Chapter 1

The big Hayes family Thanksgiving dinner was happening downstairs. Laughter and the clink of glasses drifted up. Ava Miller and Ethan Hayes were not there. They were in a hotel room across town. Their secret affair, burning for six years, was in full swing.

"We should just go," Ethan whispered, his lips against Ava' s ear. "Europe. Paris, Rome. Just us." He always said things like that. Playful. Possessive.

Ava' s heart beat fast. "Ethan, what if they find out? Your father, my mother..." She was twenty-one, he was twenty-three. She' d loved him since she was fifteen, right after her mom, Sarah, married his dad, David Hayes. Ethan was the king of their fancy New England boarding school. Ava had been instantly smitten.

Their first time was after his graduation party. He' d said he was drugged, vulnerable. He' d pulled her into this secret world.

"They won't," Ethan said, his voice a low rumble. "And if they do, who cares? You're my Ava."

"I'd follow you anywhere, Ethan," Ava breathed, meaning every word. She wrapped her arms around him.

Later, they snuck back into the Hayes mansion. The party was winding down. They managed a few stolen kisses in the dark hallway by his room. His hand lingered on her waist.

"I have to go," Ava whispered, her own apartment waiting. "Mom will worry if I'm too late."

"Text me when you get there," Ethan said, a quick, hard kiss.

Ava slipped out the side door. The November air was cold. She got into her old sedan. She was just a few blocks from the mansion when the truck' s headlights blinded her. A deafening crash. Then, blackness.

Pain. A dull, throbbing pain everywhere. Ava tried to open her eyes. Bright lights. Muffled voices.

She was in a hospital. She could hear Ethan' s voice, low and urgent, from just outside her partially open door. He wasn't alone.

"It's done," Ethan said to someone. A man' s voice, unfamiliar. "The brakes on her car. My contact said it would look like an accident."

Ava' s blood turned to ice.

"She'll never dance again, that' s for sure," Ethan continued, his voice cold, hard. "The doctors here are already saying her legs, her spine... it' s bad. Serves the gold-digger's daughter right."

The other man chuckled. "Revenge is sweet, huh? Six years is a long time to play a part."

"Six years of pretending to love her," Ethan sneered. "All for my mother. Sarah Miller, that bitch, she drove my mother Eleanor to her grave. Stole my father. Ava was just the tool. Her mother' s precious ballerina. Now she' s nothing."

Ava couldn't breathe. Her mother, Sarah, had a tough first marriage. Finding David Hayes had been her happiness. Eleanor Hayes, Ethan' s mother, had been ill for a long time. Ethan idolized her, blamed Sarah. But the truth, Ava knew, was that Eleanor had suffered from severe depression long before Sarah.

This couldn't be real. Ethan, who she loved, who she trusted with every piece of her soul.

The first time, after his graduation. He' d seemed so broken, so lost. He' d told her someone put something in his drink. He' d clung to her. She was fifteen, star-struck, and she' d wanted to save him. He' d drawn her in.

For six years, their secret world had been Ava' s everything. Every stolen moment, every whispered promise. She had given him all her love, all her devotion. And it was all a lie. A meticulously planned revenge.

The full weight of his words crashed down on her. The betrayal was a physical thing, tearing through her. Darkness swirled, and she slipped away again.

When Ava next opened her eyes, Ethan was there, sitting by her bed. His face was a mask of worry and devastation.

"Ava, thank God," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He reached for her hand. "I was so scared. The doctors... they're doing everything they can."

She looked at him. His handsome face, the concern in his blue eyes. It was all a performance. A sick, twisted act. She felt nothing but a cold, hollow ache.

"Don't worry," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'll get the best specialists. I'll take care of you. Always."

Ava wanted to scream, to claw at him. But no sound came out. She just stared.

He left a little while later, saying he needed to update their parents. The moment the door closed, the dam inside Ava broke. Sobs wracked her body, silent and agonizing. Six years. Her youth, her dreams, her love – all wasted on his hate. The pain was unbearable. How could she have been so blind?

Her mother, Sarah, rushed in, her face pale with fear.

"Oh, Ava, my baby," Sarah cried, hugging her gently. "David and I came as soon as we heard."

Ava clung to her mother, the only real thing in this nightmare.

"The doctors here... they're not very optimistic," Sarah said, her voice trembling. "But I remembered... my old college roommate, Diane. Her son, Ben Carter. He's a surgeon, a really good one, in Vail, Colorado. Specializes in injuries like this, sports injuries, dance injuries."

Sarah pulled out her phone. "I already sent him your initial scans. He called back. He said... he said there might be a significant chance. With specialized surgery, intensive rehab."

A tiny flicker of hope ignited in Ava' s chest. Vail. Away from Ethan. A chance to heal, not just her body, but her shattered life.

"Yes, Mom," Ava whispered, her voice hoarse. "I'll go. I want to go."

Sarah hugged her again, relief washing over her face. "Good. That's my brave girl."

Ava clung to that sliver of hope. She had to. It was all she had left.