Silence hung between them, stretched so thin it could snap at any moment.
Ava gripped the envelope in her hands, feeling its weight, its promise of the unknown. Noah's presence in the room changed everything—turned the tension into something more volatile, more dangerous.
Her mind screamed for her to open it. To tear through the layers of secrets and expose whatever truth Liam had dangled in front of her.
But then she saw it—Noah's expression.
It wasn't anger. Not entirely. It was something worse. A quiet, pleading fear.
Jasper noticed it too. His stance shifted, subtly placing himself between them. "Ava," he said softly, "maybe we should—"
"Read it," Liam cut in, his voice smooth, sharp. "Or you'll never really know who you're dealing with."
Ava looked at Noah. He wasn't moving. Wasn't stopping her. But his silence was louder than any protest.
And that was enough.
Her fingers loosened around the envelope.
"I trust him." The words left her lips before she could stop them.
Liam's smirk faltered for the briefest second before he leaned back against the bookshelf, amused. "Trust? That's cute. I wonder how long it'll last."
Ava clenched her jaw. "You came here for a reason, Liam. If you're trying to make me doubt him, you failed."
Noah still hadn't spoken. His gaze remained locked on Liam, unreadable.
Liam gave a slow, knowing nod. "Alright then. Keep your blind faith. But when it breaks…" His eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned to leave, his footsteps echoing through the empty library. But just before he reached the door, he paused.
"Oh, and Noah?"
Noah tensed.
Liam's voice dropped to something almost too quiet to hear. "You can't outrun the past forever."
And then he was gone.
Ava let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. But the room didn't feel lighter. If anything, the weight had only shifted—settling onto Noah, onto the things he still wasn't saying.
She turned to him. "Noah—"
"Not here." His voice was quiet, firm. "Not now."
Ava's stomach twisted, but she nodded.
Jasper exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "That guy's got a talent for ruining the mood."
Ava forced a small smile, but inside, her mind was racing.
She had made her choice.
But for the first time, she wondered if she had made the right one.