AVA
Fear takes over Ava's entire being when the voice behind her speaks.
Before she can stop herself, she sucks in a sharp breath and opens her mouth to scream.
A firm hand quickly presses over her lips before she can make a sound.
"No, Ava. Don't do that," he tells her, his breath close to her ear. "It's completely unnecessary, trust me."
The intruder's words do nothing to soothe Ava.
She ignores him completely, continuing to struggle as panic takes over. She tries to scream again, but the sound is muffled beneath his hand.
She immediately fights against the figure behind her, pushing against him with all her strength while trying to pry his hand away from her mouth.
The mysterious intruder is strong, so it doesn't work. Ava, stubborn as ever, doesn't let up.
"I already told you, Ava. I'm not a threat to you," the guy tells her again, his voice sharper now. "It's me, Ava."
There is a long pause.
"It's Maxim."
The moment those words leave his mouth, Ava goes completely still.
All her struggling stops.
For a few seconds, she can't move.
Can't breathe.
Too shocked.
After a long, frozen moment, the hand disappears from Ava's mouth, as if sensing that she is too stunned to do anything—much less scream.
Ava simply stares straight ahead, trying to process what she has just heard.
She can't.
The two words that were said to her are somehow too much for her to comprehend.
Unable to wait for her to finally look at him, the figure behind her slowly moves around her until he is standing directly in front of her.
Ava lets out a small, shocked gasp as she looks at the tall figure of Maxim Holloway.
For a long moment, she simply stares at him, desperately trying to determine whether what she is seeing is real or if her mind is playing tricks on her again.
His shoulder-length dirty blond hair is slightly messy, as though he has been running his fingers through it throughout the day. His blue eyes are fixed on her intensely, with a flicker of nervousness hiding beneath them.
He wears a pair of dark slacks and a white shirt, with a black tie hanging loosely around his collar.
He looks slightly older than he did five years ago.
And more handsome.
But still unmistakably him.
"Max?" Ava whispers, her voice barely audible.
"Yes, Ava," he replies, his voice slightly rough with emotion. "It's me."
After he says this, Ava slowly shakes her head.
She just can't believe it.
She can't make herself accept that her ex-boyfriend is actually standing in front of her.
Slowly, against her better judgment, she reaches out a hand toward him, needing to prove to herself that he isn't some twisted illusion her mind has created.
Her fingers touch the hard, slightly golden skin of his jaw.
The warmth beneath her fingertips makes her breath catch.
Ava immediately pulls her hand away.
He was real, she thinks.
Having confirmed that, she immediately begins moving backward, needing distance from the man she had started to believe she would never see again.
Her heel nearly catches against the floor, causing her to stumble, but she manages to steady herself.
"Ava?"
Maxim's voice holds a note of concern.
Instinctively, he takes a step toward her.
"No!"
Ava immediately raises her hands in a stopping gesture.
"Stay back."
A flash of hurt crosses Maxim's face at her words.
"Come on, Ava," he says. "I already told you I'm not going to hurt you. You know I wouldn't."
"That's so rich coming from you," Ava says, finally finding her voice again. "From the man who clearly broke into my apartment... and also broke my heart, when he disappeared from my life five years ago despite being my boyfriend for six whole months."
Ava can't help bringing up the past right now. For a long time, she'd wanted to confront him face-to-face about what he did to her. But at the same time, she could never bring herself to go and see him.
However unexpected this reunion was, Ava was glad that she was finally going to get it out of her system.
Maxim's expression turns grim at Ava's words, his lips pressing into a tight line.
"Ava, can we just talk about all of this calmly?" he asks.
At his words, Ava is suddenly filled with so much anger, she wonders why she hasn't punched the man.
"We're past talking, Maxim," Ava replies, her eyes flashing with anger. "Just get the hell out of my house before I call the police."
Screw getting closure, Ava thinks. This man doesn't deserve her attention.
Maxim sucks in a slow, patient breath, looking at her with an expression that is equal parts longing and frustration.
"Ava, I've waited a very long time to see you again," he says. "You can be sure that I'm not going anywhere."
His words only serve to fuel Ava's anger.
What the hell did he mean by saying he'd waited to see her again?
Waited for what? When?
He had never contacted her until tonight and she would never forgive him for it.
Never.
"I will call the police, Maxim," she says firmly. "And I'm very serious."
Maxim lets out a weary sigh at her words, brushing his hair away from his face.
"I can tell that you are, Ava," he replies. "But it doesn't matter to me. Because when the police get here, they're more likely to arrest you—or even themselves—before they put cuffs on me."
At his words, Ava stares at him in disbelief.
It sounds as if Maxim genuinely believes the law can't touch him. He says it with such complete certainty.
For a moment, Ava wants to argue.
She wants to tell him he is wrong.
That he is being ridiculous.
But deep down, she knows better. Maxim was right.
Like everyone else in Havari, she has long since understood that members of the Holloway family are untouchable in this city.
The police wouldn't protect her against him, Ava realizes.
But even as she realizes that, she isn't about to give in to his demands. She isn't going to stand there and let this vile man, who had done her so dirty not so long ago, control the situation.
"Fine, Maxim," she says through gritted teeth. "If you won't leave, then I will."
She turns toward the door before Maxim can form a response.
Ava hated that she was being forced out of her own home, but she knows that the most important thing right now is getting away from Maxim.
From the man who broke her heart almost beyond repair.
This asshole, Ava thinks as she grabs the handle of her front door.
Nothing happens when she pulls.
The door doesn't so much as budge, no matter how much force she uses.
Ava freezes, remembering that she locked it when she came inside earlier.
She immediately looks down at her hands, searching for her keys.
They aren't there.
Her eyes move to the floor tiles directly below her,looking.
Still nothing.
Ava frowns in confusion, wondering where her keys are.
"Looking for these?"
Maxim's voice makes Ava reluctantly turn toward him.
He stands there holding her keys, gently letting them swing from his fingers.
And in his other hand is Ava's phone, which she hadn't even realized was missing.
Ava blinks at him in shock, wondering how her belongings ended up in Maxim's hands.
Then the answer comes to her immediately.
During their struggle earlier, when he was stopping her from screaming, he must have taken them.
And she?
She had been so terrified that she hadn't even noticed.
"Give those back!" Ava demands from him angrily.
"No, I don't think I will," Maxim replies in an infuriatingly even tone. "At least not until you and I talk."
Ava's hands curl into fists at her sides.
He was unbelievable, she thought.
Blackmailing her in her own home, when not even five minutes had passed since they reunited.
Ava doesn't think she has ever hated anyone as much as she hates Maxim Holloway in that moment.
"Well?" Maxim asks, casually looking at her keys. "Are you ready to talk?"
"As far as I'm concerned, we don't have a single thing to talk about," Ava says in a tight voice.
Maxim's expression immediately hardens.
"Actually, I think we have plenty to talk about."
He pauses.
"Starting with what exactly happened five years ago."