Chapter 3

The following weeks were a blur of calculated torment.

Ava became Liam and Jess's shadow, a silent, ever-present attendant at their glittering social functions.

She served them champagne at gallery openings, her face impassive as Liam's arm snaked around Jess's waist.

She stood by, holding Jess's wrap, at charity galas while they danced, their laughter echoing in her ears.

Liam detailed his wedding plans with Jess in Ava's hearing, describing flower arrangements and guest lists that mirrored dreams Ava and he once shared.

Each event was a fresh layer of humiliation, meticulously orchestrated by Liam, eagerly amplified by Jess.

Jess, in particular, seemed to relish Ava's subservient role.

At a garden party hosted by Senator Hayes, Jess, adorned in Hayes family diamonds, "accidentally" dropped an heirloom earring into a large, ornate fountain.

"Oh, clumsy me!" Jess exclaimed, her eyes flicking to Ava. "That was Liam's grandmother's. He'll be devastated."

The water was cold, the bottom of the fountain slimy with algae.

Liam appeared, his expression stern. "What happened?"

"My earring, darling," Jess said, feigning distress. "It slipped right in." She looked pointedly at Ava. "Perhaps Ava could retrieve it? She's so... resourceful."

The implication was clear: Ava was bad luck, or worse, somehow responsible.

Liam's gaze fell on Ava, cold and commanding. "Get it."

Guests murmured, some with pity, others with amusement.

Ava didn't hesitate. She stepped into the fountain, the icy water seeping into her shoes, chilling her to the bone.

She waded through the murky water, her hands searching the slippery bottom.

Liam and Jess watched, a tableau of power and cruelty.

Finally, her fingers closed around the small, diamond-encrusted earring.

She emerged, shivering, water dripping from her clothes, and handed it to Jess.

"Thank you, Ava," Jess said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "You're a lifesaver."

Liam tossed a few hundred-dollar bills onto a nearby table. "For your trouble."

Ava picked up the money, her fingers numb. Her dignity was a small price for the Redwoods.

A few days later, news of a wildfire broke.

It was raging in a remote, rugged area of California where the Hayes family owned a sprawling luxury ranch.

Ava heard a snippet of conversation: Liam had argued with Jess and retreated to the ranch alone.

A knot of dread tightened in Ava's chest. She knew that area, knew how quickly fires could spread.

Instinct, a deep, buried loyalty she couldn't extinguish, took over.

She found her old, beat-up car and drove.

The sky ahead was an angry orange, choked with smoke.

Roads were closing, but Ava knew the back routes, memories of happier times with Liam guiding her.

She reached the perimeter of the Hayes ranch. Flames licked at the dry brush.

The main house was still distant, but the smoke was thick, acrid.

She saw Liam's car parked haphazardly.

Abandoning her own vehicle, she ran towards the house, her lungs burning.

She found him in the study, the room filled with smoke.

He was slumped over the desk, unconscious.

A fallen beam, smoldering, lay near him.

Ava didn't think. She acted.

She grabbed his arm, her slight frame straining, and dragged him towards the door.

He was heavy, a dead weight.

The heat was intense. Sparks rained down.

She pulled him out of the house just as the roof began to groan and collapse.

Dragging him further, away from the inferno, she finally sank to the ground, gasping for air, her body screaming in protest.

Her arm was seared, her hair singed.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

As she lay there, recovering her breath, Jess's car sped up the driveway.

Staff must have alerted her.

Jess rushed towards Liam, her face a mask of panic.

Liam stirred, coughed, his eyes fluttering open.

Ava knew, with a sickening certainty, that he would never believe she had saved him.

He would see it as another manipulation, another lie.

"Jess," Ava rasped, her voice hoarse. "Tell him... tell him you saved him."

Jess stared at her, confusion warring with understanding.

"Take the credit," Ava urged, her strength failing. "He needs to believe it was you."

Liam focused on Jess, his vision blurry. "Jess? What... what happened?"

Jess looked from Ava to Liam, a decision forming in her eyes.

"Liam, darling!" Jess cried, rushing to his side. "I got here just in time! The fire... I pulled you out."

Liam coughed again, leaning against Jess. "You... you saved me?"

"Of course, I did," Jess said, stroking his face.

Ava watched, a bitter taste in her mouth.

She had saved his life, and in doing so, had handed her rival another victory.

But Liam was safe. That was all that mattered.

She pushed herself up, her body protesting, and slipped away into the smoky haze before anyone else could see her.

Her secret, like so many others, would remain buried.