Ava stood still, her gaze locked on Noah, but it felt like she was looking through him, into a past she wasn't sure she wanted to revisit. The world seemed to blur around her as Viktor's words lingered in the air. Every inch of her body screamed for answers, yet there was nothing but a suffocating silence hanging over them. Her chest tightened, each breath more difficult than the last.
Noah hadn't spoken a word since Viktor's declaration, and his silence was almost worse than the cruel taunts of their enemies. Ava's mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of truth she had left. Was Noah hiding something? Was there a part of him, a dark corner in his heart, that he had kept from her?
A sharp pang of betrayal shot through her. She hadn't asked for perfection, but she had asked for honesty. And now she wasn't even sure she could trust the man she had given her heart to.
Noah's hand slowly reached out to her, his fingers trembling ever so slightly, but Ava couldn't bring herself to move closer. Something in her wanted to run, to escape this suffocating room and the lies that seemed to follow them wherever they went. But she knew she couldn't. Not now.
"Say something," she whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of the words. Her heart pounded in her chest, the uncertainty drowning out every rational thought.
Noah's gaze hardened, and for a split second, Ava saw a flash of something,regret, guilt? She couldn't tell. His lips parted, but no sound came out. He looked like he was fighting with himself, like he was trying to decide whether or not to open the door to the hell he had locked away.
"Ava," he said finally, his voice strained, "I've never lied to you."
The words were soft, but they felt like a cold breeze on her skin. It wasn't the comfort she had been expecting. Instead, it only made her more aware of the distance between them. She searched his eyes for some sign of reassurance, but all she found was a storm—confusion, fear, and something else she couldn't name.
"You didn't have to," she said, her voice steady despite the tears that threatened to spill. "But you did, didn't you? You kept things from me. You kept things from all of us."
He flinched, as though her words had struck him deeper than he was willing to admit. "It wasn't like that. You don't understand"
"No, Noah." She cut him off, her own anger rising now, louder than the fear that had been holding her hostage. "I understand more than you think."
Viktor, watching the exchange with a twisted satisfaction, took a step forward, cutting through the tension. "It's pathetic, really," he sneered, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "How long are you going to keep pretending, Noah? That you're the hero in all of this? The truth is, you're just as much a part of this twisted little game as anyone else."
Ava felt her skin crawl at the venom in Viktor's voice, but it was Liam's quiet laughter from the back of the room that sent a shiver down her spine. She hadn't seen him move, hadn't heard him approach, but suddenly, his presence loomed behind her like a shadow, cold and suffocating.
"You're all in this, Ava," Liam said, his voice low and dangerous. "You just don't realize it yet. No matter how much you fight, no matter how many times you think you've broken free, it's never enough. The web is already spun. You're caught in it now."
Ava's breath hitched as she turned slowly, meeting Liam's gaze for the first time since he had entered the room. His eyes were cold, calculating,like he had been waiting for this moment, savoring the way she would crack under the pressure. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
She squared her shoulders and faced him, determined to meet his gaze. "You don't scare me."
Liam's smile was slow, sinister. "Oh, Ava, you have no idea how much I enjoy watching you struggle. But don't worry," he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness, "You'll understand soon enough."
Ava turned back to Noah, her eyes searching him for something,anything,that would make sense of the chaos around them. She could feel her world crumbling, piece by piece, but there was something in Noah's expression that softened her resolve. He wasn't perfect, far from it. But he was here. He was still fighting. And that meant something.
"I never wanted this for you," Noah finally spoke, his voice quieter now, more vulnerable. "For you or for me. I never thought it would come to this."
"Then what is this?" Ava demanded, her frustration bubbling over. "What are we really in? What game have we been playing?"
Viktor's laugh was sharp, cutting through the rawness of the moment. "You still don't get it, do you? You think you've been living in a story of love and trust, but it's been something else entirely. A game, yes, but not one that's ever been in your control."
Ava looked at him, trying to make sense of his cryptic words. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to understand, Ava," Viktor said, his smile darkening. "The truth is already in front of you. You've just been too blinded by your own desires to see it. It's all connected. You, Noah, Liam… and me. We're all part of this. And in the end, no one gets out clean."
Noah stepped forward, his hand grabbing Ava's gently but firmly. "You don't have to believe him. We'll figure this out together. We're not alone in this."
Ava met his gaze, but there was something in his eyes,something she hadn't seen before. Was it fear? Was he truly as helpless in this situation as she felt?
Viktor stepped back, his smirk widening. "Oh, Noah, you still don't get it, do you? You think you can fix this, but it's already too late. The game's been set. And you're already a player in it."
The silence that followed felt suffocating, like the air itself had turned to lead. Ava wanted to fight, to scream at Viktor and Liam, to demand answers, but the truth was, she was just as tangled in this web as everyone else. How much could she really trust Noah? How much of what he had told her was real?
Ava took a deep breath, steadying herself. She wasn't done yet. She wasn't going to let Viktor's twisted game control her. She couldn't. Not after everything they had been through.
But the storm was far from over. It had only just begun.