AVA
The taxi she'd called minutes earlier rolled through the evening traffic as Ava stared out the window, her chin resting against her hand.
"Are you okay, miss?" the taxi driver suddenly asked.
Ava turned to him, startled. Hidden behind oversized sunglasses, she forced a smile while thinking.
Was she okay? she wondered. The answer came swiftly to her.
Probably not, and in more ways than one.
She inhaled deeply at the thought, hating it but knowing it was true.
Because how else, Ava thought, could you categorize someone who attended the trial of a man whose name alone struck terror into the hearts of most people in Havari City while pining for him the entire time.
No, fine was definitely not an apt description for her, Ava concluded.
Not that his notorious reputation was what Ava hated most about Maxim Holloway.
Not even close.
Her problem with Maxim was that five years ago, after telling her that he loved her and promising he'd always be there for her, he'd disappeared from her life at a time when she needed him most.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Nothing.
He'd just gone.
All these years later, Ava still resented him for it. Her heart was still as broken as the day when he suddenly abandoned her, leaving her to rot in prison.
Maxim Holloway was a pig, Ava told herself. And she believed it with both her brain and her heart.
But did knowing that and seeing him today make her get over him?
Not really.
If anything, seeing him again today had only reopened those old wounds and reminded her how hopelessly stuck in the past she still was.
He'd looked so devilishly handsome even in those suits and cuffs. It just wasn't fair, she thought, getting pissed.
Ava cleared her throat before replying to the driver.
"I'm completely fine, sir."
"Right," the driver said slowly, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.
His expression in the mirror also seemed dubious, but thankfully, he didn't push.
Ava sighed and turned back to the window again, ignoring him in favor of her own thoughts.
Get over him already, Ava, she told herself. Maxim Holloway is not worth a single one of your thoughts.
He is a douchebag, she reminded herself.
An asshole.
Not to mention a dangerous criminal.
...Well, an alleged dangerous criminal, Ava corrected herself.
The man had just been acquitted of every charge against him.
Not that anyone in that courtroom—including her—believed he was innocent.
The Holloways had been linked to too many shady dealings over the years for her to believe that this case was any different.
And Maxim certainly hadn't behaved like a man who'd been falsely accused, glaring at everyone, including the jury, and radiating arrogance.
But somehow, he'd still walked free. Ava still shook her head in disbelief at the outcome. His lawyer had been good, but the evidence against Maxim had been pretty compelling, to say the least.
The fact that he was acquitted could only mean that some kind of foul play was involved, Ava thought to herself.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
Part of her was still unable to believe that the man she had loved was capable of such criminal acts. To think she'd once believed he was better than all of this, better than his family.
The taxi stopped at a red light, pulling Ava from her thoughts as she jostled in her seat.
When she looked up, she caught the driver watching her through the rear-view mirror.
When he didn't seem to have any intention of looking away, Ava immediately concluded that he was checking her out.
She wasn't surprised by this. Throughout the course of her life, she'd been told that she possessed a very lovely face and frame.
For that reason, Ava didn't normally mind being checked out ( who could blame them,really?)
But she drew the line at it being done by the person driving the car she was in.
She raised an eyebrow at the taxi driver, who continued staring even after she caught him in the act.
"Eyes on the road, please," she said. "I'd rather not survive another emotional disaster in my life only to die in a traffic accident."
The driver chuckled softly before looking forward again with a sheepish expression.
"I'm sorry. You're right," he said quickly. "I was just wondering..."
Ava's expression became confused.
"Excuse me? Wondering what?"
He gestured toward her outfit.
"What's with the all-black look? Hoodie, jeans, boots, sunglasses... You look like a really bad spy."
Ava gasped at these words and glanced down at herself while considering his words.
She had dressed like this, hoping to blend into the crowd at the courthouse so that no one would recognize her, especially Maxim.
But according to this driver, her clothes may have had exactly the opposite effect. Ava's cheeks immediately became red, feeling more foolish than she'd ever felt in her twenty six years.
"I thought it looked stylish," she said to the driver, not meeting his eyes.
"Well, I don't know about that," he replied with a grin. "But it's certainly eye-catching..."
Ava looked away again and silently cursed at his words.
That was the very last thing she'd wanted to hear, given what she'd set out to achieve that day. Her only consolation was that no one at the courthouse had seemed interested in her.
Everyone's attention had been on Maxim Holloway and the trial.
Well, everyone except Maxim.
She could be wrong, but Ava could have sworn she'd caught him looking in her direction more than once.
Had he recognized her?
Probably not, she thought.
The hood and sunglasses had hidden most of her face.
She had nothing to worry about, she told herself, playing with her fingers. Even after reassuring herself, Ava found that she was still nervous about the thought.
What if Maxim had recognized her? What would he have thought?
Had he laughed to himself about her, thinking how pathetic she was for showing up five years after they'd separated?
Or, worse, maybe he'd just been indifferent because she'd never meant anything to him at all.
Ava swallowed at the thought, her heart threatening to break again like it had done five years ago.
As despair started to wash over her, an entirely different thought occurred to her.
Wait, what if... what if seeing her had reminded Maxim of the amazing relationship they'd once had and how good a girlfriend she was to him? And maybe he finally realized what an idiot he'd been for letting her go.
Ava bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the thought.
As if that would happen.
After five years of silence, Maxim suddenly decides that he wanted her back?
The thought made no sense. It was completely impossible, even.
But if that did happen, Ava couldn't help thinking, fists clenching , she certainly wouldn't let that piece of trash back into her life.
"We're here," the driver announced before Ava could answer herself.
She blinked and looked outside.
The familiar neighborhood café where she worked as a waitress came into view, along with the window of the small apartment she rented above it.
Home.
Ava reached into her purse, paid the fare, and reached for the door.
"Thank you, sir," she told the driver.
"My pleasure. Here, take this."
The driver had turned and was holding out a card to Ava.
"It's my number," he clarified when Ava looked momentarily confused.
She accepted it for the sake of politeness, frowning as she looked at him and the card.
"Why are you giving me your number... Jackson Parker?"
He shrugged innocently.
"In case you ever need a ride... or fashion advice."
Ava gaped at him for a moment before rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Very funny, Jackson," she told him before getting out of the car.
Jackson didn't reply to this. He just drove away, chuckling at her.
As he went, Ava smiled, hoping everyone she talked to for the rest of that day would be as cordial as her taxi driver had been.
Unfortunately, her sincere request to the universe didn't get granted.