Chapter Four
1400 Words
Ava thought she had woken up on the same day she went to bed. The familiar pale color of the ceiling in the small room she’d called home for years greeted her eyes. But something felt... off. The light outside was too bright. And her body? Too rested. She reached for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly.
Twelve missed calls. Twenty-six unread messages. All from Diane.
Ava’s breath caught. She scrolled through the messages, her fingers slowing as she read the increasingly frantic tone.
> Ava, where are you? They won’t let me in! I’m scared. Please just text me back. Don’t do anything without me.
But she didn’t reply.
A knock on her door jolted her. A maid entered with a slight bow. "Good morning, Second Lady. It's time."
She bathed silently. The water was cold, the soap too perfumed. The maids helped her into a long ivory gown—simple, elegant, suffocating. Lisa, the only maid who ever dared smile at her, fastened the dress in the back, her hands soft, quiet, understanding. Then came the makeup, the jewelry, and the veil. She sat still through it all, a porcelain doll being dressed for display.
Soft violin music filtered in through the window.
“The ceremony is beginning,” Lisa whispered.
Ava opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came. She never expected it to. Instead, she turned to Lisa, trying to sign—but was interrupted by a voice dripping with venom.
"At least she looks decent for once," Olivia Rai said from the bed, her arms folded tightly. She studied Ava through the mirror. "Though I still wonder how you’ll say your vows."
Helena chuckled. "Olivia, stop. We wouldn’t want our bride crying and ruining her makeup."
They laughed together like they were part of a game show, and Ava was the prize. Ava stared at her reflection. The red tint of her lips. The sparkle on her earlobes. The woman in the mirror was her, but also... not.
A few minutes later, a maid entered. “It’s time.”
---
Her father appeared in the hallway outside the ceremonial hall. His expensive cologne masked the faint smell of scotch on his breath. He looked sharp, as always. Cold, unreadable, sharp.
He glanced at her and hissed, “Don’t mess this up.”
Ava signed, Where is my mum?
He smirked. “After the wedding.”
He offered his arm. Mechanically, she took it. Her fingers trembled against his sleeve. As they reached the heavy double doors, he held out his palm.
“Your phone.”
Ava hesitated. But she knew he was right. A bride wouldn’t carry a phone down the aisle.
She switched it off and dropped it into his hand.
Then the music shifted. The doors opened.
And Ava stepped into her cage.
---
The Rai ceremonial hall was bathed in soft golden light. Elegant, tasteful, too quiet. Only a few people were present—faces Ava didn’t know, or didn’t want to. All of them carefully selected, all complicit in the charade.
They didn’t notice her.
Even on her wedding day, she was invisible.
Ethan entered from the opposite end, quiet as a shadow. No dramatic music. No loud announcement.
Just presence.
Ava hadn’t seen him until now—not properly.
He was tall. Taller than her father. Dressed in a sharply tailored black suit that fit like a second skin. His jet-black hair was swept back with a precise, almost brutal control. His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the room with quiet indifference until they fell on her—and for a second, froze.
His jaw was sharp, clean-shaven, and tense. There was no softness in his features. Only steel. Years of power and pain carved into a face that looked like it belonged on magazine covers—but held the gaze of a man who'd buried more than one enemy.
He didn’t smile. Not even a hint.
Just a nod to the officiant.
The ceremony was quick.
No vows from her. A simple nod when asked. She watched Ethan from the corner of her eyes, trying to gauge who this man was that now had her name. But he never once looked at her. He kept his hands behind his back, his expression unreadable.
When it ended, the room politely applauded.
People flocked to Ethan. Associates. Business partners. Distant guests. Even Helena and Olivia joined the gathering with smiles on their painted lips.
Ava? She was forgotten.
She stood quietly at the edge of the room, barely visible behind the crowd.
She found her father in a corner talking to two men. She approached him.
He excused himself from the men and faced her with a casual smirk.
Where is my mother? she signed again.
He laughed softly. “You really believed I’d tell you that today?”
Ava’s throat closed.
She reached for his sleeve, desperation surfacing for the first time—but he pulled away.
“You’re still so naive,” he whispered.
Then he walked off.
And just like that, reality snapped shut.
She had been fooled.
Again.
Tears burned her eyes, but no one noticed. She stood there like a ghost in white, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The lights suddenly flickered.
Then—darkness.
A voice announced over the speaker, “The bride and groom may now proceed to the dance floor.”
It was her chance.
She turned and fled.
---
She didn’t run too fast. Just fast enough to not look suspicious. Her bare feet carried her across the polished hallway floors. She made it back to her room, ripped off the dress, and threw it to the floor. She changed into jeans, an oversized shirt, pulled her hair free from the pins, wiped off her makeup with shaking hands.
She had wasted too much time.
In the kitchen, she crept toward the back exit.
Then—
“Ava?”
She turned.
Lisa stood there, eyes wide.
“What are you—?”
Lisa's voice cut off when she saw Ava’s clothes.
Ava stepped back, bracing for betrayal.
But Lisa smiled. “Go. Before someone sees.”
She handed her a phone. “Use this. Call someone.”
Ava squeezed her hand tightly, a silent thank you, and ran.
She slipped out through the small emergency gate, meant for scandal cover-ups and hidden exits.
Outside, the air was thick. Humid.
She sent a message to Diane.
---
Diane arrived like she’d been waiting her whole life.
Ava ran into her arms.
“What is going on?” Diane asked, holding her tightly. “I saw people entering the house, the guards wouldn’t even let me—”
Ava signed, Not here.
Diane understood instantly.
They hailed a cab.
Ava was about to sign for the NGO address, but stopped.
She needed to disappear. Be somewhere no one would expect.
They stopped at a large crowded shopping mall.
Ava wanted a hoodie, something to cover her face, hide her from the world.
They sat down on a bench as Diane went to get her food and clothes.
Ava exhaled.
Finally, she was free.
But the relief was short-lived.
---
They came too fast.
Two men in black suits.
Silent. Strategic.
They surrounded her with perfect symmetry.
Ava froze.
Then a third figure emerged from the parked black SUV nearby.
Ethan Todd.
Up close, he was even more terrifying.
His walk was slow, deliberate, like a man who never needed to rush. His eyes found her immediately, and for the first time, they didn't look past her.
They studied her.
Measured her.
Owned her.
Diane returned just in time to see the scene.
“What is going on?” she shouted, pushing toward Ava—but two other men restrained her.
“No! Let her go!” Diane screamed, struggling, thrashing.
Ava broke from the men’s light hold and ran toward Diane, hugging her tightly.
I know them, she signed quickly. I’ll explain everything later.
Diane’s eyes widened. “What?! Ava—!”
But Ava turned, facing Ethan’s men.
She didn’t even glance at Ethan.
Let’s go, she signed, fierce, tired, determined.
But before she could take a second step, the world spun.
The floor beneath her shifted.
She was falling.
---
She never hit the ground.
Strong arms caught her.
Firm. Unshaking.
And then there was only darkness.
-
- Writer
