is Lydia. Our mother's first daughter.”The woman stepped into the chamber.“Not quite, Amara. I was the first daughter she acknowledged. There were others before me.”Noah immediately moved toward the control panel.“That's impossible. The system identified Celeste as the first subject.”“Because Mother wanted everyone to believe that,” Lydia replied.Her eyes settled on Ava.“But you don't need to believe anything anymore, darling. You only nee