Chapter 17
1199 Words
CHAPTER 17
The following morning, Ava woke up smiling.
The realization hit her almost immediately.
She was smiling.
She stared at the ceiling for a long moment before groaning and pulling the blanket over her face.
"This is embarrassing."
Mochi jumped onto the bed and pawed at the blanket until she laughed.
"Fine, fine. I'm getting up."
After feeding him, she made herself breakfast.
Her phone vibrated.
Nathan: Did you remember breakfast today?
She looked down at the eggs and toast on her plate.
A smile tugged at her lips.
She snapped a picture and sent it.
Ava: Satisfied?
His reply came almost instantly.
Nathan: Very.
She shook her head.
"You really are unbelievable."
---
By the time she arrived at the studio, Chloe was already there.
The moment Chloe saw her, she narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"You smiled at your phone."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Ava walked past her.
"I was reading a message."
"From Nathan."
Silence.
Chloe gasped dramatically.
"I knew it!"
"I never said it was him."
"You didn't have to."
Ava sighed as she tied her apron around her waist.
"We're just talking."
"Mm-hmm."
"And having coffee."
"Mhmm."
"And that's all."
Chloe leaned against the table.
"So when are you getting married?"
Ava grabbed the nearest paintbrush and threw it at her.
Chloe caught it easily.
"I'll take that as 'not yet.'"
Both women burst into laughter.
It felt good.
Normal.
For the first time in weeks, Ava wasn't thinking about Ethan.
She was thinking about work.
---
Around noon, the gallery owner arrived unexpectedly.
He was an older gentleman wearing round glasses and an expensive navy suit.
"Miss Carter?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Daniel Foster."
She immediately recognized the name.
Daniel Foster owned one of Manhattan's most respected art galleries.
Her stomach tightened.
He smiled warmly.
"I've been following your work for almost a year."
"You... have?"
"I recently saw photographs of your murals."
Ava blinked.
"They're extraordinary."
She didn't know what to say.
"I'd like to invite you to participate in our Emerging Artists Exhibition next month."
Everything around her seemed to stop.
"...Me?"
Daniel nodded.
"I don't usually visit artists personally."
"But your work deserves it."
He handed her an elegant cream-colored envelope.
"If everything goes well..."
He smiled.
"...I'd like my gallery to represent you permanently."
After he left...
Ava simply stood there staring at the envelope.
"I think I'm hallucinating."
Chloe snatched it from her hands.
"You are not hallucinating."
She screamed so loudly that everyone inside the studio turned to look.
"Oh my God!"
Ava laughed nervously.
"This can't be real."
"It is real!"
"I've never even exhibited inside a gallery."
"So?"
"I paint on walls."
"And now you'll paint wherever you want."
Tears gathered in Ava's eyes.
This wasn't just an opportunity.
It was the dream she'd almost given up on.
---
Across the city...
Richard Walker threw a newspaper onto Nathan's desk.
"So it's true."
Nathan barely looked up from the document he was signing.
"What is?"
"You're dating her."
Nathan finished signing before answering.
"We've had coffee."
Richard scoffed.
"Don't play games with me."
Nathan finally lifted his eyes.
"What exactly is your problem?"
"My problem?"
Richard laughed bitterly.
"You're humiliating this family."
Nathan leaned back calmly.
"By having coffee?"
"By chasing your brother's ex."
Silence filled the office.
Nathan's expression didn't change.
Finally, he spoke.
"She was never his."
Richard slammed both hands onto the desk.
"She belonged with Ethan."
"No."
Nathan's voice remained calm.
"She chose Ethan."
"There's a difference."
Richard stared at him.
"So you've been waiting all these years?"
"Yes."
"And you don't think that's disturbing?"
"I stopped caring what people think years ago."
Richard shook his head.
"You're obsessed."
Nathan didn't deny it.
"I know."
His honesty only made Richard angrier.
"You'll destroy this family."
Nathan stood.
"No."
His eyes turned cold.
"Ethan already tried."
---
Meanwhile...
Ethan sat alone inside his apartment.
An untouched glass of whiskey rested on the table.
He picked up his phone again.
Still no messages from Ava.
He opened her social media.
Nothing new.
Then...
He noticed something.
Someone had tagged the café where they'd had coffee.
In the background...
Nathan and Ava sat together laughing.
His stomach twisted.
She never laughed like that with me.
The realization hurt.
Not because Nathan was there.
Because Ava looked...
Happy.
Genuinely happy.
He closed the app immediately.
For the first time...
He wondered if she had truly stopped loving him.
---
Elsewhere...
Erica adjusted the mirror in front of her.
Nathan's rejection still echoed inside her head.
"I know she is."
She hated those words.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
You embarrassed yourself today.
Her expression hardened.
Who are you?
The reply came.
Someone who's been watching the Walkers much longer than you have.
She hesitated.
What do you want?
The same thing you do.
To see Ava Carter lose.
Erica stared at the screen.
Another message arrived.
Stop chasing Nathan.
He'll never want you.
Her jaw clenched.
Then what?
The reply came after several seconds.
Destroy the things she loves.
---
That evening...
Nathan arrived outside Ava's apartment exactly at seven.
He stepped out of the SUV just as she walked outside carrying a large canvas wrapped carefully in cloth.
He frowned.
"What's that?"
"My future."
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
She smiled.
"I got invited to exhibit at Foster Gallery."
For the first time all day...
Nathan smiled.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
She blinked.
"You knew?"
"I knew someone would notice eventually."
He opened the back of the SUV so she could place the painting inside.
"You don't seem surprised."
"I'm not."
"Why?"
He looked directly at her.
"Because you're talented."
She stared at him.
"So stop acting surprised every time someone else notices."
Her chest warmed.
Nobody had ever said something so simple...
Yet, made her believe it.
Instead of taking her to dinner, Nathan drove toward the studio.
She frowned.
"I thought we were celebrating."
"We are."
He carried the painting inside himself.
"Show me."
"What?"
"The painting."
She carefully removed the cloth.
It showed a young woman standing beneath a streetlight, surrounded by colour, while the rest of the city remained gray.
Nathan looked at it for a long time.
She began explaining the meaning behind every brushstroke, every colour choice, every hidden detail.
Most people lost interest after five minutes.
Nathan listened for almost an hour.
Never interrupting.
Never checking his phone.
Never pretending.
When she finally stopped talking, she looked embarrassed.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I talk too much when it's about art."
Nathan smiled softly.
"I know."
"You do?"
"I've been listening for years."
Her heart skipped.
---
As they left the studio later that night, neither of them noticed the black SUV parked across the street.
Inside, a man lowered his camera after taking several photographs.
Nathan opening the car door for Ava.
Nathan smiling.
Nathan looking at her as though no one else existed.
The man attached the photographs to a message.
Target confirmed.
Seconds later...
His phone buzzed.
A single reply appeared.
Keep watching. Don't move yet.
The man smiled.
"Understood."
He started the engine and disappeared into the New York night.
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