The storm struck the following afternoon.
It was a storm that had been building between Ava and Ethan for days, even though clouds threatened Havenbrook.
Last-minute preparations were being made in the boathouse. The florist had just left, and the scent of roses filled the air. Ava stood by the head table, carefully arranging place cards.
A few feet away, Ethan adjusted his lens, still silent but steady.
Finally, there was silence.
With a sharper tone than she meant, Ava said, "You can't keep looking at me like that."
The camera was mid-lift when Ethan froze. "Like what?"
You are evaluating me. As though you've already determined who I am.
Slowly, he lowered the camera. "I haven't made a decision. I'm just attempting to comprehend.
"Well, give up trying," she yelled. "I don't require your comprehension."
He furrowed his brows. "So, Ava, what do you need? Because, from my vantage point, you don't allow anyone to get a good look.
She felt her heart thumping. "You have no business doing that."
"It became my concern as soon as I—" His storm-grey eyes flashed with frustration as he interrupted himself. He combed his hair with his hand. "You alienate everyone, even if their only intention is to assist.
"I don't need assistance!" Raw and ragged, the words ripped from her. "Are you aware of that? Nobody has to come to my rescue to "save" me; I can manage my life on my own.
The force of her rage vibrated through the air between them. Something else, though, was beneath it: a shivering, sharp fear.
Ethan took a step forward, his tone softer now but uncompromising. This has nothing to do with saving you. It all comes down to being there. There is a distinction.
A knot formed in her throat. "You have no idea what it's like to put your trust in someone and have it betrayed."
He pleaded, "Then tell me." His eyes met hers, steady and inquisitive. "Explain what he did to you to me."
Ava gasped in surprise. The room swayed. For a split second, she could see herself telling Ethan the truth about Daniel, the betrayal, and the night everything fell apart.
However, the words stuck in her throat like glass. She would fall apart if she said them out loud. Furthermore, unraveling meant losing command.
"I'm unable to," she muttered.
There was a long pause. Ethan felt pain flash across his features as his jaw worked. "So you're not going to let anyone in, are you?"
The question broke something inside her. "Maybe I don't need anyone in."
Her hands betrayed her by shaking against the place cards as she spoke.
Ethan extended his hand and lightly placed it over her quivering hand. His touch was grounding, steady, and warm.
Everything else, including Daniel, the wedding, and the walls she had constructed, vanished for a moment as their eyes locked.
Her pulse was thundering as the air grew thicker and more charged. Ethan's breath touched hers as he leaned in just a little.
Ava opened her mouth. She did not consent to her body swaying toward his.
Then—
As though it were burning, she jerked back, breaking the contact.
"I can't," she repeated, more sternly this time.
Ethan dropped his hand to his side. He raised and lowered his chest, tight but controlled. "All right," he muttered. "Message received."
His shoulders were stiff as he turned and gathered his camera.
As he left, each step resounding more loudly than the one before, Ava's heart twisted in agony. She wanted to give him another call. She wished she could retract what she had said.
However, her heart was not as loud as her fear.
Ava Bennett sank into a chair in the deserted silence of the boathouse, her walls still intact, but for the first time, she wished she knew how to destroy them.