To Love the Enemy

Chapter 3: Avril

It had been hours since I last heard from Tobias. I waited all night for his call, and by morning I was panicking. I called until my fingers were sore and my heart pounded with dread.

Had he abandoned me? How was I supposed to get out of this?

That’s when I saw the note Cathy left this morning.

'SIX DAYS'

Written in bold letters, like a ticking clock carved in ink.

I paced the room, thoughts circling.

How do I fix this?

A headache bloomed behind my eyes. I opened the cabinet for painkillers—when i saw it.

An untouched pack of tampons.

Just sitting there. Staring at me.

No.

I snapped into motion, grabbed my hoodie, and ran to the nearest drugstore. Of course, today of all days, half the town was there. I didn’t stop. I just needed one thing.

***

I picked up my phone to text Tobias, but before I could type, an unknown number flashed across the screen.

“Hi. Tobias wants you to know he’s moving on and you should too.”

“What the hell? Who are you?” I snapped, panic rising.

“It’s Theo. Tobias’s brother. You won’t be hearing from him again.”

He hung up. Just like that.

I sank to the floor, numb. The weight of the world crushed me. I always feared I loved Tobias more, but I hoped I mattered. Hearing it from his brother confirmed everything.

I wasn’t just heartbroken, I was humiliated. I swore I’d never be the girl who lost herself in love. But here I was.

I wiped my tears and stood. If Tobias didn’t have the decency to end things face to face, I’d confront him myself.

I drove to his house, fury and heartbreak battling inside me. On the way, something worse caught my eye the Haunted Mansion being torn down. It felt… wrong and suddenly this heartbreak felt like just the beginning of something larger.

I parked two blocks away from the Hawthornes’ intimidating mansion, rumors said the last recorded vampires lived here, though Tobias always laughed it off.

The gates were open, and cars were going in. I slipped past security, using one as cover.

The Hawthorne mansion glittered with gold and glass, every chandelier burning too bright, as if the lights themselves mocked me. Laughter spilled from the ballroom in polished waves, smooth and practiced, yet all I could hear was the frantic beat of my own pulse. A small gathering of elegantly dressed guests lingered in the main building. I hid behind a plant when I spotted some of my father’s business associates as i searched for Tobias.

Lucien Hawthorne stood to speak. Sharp black tux, satin lapels catching the light, but nothing about him felt warm.

“Good evening. Thank you for celebrating this newfound alliance between the Hawthornes and the LaCroix's,” he said, smiling coldly.

Jean’s father, Benedict Lacroix, came to stand beside him. Short, round-bellied, jacket sparkling. Loud, flashy, greedy—everything Jean hated.

“That’s not all,” Benedict declared.

“We’d also like to introduce our children, the latest engaged couple in town!”

Cheers erupted. All eyes turned to the grand stairs.

My palms were damp, the note with SIX DAYS crushed in my hand. Sweat clung to my skin.

Then I saw him. Tobias.

Beneath the chandelier, collar sharp, expression carved from ice. Untouchable. Jean at his side, flashing her million-dollar smile.

Something cracked inside me. My throat burned. The air reeked of champagne and roses, but all I could taste was betrayal. I pressed a hand to my stomach, the nausea rising sharper than ever.

I turned away, tears blurring my vision only to see Reggie stumbling forward, bottle in hand, eyes bloodshot. As I moved aside, strong arms clamped over my mouth and dragged me into a dimly lit room.

“What are you doing here?” Theo demanded as I caught my breath.

“Why is Tobias engaged to my best friend?”

“My father would kill us both if he saw you. You have to leave—” He stopped as footsteps approached and shoved me into a closet.

“So this was your endgame? That loser, Tobias!” Reggie slurred.

I peeked through the small opening of the closet. He was talking to Jean. I didn’t even think he knew her.

“Reggie, this is what my father wants,” Jean answered coolly.

“Oh please. You control your father. He couldn’t make you even if he wanted to.”

Jean smirked. “I played the perfect innocent girl, and you fell for it. I wasn’t even trying to get your attention. Thought you were using naive Jean when you were just a means to an end"

Reggie snapped, “He’ll never love you. He loves Avril, and you know it.”

By now, Jean’s innocent smile had morphed into something unrecognizable. Her soft, childlike voice turned cold and thick.

“That’s not what he said a few minutes ago when he made love to me against his dresser. If you or anyone ruins my plans, like that sister of yours, I will bring hell on you and yours. Best believe, Jean Lacroix never jokes.”She said the last part in her sweet voice, then walked out, Reggie trailing behind.

What did I just witness?

I felt sick. I rushed to the ensuite bathroom and threw up.

Theo dragged me out of the room, then out of the house.

“Avril, you need to leave. Now.”

“Theo, I can’t leave...not like this. I need to see Tobias. He needs to tell me to my face that this is over, that I was just a pawn...”

“Avril!” he snapped. “You need to stop this. Seeing him or asking questions doesn’t matter right now. You need to leave.” His tone softened when he saw how shaken I was.

“The rumors you’ve heard about my father, they’re all true. So trust me when I say being here is begging for death.”

“I’m pregnant,” I said the words had been stuck in my throat since I took the test.

“What!” Theo asked, his eyes wide.

“I’m scared, Theo. My stepmother had threatened to do something that could ruin all our lives,” I said, clutching his arm.

His phone rang. "Father" appeared on the screen. He froze, then quickly handed me his credit card.

“Go now. Leave Dalesburry. Head to the next town, use my card to get a place to stay, and call me,” he said, patting my shoulder before walking away.

I got into my car and drove fast. Seeing Theo freeze at just a call from his father made me finally realize most of the rumors were true.

I was so caught up, I didn’t even notice when I passed the Goodbye to Dalesburry sign.

I kept driving, trying to hold back tears. I blinked—and suddenly, I was colliding with another car.

My car flipped, the other vehicle looked worse. Crawling out, knees shaking, I watched my life flash before my eyes.

Where did it all go wrong?

Was it when I became best friends with the devil or when I believed I could have a fairytale with Tobias?

Just before the explosion and everything went dark, I realized it all started with my mother, Solene Campbell, a young girl who thought she could have it all.

Maybe I’m more like her than I care to admit.