Ava POV
I didn't sleep.
The tears dried on my face, leaving my skin tight and hot. My back ached from sitting against the door all night, but I couldn't make myself move. Every time I shifted, I heard one of them stir in the hallway. They were still there. All three of them. Waiting.
The first light of dawn crept through the curtains, painting the bedroom in pale gray. I finally looked around. The master bedroom. Derek's room. The bed I'd shared with him for years, cold and untouched now. The heavy furniture, the dark walls, the smell of old money and loneliness. I hated this room. I'd always hated it. But last night it felt like the only safe place in the world.
I stood up slowly, my legs stiff and numb. My bare feet pressed into the thick carpet as I walked toward the closet. Not bec
