Ava’s POV
The situation with Nate was the last straw. Joseph’s father keeps sending flowers and invitations despite everything. I’ve been trying to ignore it all and pretend it has nothing to do with .
After Nate’s tragedy, Joseph and I stood face to face at the hospital for hours without him saying a word. I’ve sent ssages since then, but no response. We were supposed to stay at Ryan’s house together for safety, but Joseph never showed up. I kept waiting. Where had he disappeared to?
"Ava?" I felt Kyle’s hand on my shoulder. I’d been sitting in a chair in the living room, staring out the window for hours.
"Oh, hey Kyle. I was just... lost in thought."
"I noticed." She sat on the arm of my chair. "Waiting for Joseph?"
At her question, my eyes instantly welled up.
"Want to talk about it? I’m a good listener."
"Did I go too far, Kyle?" I asked, knowing she understood what I ant.
"Can I be brutally honest?"
I nodded.
"It wasn’t just too far, it was cruel, Ava. You gave him hope one minute and snatched it away the next."
"So what do I do now? He can’t even stand to be around ," I sighed, feeling the weight of my actions.
"Now you think about what kind of life you want, and you wait," Kyle said gently.
"Wait? For how long, Kyle?"
"Two weeks. Joseph is leaving for work tomorrow. He’ll be gone for two weeks. When he cos back, his head will be clearer, and you two can talk properly. He’s not here because he’s preparing for his business trip."
I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. I went back to my room and cried like a child. In the days that followed, I just went through the motions, counting each day and longing for his return.
Days passed much slower than I expected; in fact, ti dragged unbearably. Joseph had never been away traveling for two weeks before, and I couldn’t help wondering if he’d t soone interesting on this trip.
I’d done nothing but go between ho and work, avoiding even eting the girls as much as possible. I’d convinced Ryan it was safe for to return to my place, saying security would be at my beck and call, which made feel secure.
"You’ve been moping for days now," Nina said as she sat across from at a café near my apartnt. "I’m worried about you."
"I’m fine," I lied.
"You’re clearly not fine. You barely eat, you hardly sleep, and look at those dark circles! You haven’t even asked about Joseph once."
Nina reached across the table and took my hand. "Ava, I think you need help."
I knew she wanted to see a therapist. I smiled and said, "I’m fine."
"No, you’re not! Your self-sabotage tendencies, for one." Nina didn’t back down. "You’ve been in love with Joseph since you t him, and the second things got real, you pushed him away. You drugged him, Ava. That’s not normal."
I wanted to argue, but deep down, I knew she was right. I’d acted crazy, pushing away the one person who actually loved . What was wrong with ?
"I’ll think about it," I finally conceded.
"That’s all I ask."
Three days later, I was sitting in Dr. Marlowe’s office, fidgeting nervously with the hem of my sweater.
"So, Ava," she said, her voice warm and non-judgntal, "tell why you’re here."
I took a deep breath and told her everything about Joseph—how we t, how I fell in love with him, and how I ended up sabotaging our relationship. I left out all the supernatural stuff.
"It sounds like you’re carrying a lot of emotional baggage," Dr. Marlowe said thoughtfully. "But I’m curious, why do you think you pushed Joseph away when things were getting serious?"
"I don’t know," I admitted. "I just... panicked."
"Did you think he would leave you, like your father left your mother?"
The question hit like a punch to the gut. "I... maybe? I don’t know."
"It’s common for children of broken relationships to fear abandonnt," she explained. "We often create situations where we can control the abandonnt rather than waiting for it to happen to us."
By the end of our session, Dr. Marlowe had given howork: to do sothing that made happy, sothing just for .
"You need to rember who you are outside of your relationship troubles," she advised. "Reconnect with yourself."
So the next day, I went to the Harbor Bay Shopping Center. I’d always loved shopping—not just buying things, but browsing around, feeling fabrics, trying on clothes.
I was examining a silky blue scarf when a deep, pleasant voice broke through my thoughts.
"That color would complent your eyes beautifully."
I turned around and there was Alpha Kenneth, dressed in an expensive tailored suit. His hair was perfectly styled, and he carried himself with confidence.
"Alpha Kenneth," I said, surprised. "I didn’t expect to see you here."
"Please, just Kenneth when we’re not in formal settings," he said with a warm smile. "I was just picking up a gift when I spotted you. You seed... troubled."
I forced a smile. "Just lost in thought."
"Ah, the heaviest kind of burden." His eyes were kind, understanding. "Where’s that young Alpha of yours today? Joseph, isn’t it?"
My smile faltered. "He’s... on a business trip."
"I see." Kenneth nodded thoughtfully. "And you’re here alone, looking rather sad. Trouble in paradise?"
I let out a humorless laugh. "You could say that. I... I kind of ruined things."
"I doubt that very much," Kenneth said, his voice gentle. "A beautiful, intelligent woman like yourself? More likely he failed to appreciate what he had."
"That’s kind of you to say, but the truth is, I sabotaged us. I always do." I wasn’t sure why I was being so candid with him.
"Maybe it wasn’t ant to be," he said carefully. "The right relationship shouldn’t need sabotage to feel safe."
His words hit hard. Had I been sabotaging things because I didn’t really feel safe with Joseph?
"You know," Kenneth continued, "you remind of soone I knew long ago. She was brilliant and beautiful, but she always held herself back from happiness. She didn’t believe she deserved it."
"What happened to her?" I asked.
His face grew sad. "She never gave herself the chance to find out what she could really do."
We didn’t speak for a mont. Then Kenneth broke the silence.
"You look like you could use sothing to take your mind off things."
"My therapist did say I should do sothing to make myself happy," I admitted.
"Then let help with that." Kenneth’s eyes brightened. "I know just the place. Sowhere special that always makes feel better when I’m down."
"Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that."
"Don’t worry about it. It would be my pleasure. Sotis we need a fresh view from soone who isn’t involved in our problems."
I wasn’t sure. Was it okay to go sowhere with another Alpha? But Kenneth was old enough to be my father. His concern felt genuine, like a parent’s.
"I promise, it’s nothing weird," he said, like he could read my mind. "Just a beautiful place not many people know about. Problems seem smaller there, and everything feels possible."
I thought about it. Joseph had been gone for days now. He hadn’t even sent a text. What did I owe him?
Kenneth held out his hand. His eyes were kind and his smile made feel safe. "Trust , Ava. Co with ."
I looked at his hand and made my choice. Maybe this was exactly what I needed. A chance to see things differently, even if just for today.
I took his hand.
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