Chapter 5: The Devil's Proposal

The door handle stopped moving.

Silence swallowed the room.

For a moment, all I could hear was my heart racing like crazy.

Grace was standing really still by the window, and her face had gone completely white.

She wasn't looking at me anymore.

She was staring at the door.

Three slow knocks echoed through the room.

"Ms. Carter."

The voice on the other side of the door was really calm and polite, you know, it sounded pretty sophisticated too.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

She moved in close, her voice barely audible as she whispered something in my ear, giving me just enough time to catch what she was saying.

"Whatever happens, don't let him see your fear."

I swallowed the knot in my throat.

"Come in."

The lock clicked, and the door opened.

Marcus Kingsley stepped inside with the effortless authority of a man accustomed to entering any room without permission.

He wasn't physically intimidating, nor did he need to be, because power clung to him as naturally as the perfectly tailored charcoal suit he wore.

His silver hair was neatly combed back, and every measured step seemed deliberate.

He looked around the room, his gaze moving from one person to another, until it finally landed on Grace.

"There you are."

His voice remained pleasant.

"I was wondering where my legal counsel had disappeared to."

Grace straightened.

"I came here of my own accord."

A small, faint smile crept onto his face, but somehow it didn't quite make it to his eyes, which seemed to remain distant, unaffected.

"You've always been loyal."

The compliment sounded disturbingly similar to a warning.

It wasn't until that moment that he finally noticed me and turned his attention in my direction.

"So..."

His gaze rested on my face.

"You're Ava."

"I was Ava Kingsley."

For a split second, his face showed something that was hard to make out.

"Then you've already accepted reality."

"I accepted the divorce."

His face remained perfectly composed.

"Good."

He didn't bother asking, just pulled the chair up and sat down right across from me.

Grace stayed on her feet, and the quiet between us grew thicker, until Marcus finally put his hands on the shiny handle of his walking stick.

"I owe you an apology."

I looked at him steadily.

"I wasn't expecting one."

"You became involved in matters that should never have touched your life."

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"My marriage wasn't a business arrangement."

"He said no, his tone steady, but then added, it started out that way."

His words struck harder than I expected.

"So that's all three years meant?"

"A necessary alliance."

Three years.

Reduced to two words.

Necessary alliance.

My heart felt heavy, but I was determined not to break down, I had already cried so much for Ethan Kingsley.

Marcus watched me in silence before speaking again.

"You're stronger than I anticipated."

"I didn't have much choice."

He shook his head, just a little, and said, "No, I suppose you didn't."

The room became silent once more, and then he posed a question that caught me completely off guard.

"Do you hate Ethan?"

I frowned.

"What difference would that make?"

"It matters."

"To whom?"

Instead of answering, Marcus studied me carefully.

"My son has always allowed emotion to influence his decisions."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Only that compassion often clouds his judgment."

"My husband divorced me."

"My former husband," I corrected quietly.

He inclined his head.

"Yes."

A hint of sadness flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by his usual calm demeanor.

"You believe Ethan chose this."

"I watched him hand me the divorce papers."

"I know."

"He chose Sophia Blake."

Marcus turned toward the window.

"Sometimes..."

He paused.

"...people make the choice they believe will protect everyone else."

I felt my heartbeat quicken.

"Did you force him?"

Marcus just didn't say anything, he simply fixed his jacket sleeve, really calmly.

That silence told me more than words ever could.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about what Grace had said - that Ethan didn't want a divorce, and now Marcus was being really vague about it, refusing to say it wasn't true.

For the first time since signing those papers, I questioned everything I thought I knew.

Marcus slipped one hand inside his jacket, and every muscle in my body tensed.

He pulled out a cream-colored envelope instead of a weapon and carefully put it down on the blanket next to me.

I didn't touch it.

"What's inside?"

"A chance."

"A chance for what?"

"To disappear."

I stared at him.

"You expect me to run?"

"I expect you to survive."

His quiet reply carried far more weight than if he had shouted.

I looked at his face, but I didn't see any sign of happiness or meanness, just a complete confidence that he was right.

"If you stay in New York," he said in a calm voice, "things will happen that we won't be able to control, and it's not going to be good for either of us, we'll be caught up in it and won't be able to stop it, no matter what we do."

"Who's threatening me?"

