Ava stood in the dimly lit room, her heart pounding against her ribs. The air between her and Noah felt heavy, suffocating. Every part of her wanted to run, to escape this nightmare she had been thrust into, but her legs refused to move.
Noah watched her with an expression she had never seen before. Vulnerability. Desperation. Fear. He was trying to reach her, to pull her back before she slipped away completely.
Ava finally found her voice, though it trembled with uncertainty.
You tell me I have no choice but to face this. That everything I thought was real is just part of something bigger and darker. But you never gave me a choice to begin with, Noah. You kept me blind to everything. You let me believe in us while keeping the truth locked away.
Noah took a step closer, but she took one back.
I was trying to protect you, Ava. I thought if I kept you in the dark, you would never have to carry the weight of this world. I was wrong. I see that now. But please, believe me when I say I love you. That has never been a lie.
Love. The word felt foreign now. Once, it had been a promise, a shelter. Now it was a weapon, sharp and merciless.
Ava clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay upright as her mind spiraled. If Noah was telling the truth, if his family was as dangerous as he claimed, then she had been living in a fantasy all along. And if Liam was truly part of this twisted reality, then her past had never really left her. It had only been waiting to drag her back.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
So I was never free, was I? I thought I had moved on, that I had escaped Liam and all the pain he caused me. But it was always there, lurking in the shadows. And now I find out that the one person I thought I could trust has been lying to me too.
Noah's expression twisted with guilt.
I will make this right.
How? Ava's voice broke. How do you make years of lies disappear? How do you erase the damage that has already been done?
Noah didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver key. He held it out to her, his hand steady despite the storm raging in his eyes.
This key will take you to a safe house. There is a train leaving in two hours. If you take it, you can disappear. You can start over, away from all of this. I will make sure no one finds you.
Ava stared at the key, her pulse roaring in her ears. He was giving her an escape. A way out.
But that meant leaving everything behind.
Noah. Her life. The love they once had.
She looked up at him, searching his face for something, anything, that would tell her what to do. But all she saw was silent agony.
He was letting her go.
Ava's fingers tightened around the key.
And then, from the hallway, the sound of footsteps echoed. Slow. Deliberate.
Noah's body went rigid. His eyes darted to the door.
They're here.
Ava barely had time to react before the door burst open.