Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Ethan found Ava in her room later that night. He was drunk, his face a mask of rage.

"You!" he snarled, shoving the door open so hard it slammed against the wall. "You did this! You ruined my party! You tried to humiliate Chloe!"

Ava stood her ground. "Ethan, I had nothing to do with the guest list. Chloe planned everything."

"Liar!" He lunged forward, grabbing a small, leather-bound journal from her nightstand. It was her private diary, filled with her thoughts, her grief for Liam, her hopes for a future without the Davenports. She always kept it locked, but the lock was flimsy. He must have forced it.

"I found this," he spat, waving it in her face. "Your pathetic little secrets."

He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages. "'L, my love, soon I'll be free. Soon we can be together.'" He read aloud, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who is L, Ava? Some secret lover you've been pining for while pretending to be my dutiful wife?"

Ava's blood ran cold. He was desecrating her most private thoughts, her memories of Liam.

"Give that back to me!" she cried, lunging for the journal.

He held it out of her reach, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "Oh, so it is a lover! And here I was, thinking you were just cold and frigid. Turns out you're just a scheming, deceitful whore!"

His eyes fell on another passage. "'The pain is almost unbearable today, L, but I do it for Lily. And for the day I can finally leave this gilded cage and find peace with your memory.'"

Ethan's face contorted. He actually thought... "So, 'L' is for 'Love'? Or maybe even me? My middle name is Lawrence! You've been writing about your secret, unrequited love for *me* all this time? And this 'pain'? Is that the pain of my rejection? Pathetic!"

"No!" Ava choked out, tears streaming down her face. "It's not you! It's Liam! My fiancé! The man I was going to marry before... before all this!"

Ethan laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "Liam? Who the hell is Liam? Another one of your pathetic fantasies? You think I'm going to believe that? You're obsessed with me, Ava. This whole journal proves it. You're trying to make me jealous, trying to manipulate me!"

He was beyond reason, fueled by alcohol and his own raging ego, expertly stoked by Chloe.

"You're sick," he seethed. "You need to be taught a lesson."

He grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the room, down the grand staircase, through the silent, opulent halls of the mansion.

"Ethan, please!" Ava begged, stumbling to keep up. "You're wrong! It's not what you think!"

He ignored her, his grip like iron. He dragged her towards a heavy oak door in a remote wing of the estate. He fumbled with a key, then threw the door open, revealing a dark, damp storage cellar. The air was cold, heavy with the smell of mildew. A thunderstorm had started outside, the rumble of thunder echoing ominously.

"You'll stay here tonight," he snarled, shoving her inside. "Maybe a night in the cold and dark will clear your head. Make you realize who's in charge."

He slammed the door shut, the heavy bolt sliding into place with a sickening thud.

Ava pounded on the door, her voice hoarse. "Ethan! Let me out! Please!"

Only the sound of his retreating footsteps and the raging storm answered her.

She sank to the cold, damp floor, shivering. He had torn pages from her journal, her precious words about Liam, and scattered them around the cellar.

With trembling hands, she began to gather the torn scraps, tears blurring her vision. Each piece was a fresh stab of pain.

Ethan's voice came through the door, muffled but clear. "And don't think I've forgotten about that mutt of yours, Buddy! If you don't admit your schemes by morning, he's next!"

Terror, cold and sharp, pierced through Ava's despair. Not Buddy. He couldn't.

She huddled in the darkness, clutching the torn pieces of her journal, the wind howling outside, the thunder rattling the very foundations of the house. It was the longest night of her life. She must have fainted from the cold and terror, because the next thing she knew, the cellar door was creaking open.

Ava blinked against the sudden light. Chloe Carter stood silhouetted in the doorway, a smug smile on her face.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Chloe said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Or rather, what Ethan dragged in. Poor thing. You look dreadful."