His gaze remained fixed on mine.

"The fewer names you know, the safer you'll be."

A knot formed in my stomach, because part of me wanted to dismiss everything he said, yet another part believed every word.

And that frightened me even more.

---

Marcus stood up, but Grace and I just sat there, not moving.

He took a quick look at the envelope that was still sealed, then he fixed his jacket sleeve.

"I've said everything I came to say."

"You haven't answered a single question," I replied.

He said "no" and his face didn't give away anything. "I only answered the one that counts," he added, still not showing any emotion.

"And what question is that?"

"Whether you're safe."

The room was quiet once more, and our eyes locked.

"For someone who claims to care about my safety, you're asking me to disappear without telling me why."

A small smile played on his lips, just barely visible, as it pulled up at one corner of his mouth.

"If I tell you everything..."

He paused.

You're not going to make it, so there's no point in even trying to learn anything.

The words settled heavily between us.

Grace stepped forward.

"That's enough."

Marcus looked at her calmly.

I told you a long time ago that being loyal comes with a price.

"And I accepted it."

"I know."

A look of real disappointment showed on his face for the first time.

"I only wish you understood who you're protecting."

"I'm protecting the innocent."

"So am I."

Grace's expression hardened.

"No."

"You're protecting your empire."

Marcus didn't say a word, he just gave me a look.

"You think I'm your enemy."

"Aren't you?"

"If I were..."

His gaze wandered down to my stomach for a moment, then came back up to meet my eyes.

"...this conversation would never have happened."

A shiver ran down my spine, and without thinking, my hand went to my stomach.

As I felt that tiny heartbeat inside me, it was like everything became more real in that moment.

As I lay in the hospital, something shifted inside me - for the first time since I woke up, my fear wasn't about my own well-being, it was about my baby's.

Nothing else mattered, not the end of my marriage, not losing my home, not the future I had dreamed of - all of that was nothing compared to this tiny life that was counting on me.

I had spent three years trying to become the perfect wife, but now I only wanted to become the kind of mother my child deserved.

If running was the only way to protect my baby, would I do it?

I didn't know, because running meant believing Marcus, and staying meant trusting no one.

Either choice could destroy us.

Marcus reached for the door.

"When Ethan contacts you..."

My heart skipped.

"...listen carefully."

Hope flickered before his next words extinguished it.

"But don't believe everything he tells you."

The sentence echoed through my mind.

Don't believe everything you see.

Grace's card.

Now Marcus.

Two different warnings, and the same message.

Marcus put his hand on the door handle, then turned around to take one last look.

"Some lies are told to keep the people we care about safe," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "but then there are truths that can tear families apart, causing damage that can never be fixed."

He opened the door.

Just before stepping outside, he stopped.

"If you value your child's life..."

His gaze met mine.

"...leave New York before sunrise."

He disappeared, and the door closed with a soft click.

The silence he left behind felt even heavier than his presence.

We just sat there, not saying a word, for what felt like a really long time, Grace and me.

My gaze wandered back to the cream-colored envelope that was still sitting on the blanket.

It looked ordinary, yet somehow it felt more dangerous than anything Marcus had said.

I felt lost and unsure, my voice barely above a whisper, as I said "I just don't know who to trust anymore."

Grace finally sat beside my bed.

"You don't have to believe anyone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

Her eyes fell to my hand, which was gently curled over my belly, a protective gesture that seemed to speak volumes.

"Believe the one person who has never lied to you."

I frowned.

"Who?"

She gave me a small, sad smile.

"Your instincts."

A tear escaped before I could stop it.

"I thought I knew Ethan."

"You still might."

"I watched him divorce me."

She stopped talking for a moment, then said, "You saw him sign some papers, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is okay."

I closed my eyes, and memories flooded back.

Ethan's trembling hand hovering over my wedding ring.

I saw a look of fear cross his face when my phone suddenly lit up with messages from an unknown number.

His desperate insistence that I ignore them.

I thought he was just looking out for himself back then.

Now... I wasn't sure.

"What if I've misunderstood everything?" I asked quietly.

Grace didn't say a word, she just gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

The silence returned.

Then my phone vibrated.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Grace and I exchanged a glance.

Slowly, I picked it up.

Unknown Number.

My thumb hesitated before opening the first message.

