Loving the enemy

Chapter 15

Ava’s pov

I froze, my hand tightening on the cab door. Anger burned inside me at the smug face he gave me. Eight months. Eight months without seeing him, without hearing from him—and now he was back, showing up like a bad dream ready to ruin everything I had worked for. I ended everything with him that night and made it clear I never wanted to see him again.

“What are you doing here, Damian?” I said, keeping my voice calm even though my heart was racing.

He stepped closer, his hands in his pockets like he owned the space between us. “Saw the news,” he said casually, tilting his head as his eyes kept studying me. “Thought I would drop by and say hello.”

My stomach tightened. The news about my “marriage” to Liam. Everything I had built felt like it was falling apart under his stare before I could even leave the street.

I gave a stiff smile and moved toward the cab. “Well, hello. It’s been a while.” My voice was sharp and cold, nothing close to friendly.

He smirked, that same annoying grin, and stepped closer. “Yeah… it’s been a while. You look… different.” His eyes stayed on me too long—on my face, my posture. Every part of me wanted to run, to get in the cab, to vanish.

I yanked the door open a bit harder than I meant to. “I have to go,” I said, my voice firm, leaving no room to argue.

“Ah,” he said, tilting his head again. “Busy life, I see. Married, I hear?”

His words hit hard, sharp on purpose, like he was testing me, pushing where it hurt most.

I got into the cab, slammed the door shut, and quickly hit the lock.

“See you around. Ava” I heard him yell.

My breaths came fast and uneven. The engine started, and I caught one last look at him—still standing there, smirking, not moving, just watching me leave.

My chest rose and fell hard as the cab drove off. Through the tinted window, he grew smaller in the distance, but his presence still clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t escape.

And right then, I knew: Damian wasn’t here just to say hello. He was here to push, to pry, to remind me that my past could crash into my present when I least saw it coming.

I pressed my hand to the window, battling fear, anger, and a flicker of old memories I didn’t want to feel. My heart pounded. Liam. The hospital. My mom. Everything I was trying to hold together felt like it could fall apart with just one look.

The cab turned the corner and drove off, but I still felt uneasy. Damian was out there—watching, waiting. Whatever he had planned, I knew it wasn’t over.

The cab made a stop right in front of the hospital where my mom was admitted. I glanced at the driver before paying him and moving towards the hospital doors.

My mother rested against the pillows, weak but awake, her eyes opening at the sound of the door.

“Ava,” she whispered, her voice weak but gentle, and for the first time that night, I felt a bit of relief.

I hurried to her side, touching her hand. It was cold, thinner than I remembered. “I’m here, Mom.”

Her lips curved, just barely. “I knew you’d come.”

For a moment, everything else—Damian showing up, the fake marriage, the lies stacking higher than I could handle—faded away. It was just me and her, like before life tore us apart.

But then her eyes focused on me, sharp in a way only she could. “You’ve changed, Ava. Something’s different. What is it?”

Her question cut deep. I started to speak, then stopped. How could I tell her? That I’d pretended to marry a man she hated. That Damian had come back. That I was caught in a dangerous game where one mistake could ruin us both?

“I’m just… working a lot,” I said instead, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. “Trying to make sure you’re okay.”

Her brows drew together, like she could see right through me. Maybe she could. “I don’t want you wearing yourself out because of me.”

I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “You’re worth it.”

She squeezed my hand, weaker than before but still carrying that motherly strength. “Be careful, Ava. When you take on too much, life has a way of stealing pieces of you you’ll never get back.”

Her words hit me like a warning. She didn’t know the details, but she could feel it—the danger, the weight I was carrying.

Before I could answer, the door opened and my dad walked in. His face was hard to read, his eyes moving from me to Mom. The air grew tense.

“Your mom needs rest,” he said softly, though there was something sharper under his words. Like he had more to say, just not here.

I kissed Mom’s forehead and stood up, my heart still racing with everything I was keeping inside.

As I walked after him into the hallway, one thing was clear—Damian’s return wasn’t by chance. And if my dad was starting to suspect the truth too… the fragile world I’d built was about to get even more dangerous.

I closed the door gently, the soft click lost in the quiet buzz of machines in the hall. My father stood waiting, arms crossed, stiff and unreadable like he always was when he was hiding something.

“Walk with me,” he said quietly.

I paused, then followed him a few steps from Mom’s room, down the hall to a quieter spot. The silence dragged on, heavy on my chest, until he finally spoke.

“You’re not telling me everything.”

My stomach tightened. “About what?”

He studied me, his eyes were unreadable. “About you. About what you’ve gotten yourself into. I can see it on your face, Ava. The late nights, the way you carry yourself like you’re bracing for a fight. You’re hiding something.”

I let out a breath. “I’m fine, Dad. You don’t need to worry.”

“I’ve spent half my life learning to read people. Criminals, liars, desperate men who’d do anything to get ahead. And you’re standing here looking exactly like them.”

His words stung more than I expected. I turned my face away, swallowing hard. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe not,” he said, his voice low and steady. “But I know when someone’s in too deep. And Ava—” his tone softened, almost begging—“whatever this is, it’ll cost you. Don’t pull your mother into it. She can’t bear that.”

His warning cut into me, tight and suffocating. My throat ached with everything I couldn’t say. That I wasn’t just in too deep—I was drowning.

I looked him in the eyes, forcing strength into mine. “I can handle it.”

He studied me one last time, the silence thick between us, then gave a nod. “Then you’d better.”

And with that, he turned, walking down the corridor, leaving me standing there with my secrets pressing tighter around my chest.

I stayed in the hallway long after my dad left, staring at the pale hospital walls until they blurred. My chest felt tight and my mind wouldn’t rest. Damian showing up tonight wasn’t an accident — it was a warning. My father’s words only proved it.

Time was running out. I pressed my back to the wall and closed my eyes for a moment. I couldn’t wait or let fear slow me down. Liam’s memory was fragile and my lies were holding, but Damian was a ticking bomb. If he acted, everything I’d built could fall apart in seconds.

I straightened, pushing my shoulders back. No more delays. If I wanted the truth about Liam and what destroyed my family, I had to move now — before anyone else took control of the story.

This wasn’t just survival anymore. It was staying ahead. I promised myself then: I would dig faster, work harder, and lock my place in Liam’s life before Damian or anyone else could take it away. The only way to win was to strike first.