My Ex, My Stepbrother, My Ruin

CCTV would expose whoever did it

Jake’s POV

My eyes flicked briefly to Ava, then to William.

Excluding me and Ashley’s mother, no one else in this house knew about her allergy.

I ran it through my head quickly. Who could it be?

William? He was about to marry her. The thought didn’t even sit right. There was no way he’d want to hurt her, let alone kill her.

That left one person.

Ava.

She had gone downstairs. And right after that, this happened. The timing sat wrong in my chest. The way everything lined up… it didn’t feel like coincidence.

But I didn’t say anything yet.

I kept it to myself.

For now.

My father turned to all of us, his expression hard, his eyes sharp as they moved across the room.

“Who did it?” he asked again, his voice firm, cutting through the tension. “Ashley would never try to harm herself, not when she knows about her allergy. Someone here knew… and used it against her.”

Everyone was silent like we all had suddenly gone mute.

The only sound was the steady ticking of the grandfather clock,dragging every second out.

Then the door creaked open.

Louisiana stepped in, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, her doll dangling loosely from her fingers.

“Daddy, I didn’t get the…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes moved around the room, then landed on Ashley lying on the bed. Her small face shifted, confusion creeping in.

“What happened to Aunt Ashley?” she asked softly, starting toward the bed.

“She’ll be fine, darling,” Ava said quickly, reaching out and catching her hand before she could get any closer. Her grip was gentle but firm. “She just needs to rest, okay?”

I studied Ava. There was nothing on her face. No panic, no guilt. Just that same composed look, like this was all under control.

I knew she and Ashley had issues, but this? She had no f*****g right to try to kill her if it was her doing.

Then Ashley's mother spoke, her hand still moving slowly over the back of Ashley’s hand.

“Darling,” she said to my father, her voice calm. “Let’s just go to bed, okay? We can check the CCTV footage in the morning.”

“What if the person goes after the footage?” William asked, his arms folding across his chest. I had to admit, that was the most sensible thing I’d heard him say since he got here.

“I’ll go talk to the security as we leave. I’ll tell them to…” Ava started, but I cut her off.

“No.”

My voice came out firm and final.

“Dad will handle that.”

She turned to me, her brows lifting slightly. I didn’t look away. I held her gaze until she dropped it first.

“That’s settled then,” my father said with a sigh, like he didn’t want any more tension. He turned back to Ashley, his expression softening.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” he said quietly.

Ashley gave a small nod, a faint, tired smile touching her lips.

“I’ll be leaving first then,” he added, already turning toward the door. Ava followed behind him, carrying Louisiana, who had started to doze off, her head resting against Ava’s shoulder.

Soon, it was just me, William, and her mother in the room.

William moved first. He stepped closer, taking Ashley’s hand carefully, his fingers wrapping around hers.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then her cheek.

“How could you let this happen, William?” her mother asked, her voice tight like she had been holding the question in since.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, his tone sincere, his eyes lifting to meet hers. “I had no idea.”

He looked back at Ashley, his hand moving to cup her cheek gently.

I stood there, watching.

The only thing that mattered was that she was okay. Everything else, every other thought, faded behind that.

I turned towards the door, ready to leave, when I heard her voice.

“Wait.”

I stopped and slowly turned to her.

“Thank you,” she said.

For the first time since she arrived, there was no edge in her eyes. No anger. Just those soft hazel eyes I used to get lost in.

I gave a single nod and walked out of the room.

Her mother hurried after me, her heels tapping lightly against the floor. Once the door closed behind us, she let out a long breath, like she had been holding it in.

“Thank you, Jake,” she said, tapping my shoulder lightly.

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

“But…” her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing just a bit. “How did you know how to treat Ashley?”

My heart slammed hard against my chest.

Was she starting to suspect something? Or just curious?

Ashley hadn’t told her anything about our. She must have had her reasons.

“Back in college, a close friend of mine had a similar case,” I said, keeping my tone steady.

“Oh, really?”

She studied me for a second, like she was trying to read past my words. Then her expression softened.

“Well, thank you again,” she said before turning back into the room.

I stayed there for a moment.

From inside, I could hear low voices, Ashley and William. The soft murmur of their conversation slipped through the door.

Something tightened in my chest.

Watching them together… Sometimes it took everything in me not to walk up and hit him.

But of course, I couldn’t.

When I got back to my room, Louisiana was asleep in the middle of the bed, her small body curled under the covers, her breathing soft and even.

Ava sat by the window, her back slightly hunched, the dim light casting shadows across her face. She looked… off. Like sleep had completely abandoned her.

I didn’t say anything at first. Didn’t want to wake Louisiana.

“I know you think it’s me,” Ava said quietly, like she’d been waiting for me to admit it. She looked out of the window.

I didn’t respond. I sat on the edge of the bed, dragging a hand through my hair. Ashley’s face flashed in my mind, the way her eyes had pleaded, the way her breath had struggled in the kitchen.

“Let’s not do this tonight,” I muttered.

“No, we need to,” she insisted, finally turning to face me. “Especially the part where you don’t trust me.”

I shifted my gaze to her. Hearing it out loud felt… off. Like I’d crossed a line somewhere.

“I’d never try to kill her,” she said slowly, each word clear. “No matter how much we hate each other.”

Then she got up and lay down beside Louisiana, turning her back to me without waiting for a response.

Silence filled the room.

For the first time since all this started, guilt crept in, slow, uncomfortable. Like I had been treating her like she didn’t matter at all.

I stood up, pulled the covers up to her shoulders, and paused, watching her for a moment.

Then I straightened.

If she wasn’t the one…

Then tomorrow, the CCTV would tell me who was.