The room was too quiet.
Ava stood in the center, gripping the photograph like a lifeline, her knuckles white. The weight of the moment pressed in on her, and yet, the only sound was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Noah hadn't moved. He just stood there, watching her. His face unreadable.
She took a breath. "Noah. I need the truth."
His jaw tightened. "Ava"
She threw the photo down between them. "No more half-truths. No more lies. This—" She gestured around them, at the suffocating tension in the air. "This isn't just about me, is it?"
Noah's silence stretched too long.
And then Jasper spoke. "You were in this before you even knew there was an 'in.'"
A chill crept up her spine.
She turned to Jasper, her voice quieter now, but no less urgent. "What do you mean?"
Jasper exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. "Ava… You think this started when you met Noah? That you just got caught up in something by accident?" He shook his head. "You were already part of it. The moment you walked into his life, you were just waking up to it."
Ava's stomach twisted. She looked at Noah, searching his face for a denial, an argument,something.
But Noah didn't deny it.
He just met her gaze and said, "I was trying to protect you."
She let out a sharp, breathless laugh. "By lying to me?"
Noah's eyes darkened. "By keeping you alive."
Ava's breath hitched. The weight of his words settled in, cold and heavy.
Before she could respond....
CRASH.
The sound came from just outside the door.
Noah reacted first, moving in a blur. Jasper was at his side in an instant.
Ava's pulse spiked. They weren't alone.
Noah reached for her, his voice low and firm. "Ava. We need to go. Now."
She hesitated. Everything in her screamed to demand answers, to refuse to move until she knew the truth. But the look in Noah's eyes...
She swallowed hard.
And then, against every instinct telling her to run the other way...
She took his hand.
And stepped into the unknown.