Ava's fingers trembled over the sealed envelope. The air in the library was thick, suffocating, as if the very walls were listening. She could feel Jasper's eyes on her, watching, waiting.
Liam leaned against an old bookshelf, his smirk barely visible in the dim light. "Go ahead, Ava. Open it."
The weight of his words pressed against her chest. This was it—the moment where everything could change. A single decision, a single glimpse inside, and she might never look at Noah the same way again.
Jasper's voice was quiet but firm. "You don't have to do this."
Ava swallowed hard. She knew what he meant. The truth had a way of ruining things. Was she ready for that?
But before she could answer, the door creaked open.
A shadow moved in the doorway. A tall figure stepped in, his presence filling the room with an unshakable tension. The sound of his footsteps against the wooden floor sent a shiver down her spine.
Noah.
His eyes flickered to Liam, then to the envelope in Ava's hands. His expression remained unreadable, but Ava saw it—the flicker of recognition, the ghost of something unspoken.
Liam chuckled. "Speak of the devil."
Noah's voice was quiet, but it carried an unmistakable edge. "What are you doing here, Liam?"
Ava felt frozen between them. The weight of unspoken history crackled in the air like a live wire.
Liam tilted his head. "Just catching up with an old friend."
Noah's gaze darkened. "You have no business being here."
Ava looked between them, heart pounding. It was the first time she had ever seen Noah truly on edge. This wasn't just about the past. This was something deeper.
Something dangerous.
And she had just stepped right into it.