Chapter 3

The pressure started immediately.

Her mother called, tearful. "Ava, you can't do this. Think of the families. Think of the wedding plans. Ethan is a good man."

Liam texted: "Stop being a drama queen. You' re embarrassing us."

Ethan' s parents called her parents. A united front of disbelief and disapproval.

They all believed Chloe's version: a simple mistake, Ava's overblown reaction.

Ethan came to her apartment again, alone this time.

He looked contrite. He apologized. He begged.

"Ava, I messed up. I was stupid. I took you for granted. Please, let's fix this."

He talked about their history, their future. He promised to never let Chloe come between them again.

Part of her, the part that still loved the man he used to be, wanted to believe him.

But the images of him and Chloe at the lake, the casual dismissal, her family's instant belief in Chloe over her – it was too much.

"I need time," she told him, a compromise she didn't feel.

To her family, she reluctantly agreed to "think about it."

She let them believe she might continue with the wedding plans.

It bought her peace. It stopped the incessant calls.

But in secret, Ava made other plans.

Her maternal grandparents, the ones her wealthy Hawthorne family barely acknowledged, came from a small, struggling Rust Belt town.

Her grandmother used to tell her stories of community, of resilience, of people helping each other.

Ava found a long-term community revitalization volunteer program there.

A place to rebuild, not just a town, but herself.

She applied, interviewed online, and was accepted.

She started saving her own money, separate from the Hawthorne accounts.

She researched bus routes and affordable temporary housing.

This wasn't just running away. It was running towards something.

Towards a life where she wasn't just an heiress, an accessory, or an afterthought.

A life where her worth wasn't tied to Ethan or her family's approval.

She kept up appearances. Attended a fitting for her wedding dress, her face a mask of compliance.

Discussed catering options with her mother, her mind miles away in a town she' d never seen but felt drawn to.

Ethan seemed relieved, hopeful. Her family relaxed.

They thought they had won. They thought she was just being dramatic.

They had no idea she was already gone.