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Ava's heart skipped a beat as she saw Ethan enter the room. His presence brought with it a rush of relief and a renewed sense of hope. She hadn't realized just how much she needed him until this very moment. She was alive, but only by a thread, and she needed him now more than ever.
Ethan's eyes were locked on Lance, his expression one of controlled fury. His jaw clenched, his whole demeanor exuding the kind of power that Ava had always admired in him. In that moment, she knew that he was not just her husband—he was her protector.
Lance, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by Ethan's entrance. He sneered, clearly not intimidated by the fact that Ethan had come to rescue Ava. "Well, well, Ethan King. I should have known you'd eventually come crawling. But it's too late for heroics. You should have stayed away."
Ethan took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "Let her go, Lance. This has gone on long enough. You're not going to win."
Lance laughed bitterly, his grip on Ava tightening as he pulled her closer, almost possessively. "Oh, I'm not the one who's going to lose here, Ethan. You're the one who's going to lose. You'll lose her, and everything else you care about."
Ethan's gaze hardened, and Ava could feel the heat radiating off him. There was no trace of fear in his eyes—just a laser focus on Lance. She knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn't back down from this.
"You've made a grave mistake, Lance," Ethan said in a voice that sent chills down Ava's spine. "If you think you can control her, think again. I'll burn your world to the ground."
Lance's grip on Ava's arm tightened, and she winced in pain. But she didn't have the luxury of feeling weak right now. She couldn't afford to. This was her chance, and she couldn't waste it.
She gathered every ounce of strength left in her body and swung her elbow backward, aiming for Lance's ribs. The impact was enough to make him stagger back, loosening his grip just slightly. It was enough.
In that split second, Ava yanked herself free, spinning toward Ethan with a look of relief on her face. Without a moment's hesitation, Ethan reached out to her, pulling her into his arms and away from Lance's reach.
Lance cursed loudly, fury flashing in his eyes. He lunged at them, but Ethan was faster. With a swift motion, he grabbed a metal pipe that had been discarded on the floor earlier and swung it with precision, striking Lance across the side of the head.
Lance crumpled to the ground, dazed, his grip on Ava's world slipping away. He groaned in pain but didn't move to get up. He was finished.
Ava took a deep breath as she looked at Ethan, the man who had always been her anchor. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. She had no idea how she had survived this nightmare, but here she was, in his arms, alive.
"Are you okay?" Ethan asked, his voice soft but filled with concern as he pulled her close, checking her over for any injuries.
Ava nodded, though she still felt the lingering effects of the fear and tension that had held her in a vice-like grip for what seemed like hours. "I'm fine," she whispered, though her voice was trembling. "I just… I didn't know if I was going to make it out of here."
Ethan kissed the top of her head, his hold tightening around her as if he was afraid to let her go. "You're safe now. That's all that matters."
Ava looked over at Lance, who was still on the floor, struggling to regain his bearings. "Is he… Is he done?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan glanced at the man for a moment before nodding. "He won't be causing any more problems. Not for you. Not for us."
The weight of those words hung in the air, the finality of them giving Ava a sense of closure. She felt like she could breathe again. It was over.
But just as the tension seemed to ease, a new thought crossed Ava's mind. Lance had been acting on his own, but who had sent him after her? Who had hired him to do all of this?
Ethan seemed to sense her shift in focus. "We'll figure that out," he said firmly, as if reading her thoughts. "Right now, I just want you to be safe. That's all that matters."
Ava nodded, grateful for his unwavering strength. She leaned into him, letting the world around her fade into the background as she focused on the man who had just saved her life.
But the unanswered questions still lingered in her mind. Who had wanted her out of the way so badly? Who had orchestrated this whole nightmare? It was clear that Lance wasn't working alone. But for now, she allowed herself a moment of peace, knowing that Ethan was here, and nothing else mattered.
As Ethan pulled her out of the room, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. The building, the danger, the fear—it was all behind her. She was free.
But the thought that remained was one that lingered like a shadow at the edge of her mind: **who was behind this?**
The journey wasn't over. And they were far from done with the danger that still lurked in the shadows.
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