Chapter 4

Ava retreated to the powder room, the applause for Ethan and Seraphina's engagement still ringing in her ears. She stared at her reflection. Pale, haunted, but her eyes were dry.

"You fool," she whispered to the girl in the mirror. "You absolute fool."

How could she have been so blind, so desperate for love and acceptance that she'd fallen for Ethan's act? Her mother's scandal had made her an outsider, hungry for connection. Ethan had exploited that, every step of the way.

She splashed cold water on her face, took a deep breath. She had to get through this night.

Her stepfather, Arthur, found her as she emerged. "Ava. Come. You must congratulate the happy couple." His tone brooked no argument.

He led her to where Ethan and Seraphina were holding court, accepting felicitations.

Ava pasted on a smile. "Ethan. Seraphina. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Ava," Seraphina said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. The diamond on her hand seemed to mock Ava.

"Yes, Ava, thank you," Ethan said, his eyes searching hers, still looking for that crack in her composure. "Or should I say... thank you, future brother-in-law?" Ava's voice was light, almost playful, but the words were a deliberate, sharp jab, referencing his new official relationship with her stepsister.

Ethan's smile tightened. He looked momentarily stunned, then angry.

Seraphina, oblivious to the undercurrent, or perhaps enjoying it, placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ava's arm. "Ava, dear, if you're struggling with anything... you know, after that unfortunate video... Ethan is very influential. I'm sure he could help you find a... a quieter place to continue your studies. Far from New York, perhaps?"

Her patronizing tone was infuriating. She was offering charity, mediated by the man who had destroyed Ava's reputation, all while pretending to be benevolent.

"That won't be necessary, Seraphina," Ava said, her voice crisp. She didn't look at Ethan. "I can manage my own affairs."

Ethan's gaze on her intensified, a silent, possessive heat.

Seraphina's smile faltered for a second, then returned, wider than before. "Oh, but we must catch up properly! It's been ages." She looped her arm through Ava's, her grip surprisingly firm. "Come, let's find a quiet spot."

She practically dragged Ava away from the crowd, down a short hallway, and into a small, opulent study. The door clicked shut behind them.

The moment they were alone, Seraphina's sweet facade vanished. Her eyes glittered with malice.

"You pathetic little charity case," Seraphina hissed, her voice low and venomous. "Did you really think Ethan loved you? He was mine. Always mine. I told him to string you along, to make you believe he cared. It was my idea to break you, to make you pay for every little success you ever had, for every bit of attention you ever stole."

She stepped closer, her beautiful face contorted with years of resentment. "You, with your scholarship and your 'gifted' playing. You think you're better than me? You're nothing. Your mother was a nobody, a musician who ended in scandal, and you're just like her."

The insult to her mother, the one person Ava had truly loved, ignited a fury in Ava.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother," Ava choked out, her voice trembling with rage. "My mother was more talented than you'll ever be! And her scandal? It was people like you, whispering lies, destroying reputations for sport!"

"Lies?" Seraphina laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "She was a home-wrecker, a failure!"

Ava lunged, not thinking, just reacting to the unbearable insult. Seraphina shrieked and stumbled back, knocking over a small table with a delicate porcelain figurine.

Just as Seraphina raised her hand as if to strike, the study door burst open and Ethan rushed in.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

Seraphina immediately crumpled, clutching her throat, her eyes wide with theatrical panic. "Ethan! Help me! She... she tried to make me eat something... the canapés... with shellfish! You know I'm allergic!" She gasped dramatically, her breath hitching.

It was a blatant, outrageous lie. There were no canapés in the room, only the shattered porcelain.

Ethan didn't even glance at Ava. His eyes were fixed on Seraphina, his expression instantly transforming into one of alarm and fury directed at Ava.

"Ava! What did you do?" he roared. He rushed to Seraphina's side, pushing Ava roughly out of the way.

Ava stumbled, her head cracking against the sharp corner of a bookshelf. Stars exploded behind her eyes, and a searing pain shot through her skull. She pressed a hand to the spot, feeling a warm stickiness. Blood.

Ethan didn't notice. He was entirely focused on Seraphina, who was now making small, choking sounds.

"My EpiPen... in my purse..." Seraphina gasped.

"I'll get it!" Ethan said, scooping her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. "Hang on, Seraphina, I've got you." He cast one venomous look at Ava. "You'll pay for this."

Then he was gone, rushing Seraphina out of the room, leaving Ava bleeding and alone.

The pain in her head was intense, but the pain in her heart was a cold, dead weight. He hadn't even hesitated. He hadn't asked. He'd just believed Seraphina, instantly.

Ava pressed her hand harder against the wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood. Numbly, she righted the small table. Her vision was blurry.

She needed to leave. Now.

As she staggered towards the door, it opened again. Not Ethan. It was Chad and Bryce, Ethan's crew. Their expressions were predatory.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Chad drawled. "Looks like someone's in big trouble."

Before Ava could react, they grabbed her, one on each arm, their grips like iron.

"Ethan wants a word with you," Bryce sneered. "A private word."

They dragged her, struggling, out a back exit, into the cold night air, towards a dark service alley.

Panic seized Ava. "Let me go! What are you doing?"

They shoved her against a brick wall. Chad produced a small water bottle. He unscrewed the cap. The acrid smell of chili oil hit Ava's nostrils.

"Seraphina was very upset," Chad said, his voice chillingly calm. "Ethan said you needed to understand the consequences of hurting her."

He forced her chin up, and Bryce pried her mouth open. The chili water burned down her throat, making her choke and gasp. Tears streamed down her face.

"Heard you tried to poison Seraphina with shellfish," Bryce taunted, yanking her hair. "How about you try some of this? Teach you a lesson."

They were laughing, enjoying her terror, her pain.

"Ethan... Ethan wouldn't..." Ava choked out, her throat raw.

"Oh, he knows all about it, sweetheart," Chad said, his face close to hers. "He wants you to suffer. Just a little taste of what Seraphina felt."

They weren't just thugs; they were an extension of Ethan's cruelty.

Bryce pulled out his phone. "Smile for the camera, bitch."

He ripped her dress at the shoulder, exposing her skin. The flash went off, blinding her. Again. And again.

Ava's world tilted. The pain, the humiliation, the burning in her throat, it was too much.

She sagged against the wall, consciousness fading. Her last thought was of Ethan's face, twisted in false concern, and the horrifying realization that he had orchestrated this too. Every bit of it.