Chapter 3: Old Wounds
992 Words
Ava had expected curiosity.
She hadn't expected Sophia Hart.
The actress followed her into the ladies' room with the same graceful smile she'd worn all evening.
"Hello."
Ava looked up from the sink.
"Hello."
For a few moments, only the sound of running water filled the room.
Then Sophia spoke again.
"You're Ava Bennett, aren't you?"
Ava met her gaze through the mirror.
There was no point pretending.
"Yes."
The actress's face immediately brightened.
"I knew it."
Before Ava could react, Sophia reached for her hand.
"You've changed so much."
Emotion flickered across her features.
"I was worried about you all these years."
Ava remained still.
"Really?"
Sophia's smile faltered slightly.
"You disappeared so suddenly. Everyone missed you."
Everyone.
Ava almost laughed.
What a convenient word.
Everyone had missed her.
Yet no one had come looking.
No one had called.
"People move on."
Her voice remained calm.
Sophia studied her carefully.
"You were just a child."
Ava looked away.
She disliked these conversations.
Especially when they came wrapped in sympathy.
The two women couldn't have been more different.
Sophia was warm.
Polished.
The perfect public figure.
Ava had learned long ago that polished things often hid sharp edges.
"How long are you staying?" Sophia asked.
"Two weeks."
"That's all?"
"My mentor's fashion show is the reason I'm here."
Sophia's eyes widened.
"Your mentor wouldn't happen to be Marco Laurent, would it?"
Ava smiled faintly.
"You know him?"
"Everyone in fashion knows him."
Sophia laughed.
"I heard years ago he accepted a young apprentice and treated her like family. That was you?"
"Apparently I was too stubborn to leave him alone."
Sophia shook her head.
"Don't underestimate yourself. Someone like him doesn't keep people around out of pity."
For the first time, Ava's smile became genuine.
The compliment felt sincere.
At least more sincere than everything else tonight.
"My friends are waiting."
Sophia nodded.
"Of course."
Then she hesitated.
"Can I have your number?"
Ava almost refused.
Almost.
Instead, she recited it.
Some battles weren't worth fighting.
Not yet.
When they returned to the restaurant, Ethan Sterling was standing near the staircase.
The moment he saw them together, something unreadable flashed through his eyes.
Sophia immediately moved toward him.
"Look who I found."
Her hand slipped naturally around his arm.
"We finally met."
Ethan's gaze never left Ava.
Not even for a second.
Ava felt it.
The weight of it.
The familiarity.
The danger.
She turned away first.
A small victory.
But a victory nonetheless.
By the time Ava returned to her hotel suite, it was nearly midnight.
The city lights glittered beyond the windows.
The conversation with Sophia replayed endlessly in her mind.
So did Ethan's silence.
Five years.
And somehow he still had the ability to disrupt her peace.
Annoying man.
After showering, she changed into comfortable pajamas and tied her damp hair into a loose knot.
Sleep.
That was exactly what she needed.
Her phone suddenly rang.
The unknown number made her frown.
She answered anyway.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice responded immediately.
"Open the door."
Ava froze.
Her heart skipped once.
Then twice.
She stared at the hotel room entrance.
"Ethan?"
"Open the door."
The line disconnected.
Typical.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just an order.
Ava rolled her eyes.
Five years have changed many things.
Apparently his personality wasn't one of them.
After checking her reflection, she reluctantly walked to the door and opened it.
Ethan stood there.
Tall.
Imposing.
As though he belonged everywhere he stepped.
Including her private space.
Without waiting for permission, he walked inside.
Ava closed the door behind him.
"You haven't changed."
"Neither have you."
His coat disappeared onto the sofa.
Moments later, he sat down as though he owned the suite.
Or perhaps the entire hotel.
Ava crossed her arms.
"What do you want?"
Ethan ignored the question.
"What have you been doing these past few months?"
The change of subject irritated her.
"Working."
"Where?"
"Milan. Paris. London."
His gaze narrowed.
"Busy."
"That's usually how careers work."
A brief silence followed.
Then Ethan patted the seat beside him.
"Come here."
Ava laughed.
"No."
His eyebrow lifted.
"No?"
"I'm not seventeen anymore."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Getting brave."
"Getting sensible."
The amusement in his eyes deepened.
For some reason, that annoyed her even more.
"You walk in here after five years and start giving orders."
"You still listen."
"I do not."
"Really?"
Ethan stood.
Ava immediately regretted her confidence.
He crossed the room in seconds.
The space between them vanished.
Far too quickly.
Far too easily.
"You're impossible."
"And you're stubborn."
His voice softened.
Dangerously.
The kind of softness that always meant trouble.
A
va hated that she still noticed things about him.
The faint shadow of stubble.
The tiredness beneath his eyes.
The way he looked at her as though no time had passed at all.
"Your actress seems very attached to you."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Ethan blinked.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound startled her.
"Jealous?"
"No."
"Liar."
Ava glared.
"I heard someone calling you brother-in-law."
Understanding flashed across his face.
For several seconds, he simply stared at her.
Then satisfaction slowly appeared in his expression.
The arrogant man looked entirely too pleased with himself.
"It's not what you think."
"I don't care."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You absolutely do."
Ava grabbed a cushion and threw it at him.
Ethan caught it effortlessly.
The grin that followed made her want to throw something heavier.
And for the first time since returning home, she realized something dangerous.
Being around Ethan still felt easy.
Too easy.
As though the years between them had never existed.
As though the secrets she carried weren't capable of destroying everything.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But in another city, asleep in a small bed, a little girl with Ethan's eyes was waiting for her mother to come home.
And sooner or later, that secret would change all of their lives.
- Writer
