Third Person's POV.

At evening Salvatore was oddly secretive and locked himself in his study. Ava noticed this change and was anxious herself, about what was up with him and what he was doing inside the study for hours now. She felt like she was missing something, everything was tangled. Everything that happened made her suspicious.

Why was he going along with the trial if he was not guilty? Why was he okay with public literally hating him? Why was he okay with few of his businesses getting in loss? Why was he making himself a target? What was his intentions? People were banning him from sites and many politicians and business owners and celebrities spoke out against him. People were protesting against him. He never shared his intentions with her whenever she tried to ask. He would always told her how knowing this could actually put her and Maria in danger.

She was uneasy thinking that his secretive behaviour had something to do with those dangerous things he was trying to keep Ava and her daughter save from. She also had a feeling that she might be forgetting something. She sat in the lounge for a while waiting for him to come out but she got tired and left for her room, eventually. Suddenly she heard a knock on her door. Maria was sleeping and the knock was gentle, so she realized it could be only one person who's this considerate about them. Salvatore Agosti.

"Yes?" The door opened quietly and Salvatore stepped inside. Looking tired, as though he had put great strain on his eyes for an amount of time. "Can we talk? I need to give you something." He whispered and Ava nodded. Walking to the couch and sitting there. Salvatore sat next to her slowly, not sure if he was allowed to. But Ava said nothing so he relaxed a little.

"So today, was actually my birthday." Then realization dawned on her, why he was home early when he was not supposed to. And the cake. "Oh! The cake. I'm sorry, it was for your birthday? You didn't even get to cut it." Salvatore saw the guilt in her expressions and shook his hand hurriedly. "No no, I bought it for you guys. It's good that you likened it, it's all that matters." She still looked at him with sorry gaze but nodded at him.

"Actually I made something for you and Maria." He pulled out a pearl bracelet from his pocket. Still unsure if he could touch her or not he asked, "Can I please put it on for you?" He looked at her pleading. His eyes reminded Ava of a puppy, desperately waiting for a treat, he knew he wasn't supposed to have.

Ava fought a battle of decisions in her head about what to do. And one side she remembered how his hands hurt her that night. But on the other hand he was nothing but gentle around them, always cautious, even while breathing, as thought he was surrounded by feathers and his breath alone would make them fly away.

She also thought about being professional and not giving in, but nothing was professional about living in your client's house to begin with. Especially if he was your ex husband, though in name only. She looked at the grey eyes and sighed, how could she deny him when he looked at her like that. Like his life depended upon the next thing she said.

"Okay." She whispered in a trembling voice. And cringed inwardly at her voice. Why did it tremble like that? Her breath hitched the moment his finger tips touched her wrist and she realized the scar from her past decisions was there. She was him taking her wrist watch off. She constantly wore something to cover the scar.

"Ava." He whispered, his voice filled with emotions and his eyes were damp. He held her wrist up gently and his lips touched her scar and traced it in a whisper of kisses. Her body jolted and she stiffened but she couldn't pull away from such gentleness. His lips moved to the tattoo on her ring finger and lingered there. Loving the feel of her soft hands.

Ava realized something then, that however strong she gets she still craved it, the gentle touches she dreamed of all her life. Not just any gentle touches but his gentle touches, his lips on her.

"Please, don't be afraid of me." His brows were drawn together holding pain and an emotion only seen, never heard or conveyed ever, because no words could describe it and be just about it. The weakest word to describe that look in his eyes was, Love. His gaze held love for her. And she could bet her life it was what she thought it was.

He looked at her as though he could breath only because he knows of her existence. That somewhere in this world Ava existed. And he was a lucky man to have her sitting next to him. He looked at her as though the stars will fall to the ground the moment his eyes left her.

"Please, don't." Ava whispered almost on verge of crying. She could not bear to see that look in her eyes or she would melt. And give everything she has to him. But Salvatore interpreted her words wrong. Thinking she was uncomfortable with his kisses, but the truth was actually it's opposite. "Forgive me." He said and pulled her wrist away from his lips.

He held her hand as though it will break if he apply a little more strength to his grip. He held the bracelet around her wrist and clasping it in place. She looked at the beautiful pearls of faint blue color and a small platenium dreamcatcher at the middle of it. It was the prettiest bracelet she had seen.

"It's so pretty." She couldn't help but whisper. He smiled with his chest slightly puffed up in pride. "Of course! I made it, myself." Ava chuckled lightly at his playfulness but noticed how his ears slightly turned red, in embarrassment. She couldn't help but notice how he was the type to get embarrassed when praised.

"You love the wind." He stated while she was lightly touching the dreamcatcher. So that's why he chose to use dream catcher, because she loved the wind. Ava felt happy at how much thought he had put into the bracelet. "You noticed." She whispered and he grinned at her. "Of course, I did." He saw this as an opportunity and moved a little closer to her, till her shoulder almost touched his arm.

