Chapter 5
1241 Words
[Ava]
The click of the front door locking behind us echoed through the quiet apartment, a final punctuation to the rollercoaster of a night. I leaned against it, my eyes closed, trying to steady my racing heart. The weight of Oliver's sleeping form in my arms grounded me, reminding me why I'd made the choices I had.
"Mommy?" Oliver mumbled sleepily, his face nestled in the crook of my neck.
"Shh, baby," I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "Let's get you to bed."
As I carried him to his room, my mind whirled with the events of the evening. Ethan's face when he realized Oliver was his son. The intensity in his eyes as he demanded answers. The electricity that still crackled between us, even after all these years.
I tucked Oliver into bed, my heart swelling with love as I watched him snuggle into his favorite stuffed elephant. How could I have ever thought about keeping him from Ethan? The guilt that had been gnawing at me for years suddenly felt overwhelming.
But then I remembered the pain, the betrayal, the lonely nights wondering where Ethan was and who he was with. The lipstick-stained collar that had been the final straw. Could I really trust that it had all been a misunderstanding?
With a heavy sigh, I made my way to the kitchen, pouring myself a generous glass of wine. I knew I should try to sleep, to prepare for the inevitable confrontation at tomorrow's brunch. But my nerves were too frayed, my thoughts too chaotic.
The sudden buzz of my phone made me jump. I glanced at the screen, groaning when I saw the name: Victoria Vanderbilt. My mother. Of course she'd choose now to call.
For a moment, I considered ignoring it. But I knew from experience that would only lead to a barrage of increasingly worried (and irritating) messages. With a resigned sigh, I answered.
"Hello, Mother."
"Ava, darling," Victoria's crisp voice came through the speaker. "I've just heard about the scene at the Blackwood gala. I take it Ethan finally knows about Oliver?"
I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Yes, Mother. He knows."
"Well, it's about time," Victoria said, her tone a mixture of relief and exasperation. "I've been telling you for years that you needed to tell him. Now that it's out in the open, you need to allow Ethan into Oliver's life."
Her words hit me like a physical blow, igniting a fire of anger and defensiveness within me. "Allow him? After everything he put me through? After he betrayed me?"
"Ava," Victoria's voice took on a warning tone. "We've been over this. You never gave Ethan a chance to explain. You ran away before-"
"Before what?" I snapped, my composure finally cracking. "Before he could lie to my face? Before he could make more excuses?"
"Before you could hear his side of the story," Victoria countered. "Darling, you've been holding onto this anger for five years. It's time to let it go, for Oliver's sake."
I gritted my teeth, old resentments bubbling to the surface. "You don't understand, Mother. I'm protecting Oliver. Protecting him from being hurt, from growing up with a father who might abandon him, who might make him feel like he's not enough. The way Ethan made me feel."
"Oh, Ava," Victoria sighed, her voice tinged with frustration. "Is that what you really believe? That Ethan would abandon his own child? The man I knew five years ago would never-"
"The man you knew?" I interrupted, my voice rising. "You didn't know him, Mother. You didn't see the lipstick on his collar, didn't feel the pain of his betrayal. I did."
"And you didn't give him a chance to explain," Victoria retorted. "You ran away, Ava. You took his child and disappeared. Do you really think that was fair? To Ethan or to Oliver?"
Her words stung, forcing me to confront the doubts I'd been harboring all these years. Had I been too hasty in my judgment? Too quick to assume the worst? No, I couldn't let myself think like that. I had to stay strong, for Oliver's sake.
"What's fair is keeping my son safe," I said, my voice low and intense. "I won't let Ethan waltz back into our lives and hurt Oliver the way he hurt me."
"Darling," Victoria's voice softened slightly. "I know you're scared. But think about Oliver. Don't you think he deserves to know his father? To have that relationship in his life?"
I closed my eyes, remembering the look of wonder and hurt on Ethan's face when he'd first realized Oliver was his. "It's not that simple, Mother."
"It never is," Victoria agreed. "But you need to face this head-on, Ava. You made a choice five years ago, for better or worse. Now you have to deal with the consequences."
"By letting Ethan back into our lives?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone. "After everything?"
"Yes," Victoria said firmly. "For Oliver's sake, if nothing else. You need to at least consider co-parenting."
I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me. "I can't, Mother. I won't risk Oliver getting hurt. I won't risk getting hurt again."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When Victoria spoke again, her voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Oh, Ava. Is that what this is really about? Are you still in love with Ethan Blackwood?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. I thought back to the moment in the alcove, when Ethan had been so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. The way my heart had raced, my body instinctively leaning towards his. The spark that still ignited whenever our eyes met.
"I... I don't know," I finally admitted, more to myself than to my mother. "But it doesn't matter. I won't let my feelings, whatever they are, put Oliver at risk."
Before Victoria could respond, a small voice called out from the hallway. "Mommy? I had a bad dream."
"I have to go, Mother," I said quickly. "Oliver needs me."
"Of course, darling. Just think about what I said. And Ava?"
"Yes?"
"I know you're trying to protect Oliver. But sometimes, protecting someone means giving them the chance to form their own relationships, even if we're scared of the outcome."
Her words struck a chord, but I pushed the feeling aside. "Goodnight, Mother."
As I hung up the phone and went to comfort my son, I couldn't shake the feeling that tomorrow's brunch would change everything. For better or worse, Ethan Blackwood was back in our lives. And despite my best efforts to maintain a cold, indifferent exterior, I knew deep down that a part of me – a part I'd tried desperately to bury – was terrified of what that might mean.
I scooped Oliver into my arms, breathing in his sweet, sleepy scent. "It's okay, baby," I murmured. "Mommy's here. Everything's going to be alright."
As I held him close, I made a silent vow. No matter what happened with Ethan, no matter what feelings resurfaced or what battles lay ahead, I would always put Oliver first. He was my world, my everything. And if keeping Ethan out of our lives was what it took to protect him, then that's what I would do.
Even if it meant fighting against my own heart in the process.
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