CHAPTER FIVE
961 Words
The Secret That Changed Everything
Three months had passed since Adrian Blackwood walked into that kitchen and discovered that Ava was carrying his child.
Three months since their worlds had collided.
And despite Ethan's relentless efforts, neither of them had managed to stay away from the other.
At first, they had tried.
Ava had tried reminding herself that Adrian was dangerous. Not because he was cruel, but because he mattered too much. Adrian had tried convincing himself that keeping his distance was the safest thing for both of them. Neither attempt lasted very long.
Now they met in secret. Not because they were ashamed, but because Ethan had turned their lives into a battlefield.
Every call was monitored, every outing questioned and every moment together interrupted, yet somehow they still found each other. Like magnets pulling against an impossible force.
Tonight was no different.
Ava sat on a wooden bench overlooking the lake where they always met. The place was hidden enough to avoid attention, far enough from the city and far enough from Ethan. At least that was what they thought.
A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Adrian approaching.
The sight of him still affected her.
Every single time.
The expensive suit was gone. The billionaire mask was gone.
Here, he was simply Adrian. The man who remembered her favorite tea, the man who brought snacks whenever morning sickness became unbearable. The man who somehow knew exactly when she was pretending to be okay.
"You've been waiting long?"
His voice instantly softened something inside her.
Ava smiled. "Five minutes."
Adrian sat beside her and his hand immediately found hers. Natural. Effortless. Like it belonged there.
For several moments, neither spoke. They simply sat together, watching the water and enjoying the peace they rarely found anywhere else.
"I got the acceptance email."
Ava finally broke the silence.
Adrian immediately turned toward her, his eyes lighting up.
"Medical school?"
She nodded, excitement and fear mixing together inside her.
"I got accepted."
The smile that spread across his face was genuine. Proud. As though it was his own achievement.
Ava's chest tightened.
No one had ever looked that proud of her before.
No one, in her entire existence.
Then Adrian reached into his coat pocket and handed her an envelope.
"What is that?"
"Open it."
Ava frowned before taking it from him. The moment she unfolded the documents inside, her eyes widened.
"Adrian..."
"I already spoke with the school."
She stared at him, speechless.
The papers covered everything.
Tuition, nooks and ousing.
Every obstacle standing between her and her dream.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
"No."
Adrian smiled softly.
"Yes."
"No." She shook her head. "I can't accept this."
"You can."
"It's too much."
His expression became serious. He reached out and rested his hand gently against her stomach.
"No, Ava. This is me taking responsibility."
Emotion lodged painfully in her throat.
Because for the first time in her life, someone wasn't giving her leftovers, someone wasn't helping her out of pity, someone was investing in her future and believing in her future.
Believing in her.
The realization nearly broke her.
Adrian noticed.
He always noticed.
"You still don't understand, do you?"
Ava frowned. "Understand what?"
His gaze held hers.
"You don't have to choose."
Her heart skipped.
"What?"
"You don't have to choose between this baby and your dream."
Ava immediately looked away.
Because that fear haunted her constantly.
Every day and every night. The fear that becoming a mother meant losing herself. Losing everything she had worked for.
Adrian gently tilted her chin upward until their eyes met again.
"You can have both."
The certainty in his voice made her want to believe him.
And somehow that was the scariest part.
Because she trusted him completely .
What neither of them knew was that someone else was watching.
From a distance.
Ethan sat inside his car, his hands tightening around the steering wheel as he watched them.
The sight made his blood boil.
Three months.
Three months of trying to separate them.
Three months of warnings, arguments and threats.
And somehow they had only grown closer.
The worst part was that Ava had started choosing Adrian over him.
The realization felt like betrayal.
Ethan's jaw clenched.
No.
He couldn't let this continue, not after what he knew, not after the truth.
Because if Adrian ever discovered everything, the consequences would destroy all of them.
His phone suddenly rang.
The screen displayed one name.
Father.
Ethan answered immediately.
"We have a problem."
His father's voice sounded unusually tense.
Ethan sat upright.
"What happened?"
There was a brief silence before the older man spoke.
"Someone broke into my study."
Ethan felt his blood run cold.
"What?"
"The files are gone."
Fear exploded inside him.
The files, not those files.
Anything but those files.
"Who took them?"
"We don't know," his father replied grimly. "But whoever did now knows the truth about Ava's mother."
The world seemed to stop.
Ethan's grip tightened around the phone.
Nooooooo
This couldn't be happening.
Not now.
Not when everything was already falling apart.
"What exactly is missing?"
The answer arrived seconds later.
And it changed everything.
"The adoption records."
Ethan's heart stopped.
Across the lake, Ava laughed at something Adrian said, completely unaware that her entire life was about to unravel.
Completely unaware that the woman she called her mother wasn't the biggest secret being hidden from her.
And somewhere in the city, another person was already reading the stolen documents.
A person whose name appeared repeatedly throughout the files.
Adrian Blackwood.
And at the bottom of the final page sat a sentence capable of destroying every relationship involved.
A sentence written twenty-two years ago.
The child must never discover who her biological father is.
- Writer