He showed her Maria's bracelet that had smaller pearls and a platenium butterfly in the middle. Maria loved butterflies. After a while she looked up in his eyes and said "So that's why you were so secretive today, keeping yourself to your office and all." She smiled as she noticed his ears turned more red.

"You noticed." He said while looking away. He was almost opposite to how she imagined him to be when she first saw his handsome yet scowling face on her doorsteps, all those years ago. Who would have thought he was like this, deep down. "Of course, I did." Ava said copying the response of Salvatore from just moments ago. He looked back at her and chuckled lightly at that.

***

It had been weeks and everything between Salvatore and Ava was going well, smoothly. They started joking together and Ava started to admitting it to herself that his company somehow mattered. But she was still conscious of his touches. She was starting to forgive his cruelty because he showed her that he can be gentle, he can be loving. Ava was still scared whenever she found alcohol around the house. Which was rarely even there. She still remembered the drunk Salvatore like it happened just yesterday.

Surprisingly there was no wine collection decorating the walls or any room filled with expensive liquor in his mansion. But as far as she knew billionaires have things like that all around their castles and mansions. Salvatore did not drink? But he was drunk that night. So it's not like he didn't drink, right? Maybe he got rid of all that after knowing that I was back at his house and he did not wish to bring up bad memories?

Forgiving something and forgetting about it were two things worlds apart from each other. She might be able to forgive, though the possibility still astonished her. But she would never be able to forget that night. Never.

Everyone from the house welcomed her with open arms. With the same warmth she remembered back then. She knew everyone and felt like a family yet again. Like a reunion well worth. But, Salvatore, she didn't know. She did not know him at all. He was the most kind and adoring around her but his eyes darkened whenever he turned around, away from her.

His eyes held warmth for nothing and no one, aside from her. He held a whole other dimension of this world within his eyes. And she knew nothing about it. And even though he stood in front of her with his eyes only for her like his whole world and more resides with in her, she still felt universes apart from him. So far away... And somehow she felt no one could peek with in the world in his eyes. That's how guarded his eyes have always been.

She needed to know him. Not Dr Salvatore Agosti. Not the owner of Agosti Corp. Not Agosti the crime leader. Not Agosti the supposed murderer. But Salvatore as a man. He would never talk about the threats or attacks to the house or who was responsible for it or how will he stop all that. Whenever I asked him about it he would always say I will take care of it all. You don't need to worry about anything. You're safe.

And she was about to do something very daring to find out more about him. Even though the possibility of getting caught was high. She slipped out a key from Salvatore's stuff earlier, and she was sure this key belonged to the office. All she needed to do was find pictures, they were the best clues to solve something or more like solve a person. Who he was? From where he was? Who were his parents? All could be found just in one picture and she was willing to risk it all to get it.

The key click in the silent house and the door opened in front of her. She released a shuddering breath, scared deep down, with her movements flinchy. She walked in and silently closed the door behind her. And eyes the room quickly. There were files there she knew for sure, could destroy Salvatore in a matter of seconds.

But her eyes scanned for photographs. Any memory. Or a personal diary, if not a photograph. Curiosity kills the cat. Curiosity kills the cat. Curiosity kills the cat. Something inside her head kept chanting it to her. Whispering it in her ears. She was nervous as she went from drawer to drawer not opening any file just looking for photographs of any sort.

What are you even doing Ava? This is not you.

She sighed and was about to leave when something odd caught her eyes. There shouldn't be a typewriter here, not in these modern times. But there it was on a side of the office sat on a saperate table. But it could just be and antique decoration, Ava. But her instincts were telling her it was more.

So she walked towards it and pulled it up in her hand. Her eyes gleamed with victory when she found a piece of paper under it and a picture sitting bellow it. Yes! She picked both of them up not with ease, thanks to the weight of the typewriter. She put the typewriter down and walked to a couch and sat down. A mystery was about to be solved or she was atleast getting her first clue to it.

She turned the picture over first. Looking at it her eyes widened. Two men stood with their arms around the shoulder of the other, in a friendly manner. Both smiling brightly.

She focused on their faces and saw that the one on right resembled Agosti so much that she doubted it was him. But her eyes widened with shock and horror, when she saw who was the other person standing beside him. A young, Arnold Abramov. Her father.

She felt shivers down her spine. She stood up and looked at the note in her hand. And when she read it, her legs almost gave out.

Some things are better left unknown. Right, my dove, Ava?

Her breath left her body in a gasp and her eyes widened again. This time with terror. He knows.

She was dreading all that was about to come when she heard a click and the door behind her opened. Her head turned towards it and her eyes suddenly met the grey orbs. Belonging to the person she had least anticipated to see right now. Salvatore Agosti.

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Let me present to you all, "The cliffhanger"