MARRIED TO DECEPTION

Chapter One

“No”, “No”, “No”. Ava kept repeating those words. She didn't know if it had to do with the fact that her grandfather had just died or if it had to do with the promise he had made her make before he had passed.

Ava stared at the pale still form of her once healthy, lively grandfather. She felt her chest squeeze and her eyes get blurry, but no tear dropped. She didn't know if she had drained everything when her grandma died and the days leading to her funeral or if it had to do with the fact that somehow she knew he was going to die, even if not today.

It had been a month or two since she passed away, but her death had taken a toll on all of them.

Asher had shrunk in size, and had started having bouts of illness. She was shocked that he had lasted this long, and somehow she had begun to hope.

How could he do this to her, leave her in this world and put a burden on her before leaving? He had said it was for her good,but she couldn't understand how.

Who was he, why would her grandfather want her to get married to him so badly, that he had made sure he had said all he needed to say about the wedding before giving in to eternal sleep.

Ethan Davenport, she had never heard the name before, or maybe she had, but she had never really paid attention.

She felt anger and sadness whirling up in her again. He had married for love, but he expected her to marry someone because that had been his final wish.

Standing from the position she had been in, she closed her grandfather's eyes, calling the nurse to do the final confirmation.

After making sure there was nothing she was needed for in the hospital, she headed out, preparing her mind for the journey she was about to embark home.

She stared at her frame from the glass door that led to the parking lot, she looked like she had reduced greatly in size, marriage was the last thing on her mind currently, besides with how she looked now, she was certain nobody would want to marry her, arranged or not.

Taking a few strides to her car when she was certain she didn't want to stand anymore and going back inside was out of the option.

Ava got to her Tesla model 3, unlocked the door and got in, drove out of the parking space and building

Turning onto the highway, she switched to autopilot, also turning on Google Maps. She was certain she didn't have strength and enough brain power without the use of little assistance from these apps

She sunk back into her chair, allowing herself to relax a bit, but she couldn't. She checked the time on her wristwatch, wondering if she would be able to make it to Asheville before 1 at noon the next day.

She had not planned to return to Asheville that day, but now that Asher was dead, there was no point in staying in Rhode Island.

She also did not feel like using the plane that day either, so here she was driving through the dark road, with headlights as companion, she was grateful for the emptiness of the road though, in that way, she was certain to avoid hitting anybody.

She changed lanes, maintaining the lane by the farthest side of the road. That way she was certain that any form of accident would be avoided.

Her mind drifting back to Asher's final wish. She wasn't ready for marriage, she wasn't sure she could handle herself properly with the way the past few months had been, and now she was going to need to think about getting married to someone, preparations and all, she wasn't ready for that.

She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the dark circles she had tried so hard to conceal that morning. She had not slept well since her grandmother's passing.

Her grandmother had been a mom and grandmother to her and Asher was the only person who had also played the role of a father and grandfather.

She didn't have much recollection of her real parents, she had not been so little when they had passed, but she barely remembered anything about them and her grandparents had always been careful not to talk about them when she was there.

Her mind went back to the day her grandmother had died. She was certain that her world had ended, she had wanted nothing more than to sink into an eternal sleep, and had been so angry when she had woken up in the hospital ward and the doctors had said she would be fine, she had begged, cried for the doctors to end her life, but it had all been in her head, she knew her grandmother wouldn't want her to do something like that, and suicide wasn't an option so she had been left to live this life, hoping that death would take her also.

She blamed herself for Ophelia's death. She still wondered if she hadn't come that day, if she would still alive, or if she had visited more she would have seen that something was wrong with her grandma.

Ava ran a hand down her face trying to shake the sleep away. She couldn't afford sleeping at the wheel. The Tesla's advanced safety features were reassuring, but she knew better than to rely solely on technology.

After driving for hours and checking the time once more, she knew she wasn't going to make it to Asheville in one piece if she continued her journey. Searching through her phone for the nearest hotel she could lodge in, she changed the destination on her gps and on her navigation board, hoping the hotel wasn't fully booked.

It took approximately 15 minutes to get to where she had planned to spend the night, parking her car as the safest spot she could find. She got down, her legs almost giving way.

Steadying herself as best as she could, she took a slow stride into the hotel. Her legs felt like jelly, and she hoped it would be strong enough to take her to her hotel room. Luckily for her, there was enough vacancy, and soon she had signed in and was preparing to go to sleep.

Her mind drifted back to Ethan for a split second, ‘He was handsome’, that had been the only info Asher had cared to share about him.

Taking her thoughts away from him, she heard her phone ring, picking it up and wondering who could be calling by this time.

She checked the ID. Not sure she knew who it was, she answered the call.

“Hello Ava”, “Ethan Davenport here”, “so sorry for your loss”, but i would love it if we could meet soon. He had known she had lost a family member because that had been the only information his grandpa had cared to share.

Ava felt a chill run down her spine.

“How did he get her number?”.