Chapter 5 Shattered Reflections

Ava didn't respond to Ethan's message right away. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard, a thousand replies forming and dissolving in her mind. "I'm not ready" felt too weak. "Leave me alone" felt like a lie. And "I miss you"... well, that was the worst truth of all. She turned her phone over, face-down, and stood from her desk. She needed air. Her apartment suddenly felt too small, too quiet, too heavy with the weight of everything she'd just uncovered. Outside, the city was buzzing - cars honking, people chattering, neon lights reflecting off wet sidewalks.

Life was moving forward as if nothing had changed, but Ava's world had shifted on its axis. She found herself walking without direction again, as if her body knew the path her heart was still trying to understand. Somehow, she ended up in front of the Carter Corporation building. Twenty stories of polished glass and cold ambition. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. She wasn't ready to confront Ethan's father - not yet. But she could feel something building inside her. Not just anger. Not just heartbreak. Purpose. She needed answers. Real ones. And there was one person who might give them without playing games. **Sandra**. Her father's old assistant had vanished when the scandal broke, but Ava remembered the address her mother used to send holiday cards to. It was a long shot, but Ava had nothing left to lose. She hailed a cab, rattling off the street name. As the car sped away from downtown, Ava stared out the window, watching the familiar fade into unfamiliar. The neighborhood was older, quiet - a place that hadn't changed much since the world turned upside down for her family. The house was small, tucked behind a crooked fence and overgrown hedges. The porch light was on. She hesitated, then knocked. The door creaked open, revealing a woman in her sixties with tired eyes and a guarded expression. Her hair was streaked with gray, pulled back into a bun. "Ava Hayes," Sandra said, not a question, but a weary acknowledgment. "I was wondering when you'd come." Ava blinked. "You knew I'd show up?" Sandra stepped aside. "Come in. We need to talk." --- Inside, the house smelled like lavender and old books. Ava sat stiffly on the edge of the couch while Sandra poured tea with trembling hands. "I was loyal to your father, Ava. For a long time. Too long, maybe," she said quietly. "Was he guilty?" Ava's voice cracked. "I need the truth." Sandra's eyes softened. "He was a visionary. Charming, persuasive. He believed in what he was doing... but he cut corners. Took risks that spiraled out of control. When the truth caught up, he thought he could fix it. He couldn't." Ava looked down, her throat tightening. "He didn't set out to hurt people," Sandra continued. "But when the company started to fall apart, he lied to protect it. To protect you. He always said you were the one good thing he'd done right." The words hit Ava like a punch. She felt tears sting her eyes but refused to let them fall. "And Mr. Carter?" she asked. Sandra gave a small nod. "He did what your father wouldn't. He came forward. He saved others from losing everything... even if it meant destroying Richard's legacy." Silence stretched between them. "You deserved the truth, Ava," Sandra said. "But I couldn't bring myself to tell you before. I didn't want to be the one to break your heart." "It's already broken," Ava whispered. --- Back in her apartment that night, Ava lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Everything she thought she knew was gone. Her father had lied. Ethan's father had told the truth. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Ethan - the boy who had once held her heart - had become something else. An enemy? A stranger? Or something she still couldn't define? Her phone buzzed again. **Ethan:** I'm outside. Ava sat up slowly, heart pounding. After a moment's hesitation, she opened the door. There he was, standing in the hallway, hands in his pockets, looking like he hadn't slept either. "I wasn't sure if you'd come," she said softly. "I wasn't sure if you'd open the door," he replied. They stared at each other, the silence thick with everything they hadn't said. "I found out the truth," she said. "About my dad. About yours. About everything." Ethan nodded slowly. "I figured." Ava took a breath. "So what now?" His eyes searched hers. "I don't know. But I still care about you, Ava. That hasn't changed." She looked away. "Maybe it should." But the truth was, even as the line between love and hate blurred, her heart still beat for him. And that was the most dangerous part of all.