Chapter 226

Ava’s POV

Her annoyance flashed—at my interruption, or being caught? My eyes darted to her hands, expecting a phone, but they were empty. The irritation vanished, replaced by exhaustion.

“Well?” I asked.

Annoyance flared again. “Do you see a phone?”

“No,” I retorted, arms crossed. “But I heard you say, ‘I’m so mad at you, Liam, for everything, but if you come back, we can fix this.’”

She rolled her eyes. “Talking to myself.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Right. Normal.”

“It is when you’re overwhelmed,” she snapped. “And since you’re so interested in my private conversations, maybe you should work on your own boundaries, Ava. Eavesdropping is a bad look.” She drew out my name, dripping with disdain.

That hadn’t changed. I almost walked away. But no. Being a pushover had cost me.

“Says the person who bugged my phone,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

Guilt flickered, gone too fast to be sure.

“Did you know Crystal’s my twin?”

She gasped, looking—for the first time—tired, not defensive. Just tired.

“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t.”

Silence hung between us. She ran a trembling hand through her hair. “I wasn’t talking to Liam… not really. I was practicing. Rehearsing what I’d say if I ever saw him again.”

Her voice was raw, vulnerable.

“And you think you can fix things? Forgive him?”

She faced the fountain, her gaze fixed on the water. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I really don’t.”

Silence. Then, softer, “I don’t know how to process this pain. How to feel. He despised me, used me. And the worst part?” A bitter laugh escaped her. “I loved him. I still do.”

I didn’t respond. This was Elaine—the thorn in my side, the spy, the manipulator. I hated her.

And yet…

I sighed, watching the water ripple. “Honestly? I don’t know what I’d have done. If I found out the person I loved never cared—that I was a pawn?” I chuckled bitterly. “I don’t know how I’d process that.”

She scoffed. “Don’t pretend to sympathize.”

“I’m not.”

Silence. Only the fountain’s trickle and rustling leaves.

She exhaled sharply. “It’s not about forgiving him. It’s that I don’t know if I can.” Her voice wavered. “Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Everything I felt—it wasn’t fake. Maybe I was blind, stupid. But it was real. And now, I don’t know who I am without it.”

“Then maybe you need to figure out who you are outside of him,” I said, arms crossed.

She laughed, humorless. “Easier said than done.”

“I know.”

Her gaze locked onto mine, sharp and searching. “You still want Grayson because you love him, like I love Liam,” she said suddenly.

My stomach twisted. “That’s not the same.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No.”

She tilted her head. “Sure?”

I bit my cheek. I didn’t owe her an answer.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You can pretend all you want, but love isn’t something you just switch off. You can hate someone, wish they never existed, but that doesn’t erase what you felt.”

“That doesn’t mean they deserve forgiveness.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Silence. Then, “But it also doesn’t mean the love disappears.”

I looked away at the water. I didn’t want this conversation. Not with her. Not when, against all odds, she was making sense.

She sighed, quieter now. “Not that any of it matters. Not if we don’t make it out of this alive.”

The silence was heavy. My eyes followed hers as they lingered on my stomach—a look of… longing? She quickly looked away, her expression hardening.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” I whispered.

Her lips pressed together. Then a sad smile. She placed a hand on her stomach. “I was excited,” she murmured. “I hoped for a girl. I was going to spoil her silly.” Her voice caught. “I know I come off as a bitch, but I knew I’d be a great mother.”

Something twisted in my chest. I had every reason to hate her, to walk away. But all I saw was a woman shattered by loss, used, discarded. And no one deserved what Liam had done.

“I read that people raise their children like they were raised,” I said. “It’s instinct. I know I don’t want to raise my child that way. I’ll fight that instinct every day. But on the days I can’t… will you do me a favor and spoil her silly?”

She blinked. Then a quiet laugh. “Her?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. But I’m hoping for a girl, too.”

She looked at me, her expression unreadable. Then she exhaled, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I think you’d be a good mother,” she admitted softly.

Silence fell again. The air shifted, no longer hostile, but… understanding?

Then, it shattered.

Elaine’s body stiffened. Her eyes widened, unfocused, as if seeing through me. Her breathing grew shallow. Then, she snapped back.

Her face was pale. “It was Liam.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“He reached out. He said… he’s decided to do me a favor.”

My stomach churned. “What kind?”

Her gaze was intense, unreadable. “He said Damien’s planning something big tomorrow. Something against us.”

I stiffened.

She swallowed. “And that he’ll make sure I survive it… if I bring you to them.”

A cold dread settled in my gut.