Ava shut the door behind her and leaned against it like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
The moment she saw Ethan, the breath had punched out of her lungs. Five years of building walls, of rehearsing how she'd act if their paths ever crossed again—and all of it crumbled the second their eyes met.
She should've never come back.
But she didn't have a choice.
Her phone buzzed. She blinked back into the moment, pulling it from her purse. One glance at the screen, and her heart clenched.
Daycare Calling.
She answered quickly. "Hello?"
"Hi Ms. Bennett, it's Miss Clara. Everything's fine—we just had a little tumble on the playground. Liam scraped his knee, but he's a brave boy."
Ava exhaled with a hand over her chest. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
She hung up and grabbed her coat, mind spinning. She couldn't afford to lose this job, not when bills were stacking and Liam's school fees were past due. She had promised herself never to let Ethan back into her life... or her son's.
But fate had other plans.
---
"Mommy, I'm okay," Liam mumbled, clutching his stuffed bunny.
Ava knelt and kissed his forehead, brushing curly strands off his face. He looked just like her, but every now and then—when he smiled sideways or furrowed his brows—Ethan shined through. She hated how much that scared her.
"Did you cry?" she asked softly.
He nodded, then whispered, "A little bit. But Miss Clara gave me a cookie."
"Then we owe her a thank-you note." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Later that night, as Liam slept beside her on the couch, Ava stared at the bracelet tucked in her hand—the one Ethan gave her five years ago. She should've thrown it away.
But she didn't.
She couldn't.
---
Across the city, Ethan poured a glass of scotch in his penthouse apartment, his tie loosened, shirt sleeves rolled up. The view outside was spectacular—but meaningless tonight.
"She looked... like she never left," he muttered.
"You're still drinking the expensive stuff alone, I see." Lucas strolled in with a smirk, already uninvited.
Ethan raised a brow. "How did you get in?"
Lucas flopped onto the armchair. "Lauren let me in. She said your mood's been trash since Monday. Want to tell me why you're acting like you've seen a ghost?"
Ethan didn't answer. He tossed back the drink and stared at the skyline.
Lucas sat up straighter. "Wait… is this about Ava Bennett?"
Silence.
Lucas let out a low whistle. "Damn. I thought she was a fever dream."
"No. She's very real. And she's back."
Lucas paused. "You okay?"
"No," Ethan admitted. "But I will be. I just need answers."
---
Elsewhere in Manhattan, Victoria Hale closed her laptop with a grin. Her assistant stood nervously by the door.
"So, Ava Bennett is working for him now?" she mused.
"Yes, ma'am. She was seen leaving Cole Dynamics just this afternoon."
Victoria smiled wider.
"Then we have our opening. Ethan's past is back—and that means he's vulnerable."
She stood and crossed to the window, her heels tapping out a calculated rhythm.
"Let's find out exactly why Ms. Bennett disappeared five years ago. And more importantly..." She paused, lips curling with satisfaction. "What she's hiding now."
---
Back at Ava's apartment, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Jasmine:
Jasmine: Don't forget our coffee catch-up tomorrow. I want details. ALL of them. XO
Ava stared at the screen for a long moment.
Because if anyone could convince her to do the one thing she feared most—tell Ethan the truth—it was Jasmine.
And the truth?
Was currently asleep down the hall, clutching a stuffed bunny with Ethan Cole's eyes.