Did Marcus give you an envelope?

I felt a chill run down my spine, it was terrifying to think that someone outside these four walls knew that secret.

No one.

Another message appeared almost instantly.

Don't open it.

A third followed before I could even breathe.

Look out the window.

As I slowly pulled the curtain back, my heart started racing like crazy.

The black SUV was back, and its driver's door stood open.

The man in sunglasses was nowhere to be seen.

Instead... Ethan stood beside the vehicle.

He kept looking over his shoulder as if he knew someone was following him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two men showed up in the parking lot, one from each end, and they were both wearing dark suits.

They weren't walking quickly, and they didn't need to, because their confidence made something inside me snap.

Ethan turned around, and his gaze rose up to meet mine, his eyes locking onto my hospital room window.

As our eyes locked from far away, his face suddenly went pale.

He shook his head violently.

His lips moved.

No.

He was talking, but not to the guys around him, he was talking to me.

One of the strangers reached inside his jacket.

Grace gasped beside me.

"Ava..."

My phone vibrated one final time.

Hands shaking uncontrollably, I looked down.

If Ethan sees you... He dies

The word seared themselves into my mind

Chapter 6: Don't Look Away

If Ethan sees you...

He dies.

The words seared themselves into my mind, making it hard to catch my breath, and my grip on the phone tightened like a vice. For a moment, I was frozen in terror, my body unable to move or respond.

"No..." I whispered.

As I gazed out the hospital window, I saw Ethan standing next to a black SUV, oblivious to the danger that was approaching him. Two men, dressed in dark suits, were walking towards him from different directions, their movements eerily synchronized. Meanwhile, a warning had just flashed on my screen, but Ethan was completely unaware of the potential threat that was unfolding before him. The men's suits seemed to blend in with the shadows, making them almost invisible as they closed in on Ethan, their intentions unknown.

The way they moved was slow and steady, like they knew exactly what they were doing. It was like they were in control, and that scared me even more than if they had been in a hurry. When people are that confident, it's like they think they're invincible, and that's a really intimidating thing.

"Ava."

Her voice was soft, but it stopped me from freaking out, and she stood next to the window, taking my shaking hand in hers.

"Don't let them see you."

"I have to warn him."

"You can't."

"They're surrounding him."

"If you show yourself, they'll figure out your exact location."

I stared at her.

"He's going to get hurt."

Your kid's life will be affected if you make a bad choice.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and without thinking, I reached down and touched my stomach, feeling like I'd been winded.

A life.

Tiny, fragile, and completely dependent on me.

The realization settled over me with painful clarity, because for three years I had lived as Ethan Kingsley's wife always putting someone else's needs before my own.

Not anymore.

From this moment forward...

Every choice I made was to keep the tiny life inside me safe.

Outside, one of the men finally reached Ethan, but instead of attacking him, he handed over a black folder, and Ethan didn't accept it.

A man stopped next to him, and the three of them talked, but I couldn't make out what they were saying because I was on the other side of the hospital window.

Ethan's gaze shot up, his eyes locking onto mine through the window of my room, and for a moment, we just stared at each other.

I could see the look on his face from far away, and it was one of pure fear - the kind that makes your heart skip a beat. He shook his head quickly, like he was trying to say something without actually speaking, and it seemed almost desperate, like he was trying to warn me of something.

His lips formed a single word.

Run.

My heart skipped a beat, and I didn't have time to process what was happening, when the taller guy turned to see what Ethan was staring at.

As his gaze locked onto my window, a chill ran down my spine.

"He saw me."

Grace pulled the curtain shut immediately.

"We're leaving."

I looked at her.

"What?"

"Now."

"I'm not even discharged."

"If you don't change your ways, you'll never be able to leave."

As she walked across the room, she made her way to the wardrobe and pulled it open, revealing a simple yet comfortable collection of clothes inside, including a worn gray hoodie, a pair of faded jeans, a crisp pair of white sneakers, and a classic navy blue baseball cap.

I frowned.

"You planned this."

"I prepared for the possibility."

"You expected something to happen."

Grace hesitated.

"I hoped I was wrong."

She handed me the clothes.

"Change quickly."

Pain flared through my abdomen as I climbed out of bed, and the stitches from the accident pulled sharply with every movement.

