As Emily was driving them home to their apartment, it hit her... the impossible truth settling like ice in her veins.
She was alive. But she had died. She knew she had. She'd felt the darkness… and yet here she was, her heart beating.
"You okay?" Emily's voice broke through the fog. "What happened in there?"
"I'm fine."
"Well, you gave me a scare," Emily said, her tone softening, though her eyes stayed sharp on the road. "You sure you're alright? We can stop by the hospital if..."
"Emy. I'm fine."
Somehow, impossibly, she was alive again.
Alive.
Alive again. She repeated, trying to convince herself this was real.
A slow, steady smile spread across her face. This was her second chance, and she wasn't going to waste it. Not this time. She had to be smart.
"Oh did you hear that café on Seventh finally opened?" Emily asked. "The one that's been 'opening soon' for a year?"
Ava paused, remembering the headlines that would come months from now, how the place would shut down overnight after that awful morning. She could still see the cordoned-off entrance and the shaken faces of the staff.
"Yes," Ava said, forcing her tone to stay light. "I say we go tomorrow morning. Lattes on me."
Emily glanced at her, noting the distracted look. "You do remember tomorrow's your engagement to Mark, right?"
"I'm not marrying him," Ava said flatly.
"You're kidding… right? Ava, the whole thing's been planned for months. Your parents, his parents, half the city..."
"I don't care," Ava cut in. "I'm not going through with it."
Emily stared at her, searching for some hint of a joke. "What happened?"
"Let's just say… I found out who Mark really is."
"Babes are you saying you don't want your inheritance any more?"
Ava finally met her eyes. "What do you mean."
Emily gave a short, incredulous laugh, as if Ava had just forgotten the sky was blue. "Don't tell me you've actually forgotten."
"Emy, please… remind me about the inheritance," Ava said, her voice steady but strangely urgent.
"What about it?"
"Just… tell me again. The whole thing."
"What is up with you today? Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?" Emily asked, side-eyeing her as she turned onto their street and stopped infront of their apartment building.
"Just… humor me, Emy."
Emily exhaled slowly, like she was explaining something Ava should've known by heart.
"Your dad's parents set up that trust fund before they passed. You only get it fully if you marry Mark. They were thick as thieves with his family, old dinner parties, vacations, the works. Honestly, it was practically arranged before you even graduated kindergarten school."
Ava's stomach knotted. This wasn't how it happened before. In her old life, the money had simply been hers the moment she turned eighteen, no strings, no marriage. But now, the rules had changed… and she didn't know why.
"They didn't trust your mom after she remarried… and they really didn't trust your stepdad. Marrying Mark was their way of making sure your money stayed in 'safe' hands."
"Who's… handling my money now?"
"Your family lawyer."
"Mr Victor Langford?"
"Yeah. They thought he is the trustee until you marry Mark. Then it's yours."
Ava forced a nod, pretending to absorb the explanation, but her mind was racing. Why would it be different? Who could even change something like that?
Aside the Montclaire family fortune. Ava owned three companies, each one a testament to her late father's legacy.
"What about my father's house, and his companies, is it still mine."
Emily frowned. "Yeah… last I checked, it's still in your name. Your dad made sure of that in his will." She tilted her head, searching Ava's face. "Why? Did someone say otherwise?"
Ava shrugged. The Problem was, Mark's father owned 30 percent of Montclair Industries, Ava's flagship company and the crown jewel of her empire. Ava's other ventures—Aurora Fashion House and LumenTech Solutions—were still technically hers, but without control of Montclair, her power was limited.
In her previous life, she'd been too timid to interfere, letting Mark run the companies as he pleased. Not this time. If the companies were still hers, she would be involved in every decision, every deal. But if she wanted to take back control, she would have to navigate not only her ex-fiancé's schemes but also the shadow of his father's influence. Every move would have to be calculated, precise… and ruthless.
Back then, Mark had stolen her inheritance piece by piece. By the time they married, she had willingly signed over all her company shares to him—trusting his smooth lies about "building their future together."
That future had ended in blood.
Now, she was determined to set things right.
"Ava? Are you sure you don't want to just..."
"I'm fine," Ava cut in. "I just… needed to hear it again."
"Alright. But if you're planning on calling off the engagement, you'd better have a backup plan. Because walking away from Mark means walking away from that money. I do not need to tell you how much we are talking about here."
Ava reached for the door handle, eager to escape the claustrophobic air inside the car. If the universe thought dangling Mark in front of her was enough to keep her in line… it had underestimated her.
The two of them pushed through the glass doors, the doorman giving them both a knowing nod. "Evening, ladies."
In the elevator, she eyed Ava. "You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?" Ava asked, pressing her back to the wall.
"The quiet, I'm-totally-fine-but-definitely-not-fine thing."
Ava let out a small laugh despite herself.
"Okay… you're officially freaking me out," Emily said, studying her face. "What, did you see at the police station, a ghost?"
"Something like that," Ava murmured stepping out of the elevator.
Emily unlocked the door, and they walked into a bright, expensive but girlie looking apartment with big windows which showed the city.
"The truth is… I hit my head pretty bad on the wall. I think I have a concussion or something," Ava admitted quietly, leaning against the marble counter. "That's why I've been so… confused since the police station."
"Oh, babes… come here."
She opened her arms, and Ava stepped into the embrace without hesitation.
Emily's perfume wrapped around her, grounding her in a way nothing else had since the day began.
In her old life, losing Emily had felt like losing a piece of herself. Now, feeling her warmth again, she wasn't ready to let go.
But then she died of cancer, can she prevent her from dieing again?