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“Nope. Whoever told you that was wrong.” I sighed. “Any luck with the glitch?”
“Wow. It was a reliable source.” He seemed genuinely shocked. “As for the glitch, everything points to a genuine mistake.”
That was my last chance to get out of the marriage. I was really gonna be stuck with Ava for the next five years.
There was some rustling on the other end, and then my grandmother got on the phone. “Sweetie, maybe look at this as a blessing. We only want you happy, so we tried to get you out of the contract. But really you should give it a try.”
“I don’t want to get married. Just pull the contract,” I yelled. My grandmother didn’t deserve my anger, but she was playing games. “You two were gonna pull it if I had proof of Tristan not fucking her. You have the power.”
“Sweetie, we were gonna hang Tristan. That’s how we were gonna pull the contract. We didn’t tell you because you get all heroic,” My grandmother spoke in a calm voice like she didn’t just speak of murdering someone.
“Look, I gotta go. The wedding is Saturday at Miller Manor.” I clicked off the phone.
Rain was coming down so hard I could barely see Ava. Her hot pink hair was a blur. It was maddening. Why wouldn’t she come inside?
I shook my head and went outside. She didn’t acknowledge me as I sat beside her. Streaks of makeup ran down her face, more so than what was there after her encounter with Brad. Yeah, I was a tad responsible for that.
“Come inside. Stop being so stubborn,” I said.
“I used to live in a tent. When it rained, I would sit outside. I loved the feel of the water. It was like the earth was taking a shower. Even when the water was freezing, it was beautiful. My sister would sit with me too. We couldn’t hear our parents fighting when it rained hard enough.
Then one day, Brad walked me through the rain into an abandoned building. He raped me while the rain slammed into the window.” Ava kept her gaze on the concrete. “Since then, I feared the rain. Silly, I know. He took so much from me. I will no longer allow him to take things away from me. So, no, I will not go inside.”
Ava laid back and rested her hands under her head. Ava closed her eyes and let the rain wash over her. I stared at her trying to figure her out. Why did she share something so personal?
“How do you and Ethan know each other?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“Sure you don’t want to hear it from him?” I laid beside her.
“I do, but I also want to hear your side. There has got to be a good reason for why you are such a dickhead,” she chuckled.
“Short version. He was there when I woke up in the hospital, covered in burns. We argued. He left.” My eye twitched.
“Nope, I want the long version.” She turned her face to me.
We were so close, I could kiss her if I didn’t hate her. “I used to take walks at night. One day I was walking by a building that was on fire. There was a woman sitting in the window. I went in to save her. A beam fell on me.
Two weeks later, I woke up in the hospital. Ethan was there. He attacked me for not saving his sister.”
“Sister?” Ava rolled onto her side. “Wait, the letter you sent me.”
“Yeah, it was for her.” I sat up. “I’ve had enough of this rain. Come inside or don’t.”
I stood and headed toward the house. She didn’t budge. If she wanted to stay out there and catch a cold that was on her.
“How do you do that?” she called out.
“Do what?” I turned around.
“Switch. One second, you almost seem kind, the next, your cold again.” Ava was now standing, shouting into the rain. Her dress clung to her body, accentuating her curves. Fuck, even looking like a drowned rat, she was a vision.
I approached her. Before I knew it, my hands were in her hair. Her lip quivered as I stared into her eyes. Every inch of me wanted her. I could take her right here. She wouldn’t protest. As much as she hated me, her body wanted me. I could tell by the shift in her body, by the way she tilted her face toward me. She was waiting for me to make a move.
“Make no mistake, I’m never kind.” I let go of her, turned, and went into the house.
CHAPTER33
Tristan (Day 6)
