Ava's POV-
I didn't look away from Nolan.
Not when his eyes burned with rage.
Not when he tilted his head and whispered, "You don't mean that."
Not when he reached for me again like I was his to keep.
I kept my hands steady. My voice calmer than I felt.
But inside, I was already counting down.
Five.
Four.
Three.
He laughed. "You think they'll take you back? After what you've done to them—"
Two.
"You don't know what I had to see, Ava. The way he touched you. The way you clung to him like he was your entire world. That was supposed to be me."
One.
I touched the silver chain bracelet on my wrist. Pressed down on the charm that wasn't just a charm.
The signal was sent.
Outside, I knew it would begin.
The GPS beacon hidden in my coat. The transmitter I'd slipped into Adrien's hoodie before I hugged him tighter than I ever had. The drone fleet circling just beyond the treeline. The silent team that had been shadowing me since the day I swore I'd burn the world for them.
And now, it was time.
BOOM.
A distant thud echoed.
Then another.
The ground shifted under our feet. Dust fell from the low ceiling. Somewhere above, something metal snapped in half.
Nolan flinched.
I didn't move.
"What did you do?" he hissed.
"I told you," I said softly. "I'll bury you here."
He took a step back, his breath quickening. Then he looked between me, Alex—bloodied, barely standing—and Adrien, who stood behind me, his fists clenched, tears burning but eyes burning brighter.
Nolan's hands shook. "You betrayed me. After everything I did for you—"
"You tortured my son."
"He didn't deserve you!" he roared. "He never deserved you! He hated your love, your warmth, your devotion. He pushed you away and you kept giving! Why did he get that?"
His scream was raw now. Borderline hysterical.
"Why did Alex get to hold your hand first?"
He was trembling. He looked at Alex like he wanted to rip him apart.
"You think I didn't see you the first time you walked into school, Ava?" he whispered, voice wobbling, collapsing in on itself. "You had this stupid yellow notebook and your smile was too bright for that place. You sat beside him that day, remember? Not me. Him. You laughed at his jokes. You looked at him like he mattered."
He turned to Alex, a twisted grin stretching across his face again.
"She looked at you like you were God."
Alex didn't speak.
His lips were pale. But his eyes never left Ava.
"I followed you home that day," Nolan whispered now. "Did you know that? I saw you drop your bag. I picked it up before you noticed. I kept it. Still have that yellow notebook somewhere. The one with 'Ava H.' scribbled in the corners. I knew you'd marry him. I knew. The way you touched your necklace when you spoke to him. The way you looked like you were already his."
He took a shaking breath.
"And I hated it. Every second."
The door rattled above. Gunfire cracked. Drones buzzed like a thousand locusts. A voice over a megaphone ordered him to surrender.
Still, Nolan didn't look away.
"Ava," he said again. "You were never real to them. You were too bright. Too much. Too loving. Too good. They wanted to dim you."
She stared at him.
"I wanted to preserve you."
Alex coughed, blood in his throat. "You... destroyed her."
Nolan didn't even blink.
The door finally burst open.
Floodlights. Yelling. Dozens of boots storming in.
But Nolan?
He only looked at Ava.
"I would've worshipped you forever," he whispered.
And Ava, her voice low, replied—
"I'm not your God."
They took him down in seconds.
She didn't move until both Alex and Adrien were in her arms.
And even then—
Her eyes were on Nolan, as he laughed and laughed and laughed as they dragged him away.