Ava’s POV
I didn’t remember how my legs carried me down the hallway. One moment I was staring into Jason’s eyes, frozen in that terrible second where his hand lifted as though he might strike me, and the next I was out of my apartment door, my lungs burning, my pulse pounding so loud it drowned everything else.
The elevator took too long. My hands shook as I pressed the button again and again, but the doors seemed deaf to my panic. I didn’t wait. I turned and raced down the stairs instead, my shoes slapping hard against the concrete. My sweater clung to me, too warm, suffocating, as sweat mixed with the tears on my face. Every corner I turned, I half-expected to see him following, his tall frame looming, his voice calling my name like a command.
When I finally pushed through the lobby d
