AVA
Opening her closet, Ava pulled out a handful of clothes and carried them over to the bag lying open on her bed.
She dropped them inside without much ceremony, not particularly concerned about how wrinkled they became as long as they made it into the bag.
She was leaving her apartment—the first step in her goal of getting away from Maxim.
The plan was for her to sleep over at Britney's house tonight. Tomorrow, after she'd met with Blake, she and Britney would leave for her parents' cabin.
Ava didn't want to take any chances by remaining in her apartment after yesterday. Her logic was simple: if Maxim suddenly changed his mind about coming around before Monday, he could easily put a stop to her entire plan, and she couldn't afford that.
Ava sighed, wishing she could leave immediately.
But she knew she couldn't do that.
And that was because of one person.
Blake.
Ava bit her lower lip nervously as she thought about the message she'd received from him only minutes ago.
Earlier, she'd sent him a text telling him that they needed to meet up so they could "talk." She hadn't elaborated, not wanting to risk breaking up with Blake over the phone, which, in Ava's opinion, would just be too horrible.
Still, given the whole accidental engagement-ring appearance the previous night, Ava could imagine Blake getting worked up over the message. He'd probably noticed how unhappy she'd been when she'd seen the ring.
And knowing him, his already overactive imagination was probably running wild at the moment, convincing him that something was going terribly wrong with their relationship.
How Ava wished she could tell him that he had nothing to worry about, like she usually did.
Unfortunately, she couldn't.
Because this time, he was right.
Anyway, Blake's reply had come two hours after she'd sent her message, despite the fact that he'd clearly read it earlier.
His text had said he was busy at the hospital all day and apologized for not being able to meet up. But he'd followed that with another message saying that he would be free tomorrow in the early afternoon.
Ava had stared at the screen for several seconds, reading his message over and over.
Tomorrow.
Dread filled her entire being.
She sat down on the edge of her bed, the thought of the meeting making her heart pound.
After all, she'd have to sit across from Blake and break his heart, which would surely devastate him for who knew how much.
God, she was the worst for doing this, Ava thought.
And Maxim was partly to blame, too. He was the one making her rush into a situation she wasn't fully ready for.
The next moment, the door to Ava's bedroom opened, and Britney stepped inside.
"What's wrong, Aves?" Britney asked as she returned to the bedroom. She'd taken a not-so-short bathroom break from helping Ava pack.
Ava looked up at Britney from her phone.
"I finally got a text back from Blake. He says he'll be able to see me about everything tomorrow."
"That's... great, right?" Britney asked, her voice uncertain.
She knew Ava wanted to remove Blake from her life as soon as possible for everyone's sake and safety—especially his. But she also knew that Ava hated having to hurt him.
Ava didn't answer Britney immediately.
Instead, she threw her phone down onto the bed. Then she deliberately fell backward onto the soft mattress beside it and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Yeah," she said flatly. "It's great."
"Don't worry, Ava. Soon, we'll be out of here, and this nonsense will be over," Britney said. "You'll be fine, and Blake will be fine, too."
Ava couldn't help feeling skeptical at that.
After all, Maxim seemed determined to get his way, even if it meant turning their lives upside down, and so far, he was succeeding. Her life was in shambles, and Ava seriously doubted that everything would simply be "fine" anytime soon.
She turned to look at Britney.
"Do you really believe that?" Ava asked doubtfully.
"No, not really," Britney admitted after a moment. "But I guarantee you that we'll get through this shit show together."
As she said this, Britney walked over and flopped onto the bed beside her. She then grabbed Ava's hand and rubbed it comfortingly.
"Thanks for being here, Brit. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't," Ava said, squeezing her friend's hand.
"It's what friends are for," Britney replied, nudging her in a friendly way.
Ava gave her a small smile before turning her gaze toward the ceiling, her expression becoming worried again.
Britney watched her for a moment, as though she knew exactly what troubles were going through her friend's mind.
Sensing that she was worrying Britney, Ava slowly sat upright and forced a much lighter expression onto her face.
"Since you finally stopped hogging the bathroom, I'm going to get my toothbrush and some other stuff from there," Ava declared, getting to her feet.
But before she could take a step, Britney gently grabbed her arm.
"Wait, Ava," the other woman said. "We need to talk about something first."
Ava sank back onto the bed automatically before turning to look at her friend.
"What is it?"
Britney pursed her lips, seeming uncertain about how to phrase whatever was on her mind.
"You know, while I was peeing in the bathroom, I started thinking about this whole situation again..."
She paused, making Ava raise an eyebrow.
That was an interesting way to start a topic, Ava thought.
Britney continued.
"The more I think about it, the more ridiculous and extreme it seems to derail your entire life like this," she said. "I mean, Maxim Holloway is just one guy. Do we really need to hide out in a secret cabin because of him?"
Ava immediately looked at Britney as though she'd said something incredibly naive.
"Come on, Britney. Yes, it's necessary for me to go. I mean, Maxim Holloway might be one guy, but he's not just any guy,"Ava begins. "He's one of the most powerful men in the world. And he's dangerous. Not to mention, with him around, I'll never be in charge of my own life."
"I hear you, Ava, but is that really so bad?" Britney asked. "It's not like he's a danger to you. And at least you'd be dating a hot, rich guy who's also obsessed with you. There are worse things, right?"
"Are you serious right now, Brit?" Ava asked, staring at her in disbelief.
"Don't look at me like that, Ava. I know a lot of girls who would kill to be pursued by Maxim Holloway the way you are."
"Well, I'm not one of those girls," Ava shot back. "I'm not some stupid gold digger who cares about appearances."
"That's not what I'm saying—"
"Tell me, Brit. Would you date him?"
Britney hesitated, suddenly looking cornered.
"Exactly," Ava said, unsurprised by her lack of an answer.
Despite the shallow way Britney sometimes talked, she also had her values. And lie Ava, she liked being able to make her own decisions and live her life on her own terms.
"Okay, I see your point," Britney admitted slowly. "I just wanted to make sure you've actually weighed your options here. I mean, you're about to seriously fuck up your relationship, your job, and your entire life because of him."
Ava stood up from the bed.
"But I have thought about it, Brit. And I've decided that anything is better than being with Maxim Holloway, who seems to carry around the threat of destruction like a second shadow."
Britney let out a sigh and shrugged, as if conceding that she'd tried.
"Okay. If that's your decision, then I'll respect it," she said. She then shook her head. "Anyway, let's continue packing and head to my place before it gets dark."
She followed Ava's movements and got to her feet as well.
Ava nodded, still intending to grab her toiletries from the bathroom and put them in her washbag.
She had barely taken a step when she and Britney heard a knock at the front door.
Both women froze as the loud, insistent banging filled the apartment.