I stood there for a moment, leaning against the mattress, waiting for the dizziness to fade away.

Grace stepped toward me.

"I can help."

"No."

The answer surprised even me, and she stopped.

I paused for a moment, filling my lungs with air, and then I looked up to meet her gaze.

"For three years everyone decided what was best for me."

My voice grew steadier.

"My parents decided my marriage."

"Ethan decided my divorce."

"Marcus decided my future."

I slowly pulled the hoodie over my head, wincing as it hurt.

"This time..."

I zipped the sweatshirt closed.

"...I decide."

As I lay in my hospital bed, something unexpected happened - Grace cracked a smile, but it wasn't the kind that comes from feeling relieved, it was more like a nod of respect, a subtle gesture that caught me off guard.

"Good," she said softly.

It seems like you're starting to think clearly about how to get through this tough spot.

A sharp knock interrupted us.

"Ms. Carter?"

A nurse.

"It's time for your medication."

Grace glanced at the door, then her eyes shifted to the wheelchair sitting by the bathroom, and silently, she pushed it over to me.

I sighed.

"I know."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't going to argue."

"You were thinking it."

"I was."

A small smile managed to sneak out, but it was gone in an instant.

As I sat down in the wheelchair, Grace helped me get comfortable, pulling the baseball cap down over my hair and then handing me a surgical mask to put on.

"Keep your head down."

Another knock.

"Ms. Carter?"

The handle turned.

Locked.

"I'll get someone with a key."

As soon as the nurse stepped away, Grace quickly turned the key and opened the door, and when the young nurse came back, she looked surprised, her eyes widening in astonishment.

"Oh..."

"I didn't realize you had a visitor."

Grace answered smoothly.

"Dr. Harrison requested another ultrasound before discharge."

The nurse frowned.

"I wasn't notified."

"It was arranged directly through administration."

It all seemed to make sense, and for a moment, I was convinced too. Then, before the nurse could ask anything else, Grace quickly wheeled me out into the hallway.

I couldn't look up, and each conversation that passed by made my heart beat faster and faster.

We didn't have to wait long for the elevator to arrive, and as soon as it did, the doors slid open and we got in.

Only after they closed did I finally breathe again.

Neither of us spoke while the elevator descended.

Floor six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Each floor carried me farther from safety...

And closer to whatever waited outside.

When the doors opened onto the crowded lobby, the noise hit us immediately, because doctors hurried through the corridors, visitors lined up at reception, children cried, and phones rang.

The ordinary chaos of a busy hospital.

Exactly what we needed.

Grace pushed my wheelchair toward the main entrance, steady, unhurried, and invisible, and I repeated one sentence inside my head.

Don't look up.

Don't stop.

Don't panic.

We were just a short distance from the sliding glass doors when a voice we knew all too well suddenly broke the silence, changing everything in an instant.

"Ava!"

I froze, because it was Ethan, not cold, not distant, but desperate.

The sound of my name on his lips pulled at something inside me I thought had died the night he handed me the divorce papers, and every instinct begged me to turn around.

Grace's hand settled firmly on my shoulder.

"Keep moving."

I swallowed painfully.

"He knows I'm here."

"I know."

"He'll come after me."

"He already is."

Her words hit me hard, like a punch to the gut, and I froze, unable to turn around, because in that moment, I faced a terrifying truth - my fear wasn't about Ethan finding me, it was about what would happen to him if he actually did, and that realization was suffocating me.

As I walked out into the evening, the doors swung open automatically and a gentle breeze caressed my skin, carrying the coolness of the night air with it.

A car, a gray sedan, was parked by the curb, its engine purring away, and as soon as the driver caught sight of us, he jumped out.

He appeared to be around thirty years old, wearing a simple outfit consisting of a black jacket, a plain shirt, and dark jeans, but what really caught your attention were his eyes, which seemed to stand out in a way that was hard to ignore, making you wonder what was behind them.

They were on high alert, their eyes darting back and forth, taking note of every car that drove by, every person who walked down the street, and every shadow that fell across the ground around us.

He wasn't nervous.

He was prepared.

"You took longer than expected," he said quietly.

Grace nodded.

"We had an unexpected visitor."

For a brief moment, his face turned stern, but then it quickly went back to being calm.

"So I guessed."

He opened the rear door.

"My name is Daniel."

