2. Twelve Days
1300 Words
[Day 1; December 20th, The Ophelia Cruise Ship]
~Octavia~
Dave stormed past me, his shoulder brushing mine roughly as he advanced into the suite like a thunderstorm rolling in.
The ground beneath me tilted, my chest tightening as the betrayal hit full force.
Tears pricked my vision, hot and burning, but I refused to let them fall. I stood frozen in the doorway, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing.
Nathan had always been arrogant, petty, and cruel. But this? This was another level. Sleeping with Dave Carter’s girlfriend, of all people, just to feed his pathetic envy?
This was vile.
Dave’s voice ripped through the air like thunder.
“Today is the end of you, Nathan Sinclair!”
Nathan and Ava, still deep in sleep, did not stir.
Not until Dave lunged.
His hand snatched Nathan by the throat, yanking him out of bed so violently that the nightstand lamp wobbled. Nathan’s groggy confusion was short-lived before Dave’s fist slammed into his jaw.
Nathan stumbled, his lip splitting open.
“You son of a b***h!” Dave snarled, his voice lethal with rage.
Ava finally woke, stretched lazily, blinked as she took in the chaos, then let out a slow yawn before sitting up and clutching the sheets to her chest. Instead of shame or panic, a smirk curled on her lips, her expression not one of guilt but of pure irritation.
With an exaggerated sigh, she grabbed the whiskey from the nightstand, took a slow sip, and rolled her eyes.
“Boys, honestly,” she drawled, completely unfazed.
My stomach twisted in revulsion.
She was not even ashamed.
I turned my attention back to Dave. His rage was no longer just anger. It was deadly.
“Dave, stop!” I stepped inside, slamming the door behind me. The noise was bound to attract attention, and the last thing I wanted was for this humiliation to become a spectacle.
But Dave did not stop.
His fist crashed into Nathan’s face again, and a dark, twisted satisfaction stirred within me at the sight of him finally getting the beating he so richly deserved.
Ava’s voice cut through the tension.
“Enough!” she snapped, pulling the sheet around her like a robe.
“Jesus, Dave aren’t you supposed to be composed? You’re making a scene.”
I stared at her.
Was she serious?
Dave’s grip tightened around Nathan’s throat as he turned toward her, his blue eyes burning.
“You want me to be composed?” he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. “When this prick took advantage of you while you were drunk?”
Ava let out a slow, mocking laugh, not the nervous or guilty kind, but one filled with pure amusement.
“Oh, Dave,” she purred, swirling the whiskey in her glass. “Spare me the righteous act. I wasn’t that drunk.”
Dave’s hand faltered just enough for Nathan to gasp for air.
Ava smirked and took another slow sip.
“I knew exactly what I was doing.”
Silence crashed over the room.
Dave’s jaw locked. “What the hell are you saying?”
Ava leaned back against the pillows, her eyes gleaming with malice.
“I cheated on you, Dave. Intentionally.”
The words landed like a gunshot.
“You’re boring. Too serious. Too cold. Too detached,” she continued, her voice casual but cruel. “Sure, you’re rich, but being with you is like dating a goddamn ice sculpture.”
She flicked her gaze toward Nathan, sprawled on the floor.
“Nathan, on the other hand? He’s fun. Adventurous. And unlike you, he actually enjoys being with me.”
The room fell into stunned silence. My heart broke for Dave as I saw the betrayal and pain ripple across his face.
“You’re unbelievable,” he whispered, his voice raw. “After everything I’ve done for you—everything I’ve given you…”
Ava’s expression flickered for a moment, as though she regretted her words. But then her arrogance returned in full force.
“Oh, spare me that self-righteousness of yours. Sure, you gave me things, Dave, but you never gave me you.”
She gestured wildly. “It’s always about your damn company, your precious empire. God forbid you take a day off to enjoy life.”
The room stilled.
For the first time, Dave looked shaken. His breath came uneven, his chest rising and falling as if the weight of Ava’s words had physically struck him. His jaw clenched like he was fighting to hold himself together, but I could see it—the devastation lurking beneath the anger.
For a moment, I thought he might say nothing at all, that the pain was too much for him to even find the words. Then, with a slow, measured breath, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the small red velvet box.
“You always said you wanted this,” he murmured, opening it to reveal an emerald-cut pink amethyst ring. Light caught the facets, making it glow.
Ava’s eyes widened with naked greed.
“Dave…”
“I planned to propose to you on Christmas Eve,” he said, his voice fracturing. “I thought you were the one. But now…” He snapped the box shut.
“You’re not worth it.”
For the first time, Ava’s confidence cracked.
“Dave, wait—”
“No.” His voice was ice. “You made your choice.”
Nathan, still wiping blood from his lip, chuckled.
“Ava, don’t worry. I’ll get you a ring. Hell, I’ll get you something even better once we’re off this damned ship.”
A new kind of rage ignited inside me.
Nathan, the man who never even took me on a proper date, was already offering Ava the world.
I turned to leave, my vision blurring, but Ava’s voice hooked me back.
“Nathan,” she drawled, tilting her head. “What are you going to do with her?”
She flicked her gaze toward me, mocking. “You don’t need this… thing anymore, right?”
Nathan chuckled, wincing as his swollen cheek stretched.
“Octavia,” he said coldly. “You’re no longer my girlfriend. You can go throw yourself off the damn ocean for all I care, get your things out of here!.”
The words stabbed deep.
But I was not surprised.
Nathan had always coveted everything Dave had, and Ava was no different.
I turned toward the door, desperate to leave before my emotions spilled over, before I did something reckless. But before I could take another step, Dave caught my wrist and pulled me toward him with such force that I stumbled, colliding against his chest.
A soft gasp escaped my lips, a tremor of shock rippling through me as his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, holding me in place. The possessiveness in his grip sent a shiver down my spine, leaving me breathless and dazed.
“Ava,” he said suddenly, his voice eerily calm.
“You know what? You’re right. I never gave you enough fun, did I?”
Ava smirked, already preparing another cruel remark.
But Dave did not give her the chance.
He lifted my jaw with a finger, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch.
“Octavia,” he said, his voice cutting through the tension.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
The room went silent.
My heart slammed against my ribs. Was he serious?
Ava scoffed, and Nathan’s swollen face twisted in confusion. But Dave leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispered softly, only loud enough for me to hear.
“Just for the next twelve days. Let’s make them regret every damn thing.”
- Writer
