Ava’s POV

I lay motionless, staring at the ceiling as the sound of the shower filled the silence. My body still trembled—every nerve alive, every thought tangled beyond repair. I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to steady the furious pounding of my heart.

What the hell just happened?

Orion’s kiss lingered on my lips, his touch branded into my skin like an inescapable mark. I could still hear the wicked satisfaction in his voice; ‘That, Mrs. Miller, is what you get for kissing another man.’

Anger flickered in me like a flame, burning through the haze of longing he left in his wake. Who did he think he was? Acting like he had the right to me—like I was something to possess.

I sat up, fists clenching the sheets. This couldn’t keep happening. I couldn’t keep letting him crawl back into my life, my bed, and my heart so easily. I wouldn’t.

The water shut off, and moments later, Orion reemerged from the bathroom, towel slung low on his hips. I quickly looked away, my cheeks heating as he ran a hand through his wet hair, water dripping down the sharp lines of his chest.

He was a walking temptation, and I hated that my body refused to ignore it.

“You’re awake.” His voice was casual, teasing almost, as if he hadn’t just kissed me senseless and left me a mess on the bed.

I shot him a glare. “What the hell was that, Orion?”

He raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “You didn’t seem to mind.”

“That’s not the point!” I snapped, throwing the covers off and standing up. “You can’t just… do whatever you want. You don’t own me.”

Something dark flickered in his eyes as his gaze landed on my exposed breast, but he masked it quickly, his lips curling into that infuriating smirk. “Funny. Last night, you didn’t seem so sure about that.”

I stared at him as I pulled the covers over my body, my chest rising and falling as anger bubbled over. “You think you can waltz back into my life, tear me apart, and then act like you have some claim on me? After everything you’ve done?”

Orion’s smirk vanished. His eyes hardened, and for a moment, the room felt colder. “Everything I’ve done?” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. “Careful, Ava. You’re not as innocent as you like to pretend.”

The air shifted, thick with tension. I wanted to scream at him—wanted to hurl every accusation, every ounce of pain he’d caused me right back at him. But instead, I swallowed it down, turning away before he could see the tears that threatened to spill.

“I’m done with this,” I said quietly. “You can’t keep playing games with me. I won’t let you.”

“Is that what you think this is? A game?” He moved closer, his steps deliberate, and I froze as I felt his presence just behind me. “Because I don’t play games anymore, Ava. Not with you.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut, hating how easily he could affect me. “Then what is this?” I whispered.

For a long moment, he didn’t respond. The silence stretched, the weight of his proximity pressing down on me. Finally, he spoke, his voice softer this time.

“I don’t know how to stop,” he murmured.

My breath hitched, and I turned to face him. Orion stood close, too close, his expression unreadable. His jaw was tight, his eyes stormy with something I couldn’t place—regret, anger, longing.

“You left me, Orion,” I said, my voice trembling. “You destroyed me. And now you’re acting like I’m the one who hurt you.”

“I didn’t want to leave that day!” The words burst out of him, sharp and raw. His hands fisted at his sides, and for the first time, I saw the cracks in his armor. “You think I wanted to disappear? To fake my death? I didn’t know you enough back then, but I am not a coward. You think I wouldn’t have shown up and rejected you myself if I really wanted to?”

I blinked, stunned. “Then why—”

“Because I had no choice!” His voice broke, and the vulnerability in his eyes shattered the last of my resolve. “You don’t know the half of it, Ava. You think I’m the villain in this story, but you don’t know what I’ve done to be here today.”

I don’t know half of what? The word echoed in my mind, foreign and wrong coming from him. “What are you talking about?”

Orion exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair as he turned away. “It doesn’t matter. Forget I said anything.”

“No.” I stepped forward, my voice firm. “You don’t get to say something like that and walk away. If there’s something I don’t know, you tell me. Now.”

He looked back at me, his expression torn between frustration and something far darker. “You think you want the truth, Ava, but you don’t. Trust me.”

“Try me.”

The words hung in the air, a challenge neither of us could back down from. Orion stared at me, his gaze searching mine as if trying to decide whether or not I could handle whatever secret he was keeping.

Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping just slightly as he began narrating the story to me.

—-

As we neared the company, Orion's words replayed in my mind, refusing to let go. His reason for disappearing on our wedding day lingered like an unanswered question I couldn’t shake.

He had told me it wouldn’t have been a ‘faked death’. He would have really died that day—if not for Chloe.

Orion had recounted how unknown men with agendas he still hadn’t uncovered attacked him that morning, on his way to pick up his suit. How they surrounded him, beat him mercilessly, leaving him broken and helpless. He described the moment one of them strangled him, darkness closing in, until Chloe’s shrill scream pierced the air, scaring them off.

He admitted to having flings with Chloe in the past—something that stung more than I’d let him see—but he never thought she’d be the one to save his life. Chloe told him that those men were dangerous underdogs in the crime ring, the kind of people you don’t cross. She convinced him to run, to hide.

Together, they came up with the idea to fake his death so those men won’t come after him again. To leave everything behind. He said they planned to return after he uncovered who those men were—but he never did. The rest was history.

And yet…

Something about his story kept gnawing at me, tugging at the edges of my mind like a loose thread. Something doesn’t seem right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the unease wouldn’t go away.

What makes him so sure that they won’t come after him now?

Our arrival at the company snapped me out of my thoughts. The car rolled to a stop, and I reached for the door handle, but before I could step out, Orion’s hand shot out and gently pulled me back.

I turned to him, surprised, but he didn’t say anything at first. He just looked at me—really looked at me—as if he was memorizing my face. Then, without warning, he hugged me, his strong arms pulling me close.

I stiffened for half a second, my mind spinning, but before I could react, he released me and placed a kiss on my lips. It started soft, lingering—almost as if he was testing the waters—but when I thought he was about to pull away, he deepened it, leaving me breathless and stunned.

When he finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine and whispered softly, “I’ve been an asshole and a jerk, Ava, but I swear to you, I would never hurt you or Holly. Please… give me a chance to make up for all those years.”

I sighed, my heart warring with itself as I tilted my head slightly to look at him. “We’ll see about that,” I said, my voice careful, guarded.

Orion searched my face for a moment, as if hoping for a softer response, but he didn’t push. He released me, and I finally opened the car door. As I stepped out, I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look back.

The car pulled away behind me, leaving me standing at the entrance of the building. I straightened my posture and took a deep breath, letting the brisk air clear my mind.

But the moment I walked inside, my composure cracked.

I saw a face that made me feel all sorts of emotions at the same time.