His voice was steady.

"I'll be driving you."

As I slowly got up from the wheelchair, a sudden pain shot through my side, making me grab the door to steady myself. Daniel quickly reached out to help me, but he didn't try to hurry me along, instead letting me take my time to balance myself.

"Take your time," he said.

"If you pass out before we get out of here, we're in trouble."

Something about his honesty eased the tension in my chest, because he wasn't trying to comfort me, he was trying to keep me alive.

Grace got me comfortable in the back seat, then she climbed in beside me. Meanwhile, Daniel folded up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk. After that, he got behind the wheel, ready to drive us wherever we needed to go.

He carefully pulled the sedan into traffic, trying not to draw attention to himself.

It was just a normal car pulling out of the hospital, nothing out of the ordinary, no screeching tires or sharp turns, just a quiet departure.

As I glanced back through the rear window one last time, I saw Ethan making his way into the hospital entrance.

His eyes frantically scanned the row of cars and trucks driving away, and then suddenly...

He found ours.

As I watched from afar, I could see the exact moment when it clicked into place for him.

"Ava!"

Even with the windows blocking out all the noise, I could tell he was yelling my name at the top of his lungs, and then he took off running.

I stopped myself just in time, my hand hovering near the glass as a warning signal went off in my mind.

If Ethan sees you... he dies.

Slowly, painfully, I lowered my hand.

I whispered a quiet "I'm sorry", but I wasn't really sure who I was apologizing to - Ethan, or maybe just myself.

Daniel checked the rearview mirror.

"They're moving."

As I turned around, a black SUV suddenly pulled out from the curb and slipped into the traffic flow right behind us.

It hung back, keeping a watchful eye on its target, near enough to track every move, yet far enough away to avoid raising any alarms.

"They're following us," I breathed.

"They've been following you since yesterday," Daniel replied.

I looked sharply at Grace.

"You knew?"

"I suspected."

"You never told me."

I wouldn't say something if I wasn't sure it was true.

Frustration rose inside me.

"I had a right to know."

"Grace spoke softly, 'you had every right to stay alive, and panicking would have just made it easier for them to catch you.'"

I turned my head, feeling the urge to speak up, but I held back, and my hand instinctively went to my stomach, as if to shield it from harm.

My child shifted my priorities in ways I still wasn't used to, and if Grace had been right, if staying calm had kept my baby alive, could I really blame her?

Daniel's eyes remained fixed on the road.

"They're changing lanes."

As he drove, a big SUV suddenly appeared right behind me, and my heart started racing.

"They're getting closer."

Grace dug into her purse and pulled out a different phone, one that looked like it had been around for a while - the screen was scratched and the edges were worn.

She dialed a number.

Nothing.

She tried another.

Still nothing.

Her calm expression finally cracked.

"That's impossible."

"What is?"

"The safe house should have answered."

Daniel frowned.

"No contact?"

She slowly lowered the phone.

"No contact."

The air inside the car became really quiet, and Daniel didn't waste any time - he made up his mind right then and there.

"We're switching locations."

Grace nodded.

"Take the river route."

Daniel didn't say a thing, he just turned the wheel and we left the busy street behind, heading down a quieter road with old warehouses and brick buildings on either side.

Traffic thinned, and the city noise faded, but the black SUV remained behind us, patient, persistent, and watching.

My phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

My stomach tightened, and I opened the message.

Daniel is telling the truth.

Before I could understand what it meant, another message arrived.

Grace isn't telling you everything.

I looked up at her slowly, and she was gazing out the window, totally lost in thought, with no idea I was staring at her.

Another vibration.

Ask Grace how she knew your parents died by accident.

I stopped breathing for a second, it was like my whole world had come to a standstill, because eight years ago, something had happened to my parents, and back then, everyone thought it was just a terrible accident.

No investigation, no questions, just a closed case.

Another message appeared.

Some accidents are carefully planned.

My face went white as a ghost, and it wasn't until then that Grace caught on to the look of shock I had.

"What happened?"

I quickly locked the screen.

"Nothing."

You could see the doubt in her eyes, they kind of stuck on my phone for a bit, like she wasn't sure I was telling the truth.

For the first time since meeting Grace Holloway...

A question entered my mind that I never thought I'd ask.

Could I trust her?