Chapter 4

The call came from his mother the next day.

"Ava, please. You have to come to the main house. His grandfather wants to see you."

I was sitting in a sterile hotel room, the divorce papers filled out and sitting on the desk beside me. I hadn' t eaten or slept. There was just a hollow ache where my heart used to be.

"I have nothing to say to your family, Mrs. Thorne," I said, my voice hoarse.

"Please, Ava. For me. For... for the children."

The mention of their names was a physical pain, but it also strengthened my resolve. They deserved justice. The Thorne family owed them that much.

"Fine," I said. "I' ll be there."

The Thorne estate was an imposing mansion, a place of old money and suffocating traditions. I had always felt like an outsider there. Today, I felt like an executioner.

Mrs. Thorne met me at the door, her eyes pleading. She led me to the grand study, where Liam' s grandfather, the true patriarch of the family, was waiting.

Mr. Thorne was a formidable man, even in his old age. He sat behind a massive oak desk, his back ramrod straight, a heavy silver-handled cane resting against his chair.

He looked at me, and his stern expression softened with a flicker of genuine sorrow.

"Ava, my child," he said, his voice a low rumble. He gestured to the chair opposite him. "Sit."

I sat down, my hands clasped tightly in my lap.

"I know words are meaningless at a time like this," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "What has happened is an abomination. An unforgivable sin."

I just stared at him, waiting.

"I have called you here to tell you that this family will not protect him. Liam will answer for what he has done. And you," he said, leaning forward slightly, "will have whatever you want. A divorce, a settlement, anything. You are free. I will give you a clear path forward."

A small, tiny part of me felt a sliver of relief. Here, at least, was a man who saw the truth.

Just as he finished speaking, the study doors burst open.

Liam strode in, his face a mask of arrogant fury. He didn' t see his grandfather at first. His eyes locked on me.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he sneered. "Running to Grandpa to cry on his shoulder? Did you tell him all your little lies?"

He took a step toward me, his hands clenching into fists.

"I swear, Ava, if you think you can turn my family against me-"

"ENOUGH!"

Mr. Thorne' s voice boomed through the room. He slammed the bottom of his cane onto the marble floor, the sharp crack echoing like a gunshot.

Liam froze, turning to face his grandfather for the first time. A flicker of fear crossed his face before it was replaced by defiance.

"Grandfather."

"You will be silent," Mr. Thorne commanded, his eyes blazing with a cold fire I had never seen before. "And you will sit down."

He pointed a trembling finger at the chair beside me. Liam hesitated for a heartbeat, then, with a resentful scowl, he obeyed. The air in the room was thick with unspoken violence.