Ava stood frozen, the weight of Caleb's betrayal crashing over her like a tidal wave. She felt her chest tighten, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to process what he had just revealed. Every word Caleb had spoken felt like a knife twisting deeper, each one cutting away at the foundation of trust she had built over the years.
Jaxon, still weak from his injuries, pushed himself up to his feet with a determined grunt. His eyes blazed with fury, his body trembling from the effort of holding himself upright. The tension between the three of them was thick, like the air before a storm, and Ava could feel it crackling around them.
"I trusted you," Jaxon growled, his voice low and menacing. "We both trusted you, Caleb. And the entire time, you've been playing us like pawns in some twisted game."
Caleb's eyes flickered with regret, guilt, maybe even shame but he held his ground, his expression a mask of grim determination. "I didn't have a choice, Jaxon. You don't understand what's at stake here."
Jaxon took a step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "You could have told us. You could have warned us instead of leading us into this mess."
Caleb's gaze hardened, his jaw tightening. "If I had told you the truth, you would've run. You would have made things worse. I had to keep you close, Jaxon. It was the only way to protect you."
Ava shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest. "Protect us?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You didn't protect us, Caleb. You lied to us. You manipulated us."
Her voice cracked on the last word, and she felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She had never felt so lost, so betrayed. Caleb had been the one person she could always count on, the one constant in a world full of chaos. And now, that stability was gone, shattered into a thousand pieces.
"I didn't want to do this," Caleb said, his voice softer now, tinged with the regret that had been missing before. "But I had no choice. There's more going on here than either of you realize. The people pulling the strings... they're more dangerous than you know. And they won't stop until they get what they want."
Jaxon scoffed, his lip curling in disdain. "And what is it that they want, Caleb? Because it sure as hell feels like we've been nothing more than collateral damage in whatever game you're playing."
Caleb's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "They want control, Jaxon. Over you, over your company, over everything. You're not just some businessman they see you as a threat to their power. That's why they're coming after you."
Jaxon's fists unclenched, his face twisting into something unreadable. "And what about Ava?" he demanded, his voice tight with barely contained rage. "What did they want with her?"
Caleb hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking toward Ava before he spoke. "They didn't care about Ava at first... but then they realized she was your weakness. They knew that if they got to her, they could control you."
The truth of Caleb's words hit Ava like a punch to the gut. Her stomach churned, bile rising in her throat as she realized just how deeply she had been dragged into this nightmare. She had thought she was fighting alongside Jaxon, but in reality, she had been used against him another pawn in a game she didn't even understand.
"I'm sorry, Ava," Caleb said quietly, his voice filled with something resembling remorse. "I tried to keep you out of it. I really did. But once they saw how much you meant to Jaxon... there was no turning back."
Ava's breath hitched in her throat, and she fought to keep her composure. She wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at Caleb for what he had done,for the lies, the manipulation, the betrayal. But more than that, she wanted to understand why. Why had he done this? Why had he betrayed them both?
"Who are they?" Ava asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Who's behind all of this?"
Caleb glanced around the clearing, as if making sure no one else was listening, before he spoke. "It's bigger than just Veronica. She's just one of many. There's a network,an organization made up of people in the highest levels of power. Business, politics, even law enforcement. They pull the strings from the shadows, controlling everything from the inside."
Ava felt her blood turn to ice. The idea that something so vast and insidious could exist... it was almost too much to comprehend. "And you've been working for them?" she asked, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Caleb's eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw the conflict behind his calm exterior. "I've been trying to survive, Ava. I didn't want to be a part of this... but once you're in, there's no way out."
Jaxon took another step forward, his body shaking with barely contained fury. "You've been a part of this from the beginning," he spat. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you pulled us into this mess."
Caleb's face hardened, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't have a choice, Jaxon. They would have killed me. And they would have killed you too if I hadn't intervened."
Jaxon's fists clenched again, his anger bubbling over. "So you sold us out to save yourself? Is that it? You betrayed us for your own survival?"
"I saved you!" Caleb snapped, his voice rising. "You have no idea how close you were to being eliminated. I kept you alive, Jaxon. Both of you."
The tension between them crackled like electricity, and Ava could feel the storm brewing. Jaxon was on the verge of losing control, and Caleb was no longer the calm, composed man she had always known. The truth had torn them apart, leaving them standing on opposite sides of a chasm that seemed impossible to bridge.
"We need to move," Caleb said, his voice returning to its usual calm, controlled tone. "They'll be coming for us soon. If we stay here, we're as good as dead."
Ava felt a wave of nausea roll over her. She didn't know who to trust anymore. Caleb's betrayal had shaken her to the core, and even though he claimed to have saved them, the lines between right and wrong had become so blurred that she couldn't tell what was real anymore.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Jaxon growled, his voice dripping with venom. "You're on your own, Caleb. We'll figure out how to survive without you."
Ava's heart raced as she looked between the two men. She didn't know what to do, didn't know who to believe. Caleb had been her friend, her confidant... but now, he was a stranger. And Jaxon the man she had fallen for, despite all the danger surrounding him was barely holding on to his control.
But there was no time to make a choice. The sound of engines roaring in the distance snapped Ava out of her daze, and her blood ran cold. They were coming.
"We don't have time for this," Caleb said urgently, his eyes flashing with frustration. "Ava, you have to trust me. We need to go. Now."
Ava's mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked at Jaxon. He shook his head, his eyes hard. "We don't need him."
But the engines were getting closer. Whoever was coming, they wouldn't show mercy. And despite everything, Ava knew that they had to survive.
With a heavy heart, she made her decision.
"We go together," Ava said quietly, her voice shaking with the weight of the choice she had made.
Jaxon's eyes widened in disbelief, but he didn't argue. He nodded once, his jaw clenched as he turned away from Caleb. "Fine. But the second we're safe... we're done."
Caleb's eyes flickered with relief maybe,but he didn't say anything. He simply nodded and turned, leading the way into the trees.
Ava followed behind him, her heart heavy with the knowledge that no matter what happened next, their trust had been shattered.
And there was no going back.