My Ex, My Stepbrother, My Ruin

she's so annoying

Ashley's POV

By midday, I was packing my clothes into my suitcase, folding each piece neatly before stacking them inside. William’s clothes were already beside me, and I added his shirts one after the other, smoothing out the creases as I went.

While I was still busy, a soft knock landed on the door.

“Come in,” I said without turning.

The door creaked open, followed by slow footsteps on the floor. I paused briefly when I saw Ava standing by the doorway. The shirt I was folding stopped mid-air.

Now what did she want?

“Ash,” she exhaled, leaning slightly against the frame.

I turned back to my suitcase and continued folding. If she thought I had time for whatever this was, she was wrong. Couldn’t she just stay away until I left?

“If you’re here to….”

“I came to say sorry… for what happened to you,” she cut in, rubbing her palm over her blue jeans.

I went still.

The words sat in my head for a moment, heavy and strange. Ava apologizing? To me?

That had never happened before. Not even after I caught her with Jake.

I slowly stood upright and turned to face her fully, keeping my expression flat.

I knew Ava too well. She didn’t apologize. Not unless there was a reason behind it. And right now, the only reason I could think of was that I was leaving.

“I know you hate me, and I know you suspect I’m the one who put the honey in your food,” she said, shrugging slightly and looking away like she was trying too hard to seem unaffected. “But honestly, I’d never try to kill you.”

I folded my arms across my chest, studying her.

If it wasn’t her… then who?

“What do you want, Ava?” I exhaled, my patience thinning. “Just say it.”

“At least hear me…”

“No,” I said sharply, cutting her off. My voice came out colder than I intended. “I don’t want to hear anymore of your fake apology. Just leave.” I tilted my chin toward the door, eyes fixed on her.

“Ash,” she stepped forward again, but I immediately stepped back, the space between us widening.

“Don’t you ever call me that with that cheating mouth of yours,” I said acidly. “Now leave.”

I watched her expression shift. The perfect mask she always wore cracked, just slightly at first, then completely. A slow smirk formed on her lips, and for a second she just stood there, staring at me differently now. Not soft. Not polite.

“You know,watching you choke like that yesterday…” she looked away briefly, like she was replaying it in her head, her fingers brushing lightly against her arm. “Was not just hilarious. It was entertaining.”

She looked back at me, a wicked glint settling in her eyes.

My fists clenched at my sides.

So that was it. She hadn’t come to apologize. She came to provoke me.

“I wish whoever did it added more honey,” she continued in a low, almost playful tone, tilting her head slightly. “At least you wouldn’t be here listening to me, dear bestie.”

That was it.

My nails dug into my palms. My body went rigid, every muscle tightening at once. I wanted to move, walk straight up to her and slap that smirk off her face, but I held myself back.

I already knew she was involved. She had to be the one. She must have slipped it in when I went into the room to get something for William.

But what I couldn’t figure out was whether it was planned… or just her sick coincidence.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a knock sounded lightly on the door. Before I could say anything, it opened.

My mom stepped in.

Her eyes moved between me and Ava, taking in the tension instantly. Her brows knitted together slightly.

“Everything alright, girls?” she asked, her voice careful.

“Yes, ma,” Ava replied quickly, her tone softening immediately, like nothing had just happened. Then she turned toward my mother with a small smile. “I and Ashley were just talking about something very important. We haven’t really spoken properly since she came back.”

“Oh,” my mom said, relaxing almost instantly, believing her. A gentle smile formed on her face. “That’s sweet. I’ll leave you both to talk then…”

“No, no,” I cut in quickly. “Ava was just leaving. Right?”

“Yes,” she replied, her smile still intact. “See you later, sister-in-law.”

She gave me a slow, wicked wink before stepping out. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving the room feeling heavier.

My mother turned toward the door she had just exited, pointing lightly at it.

“She seems like such a lovely girl,” my mother said with a small smile. “I just hope Jake marries her later.”

I let out a laugh that came out more like a scoff. If only she knew the kind of snake she was calling sweet.

“Well,” I said, turning back to my suitcase, “maybe you should get to know her on a personal level.”

“Why do you say so?” she asked, moving to sit beside me on the bed. The mattress dipped slightly under her weight.

“You might not know the kind of person she is inwardly,” I replied, zipping up William’s suitcase fully. “I’m done packing his.”

“That's why no one is perfect,” my mother said softly.

Yeah, right. Some imperfections didn’t need fixing, they were dangerous.

The zipper on my own bag got stuck, and she immediately stood up, leaning over to press the suitcase down while I pulled it up. The fabric strained before finally closing.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, letting out a small breath as I turned back to my own things.

Silence settled between us. I focused on folding my clothes, but her presence felt unfamiliar in the room.

We hadn’t had a real one-on-one conversation in years. After I came back from LA, I had jumped straight into my internship, barely slowing down. Eventually, she moved to New York, saying she wanted a fresh start. Since then, we only spoke on calls.

Now she was here, sitting on my bed like nothing had changed. And it felt strange.

“Nice dress you’ve got there,” she said, tilting her head toward a blue shimmering dress hanging on the edge of my suitcase.

I lifted it slightly, studying it for a second.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Jake bought it for me on our first dinner date.”

My fingers tightened slightly on the fabric. I had kept it all this time. Never worn it again after we broke up. I didn’t throw it away either. I didn’t even know why.

“Ashley,” my mother’s voice pulled me out of it.

“Hmm?” I looked at her.

Her eyes were filled with something I hadn’t seen in years.

“Ashley…” my mother’s voice softened.

“Please… don’t go.”