Chapter 8 8

The safe house was nothing like Ava expected. Nestled deep in the outskirts, surrounded by towering pines and the eerie silence of the wilderness, it felt more like a forgotten relic than a place of safety. The wooden cabin was old, the walls creaking under the weight of the night breeze, and the air inside carried the scent of dust and something faintly metallic.

James locked the door behind them, peering through the window before turning back to face Ethan and Ava. "We won't be safe here for long," he said, voice low, eyes sharp. "Langley's men are relentless. If they know we were at that warehouse, it won't take them long to track us."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched. "Then we find out what they know before they find us."

Ava barely heard them. Her mind was spinning, tangled in the knots of the past she had spent years trying to bury. Victor Langley. A man she had never met, yet his name alone sent a chill through her bones. He was responsible for her father's death. The thought made her stomach twist.

She moved to the worn-out couch in the center of the room, hugging herself as she sat down. Ethan's gaze flicked toward her, lingering, but he said nothing.

James sighed and lowered himself into a wooden chair across from her. His face was lined with exhaustion, but his eyes held something deeper-regret, maybe even guilt. "Ava, I know this is a lot-"

"You think?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but she didn't care. "I just found out my father was murdered for getting too close to some powerful man. And that you-his best friend-vanished instead of telling me the truth."

James exhaled. "If I had stayed, you wouldn't be alive right now."

Ava let out a bitter laugh. "Right. So instead, I grew up alone, thinking I lost everyone."

James opened his mouth, but Ethan spoke before he could. "We can't change the past, Ava. But we can figure out what the hell Langley wants now."

Ava's fingers curled into fists. "I don't care what he wants. I want the truth."

Silence stretched between them. Then James reached into his worn jacket, pulling out a stack of old letters, tied together with a faded ribbon. He handed them to Ava.

"These were your father's," he said quietly. "I found them before I disappeared."

Ava hesitated before untying the ribbon. The paper was aged, the ink slightly smudged, but as she read the first few lines, a sharp pang of dread shot through her.

It wasn't just about her father.

It was about Ethan.

Her eyes scanned the words, her breath catching.

Langley knows about the Hawthornes.

He's watching them closely.

If I disappear, tell my daughter to stay far away from Ethan Hawthorne. If she ever gets close to him, she'll be in danger.

Ava's fingers trembled as she looked up at Ethan, her heart pounding.

"What is this?" Her voice wavered. "Why did my father think I needed to stay away from you?"

Ethan stilled. His expression remained unreadable, but something in his eyes shifted-something guarded.

James sighed. "Because Langley had his eyes on Ethan's family too. Your father thought if the two of you got close, it would give Langley leverage."

Ava shook her head, heat rising in her chest. "So this wasn't a coincidence. Us meeting. Us... everything."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "No. It wasn't."

Ava let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand to her forehead. Everything she thought she knew about their past had just been shattered.

"Did you know?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you know that being with me would put me in danger?"

Ethan hesitated-too long.

Ava's stomach dropped.

"You did." Her voice cracked, betrayal thick in her tone.

"Ava-"

"No." She shot to her feet, her hands balled into fists. "You knew. And you let me fall for you anyway."

Ethan stood, reaching for her, but she stepped back. "I was trying to protect you," he said, voice low, urgent. "That's why I left."

Ava let out a bitter laugh. "Right. Because breaking me was somehow protecting me?"

Ethan's eyes darkened, his frustration evident. "You think that was easy for me? Walking away from you?"

Ava stared at him, her heart pounding. Every wound, every unanswered question-this was the moment she had been dreading. And yet, it wasn't anger that hurt the most.

It was the fact that despite everything, she still wanted to trust him.

Before she could say anything else, a noise outside shattered the moment.

Ava froze. Ethan's entire posture shifted-alert, tense.

James moved toward the window, peering through the curtains. "Someone's out there."

Ethan was already moving, pulling a gun from the holster at his side. "Stay inside," he ordered, his voice a sharp contrast to the quiet vulnerability of moments ago.

Ava's breath caught as he pushed open the front door, stepping onto the porch.

Silence.

Then-a rustling sound near the treeline.

Ethan moved fast, disappearing into the darkness. Ava tried to follow, but James grabbed her wrist. "Stay put."

"But-"

Then came the crack of a branch breaking-too close, too sudden.

James pulled her behind him just as Ethan reappeared, his expression grim. He held up a single slip of paper.

It was old, crumpled, but the message written on it was chilling.

"You can't hide from the past."

Ava's blood ran cold.

James took the note, his face darkening. "They found us."

Ethan's grip on the gun tightened. "Then it's time to stop running."

Ava barely registered the words. Her father's warning still echoed in her mind.

Stay away from Ethan Hawthorne.

But she knew-deep down-it was already too late for that.