Chapter 54
Chapter Fifty-Four
Viktor
“ A re you nervous?” Oliver asks.
“About?”
“What our father said to you last night.”
I replay the words my father spat at me last night.
“If you marry her, I’ll kill her and make you watch.”
“He needs me whether he wants to admit it or not. Once I figure out what Cillian wants, I’ll broker a new deal.”
“I hope you’re right. We’re cutting it real close. He gave you a week to decide your fate and hers.”
“It means we have a week to figure shit out and come up with a plan.” It’s been a long day. All I want to do is lose myself in Ava. My cell rings. The screen reads Tina. “Tina, is everything okay with Ava?” I sit straighter.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean, like she left, running out of a store. We ran into Fiona.”
“Fuck.” I end the call.
“What’s wrong?” Oliver asks.
“Ava ran into Fiona.”
I call Ava, but she doesn’t answer. A few more tries and nothing. Nothing by text either. I dial Marco.
“Mr. Manarch, how can I help you?”
“Is Ava with you?”
“Yes. We’re driving her home.” I let out a breath. At least she didn’t leave. Maybe Fiona didn’t tell her anything. Doubtful, but I can hope.
“Pass her the cell.” He calls her name, but she doesn’t answer. He tries again. Nothing.
“Sorry, sir, she won’t take it.”
“How long before you get home?”
“No more than thirty minutes.”
“Straight home.” I end the call. I stand and walk to the door.
“Where are you going?” Oliver asks.
“Home.”
I should have known secrets have a way of coming to the surface. I don’t doubt that Fiona took the opportunity to tell Ava we had sex. Maybe I shouldn’t have kept it from her, but I know she would have left me. This is an impossible situation. I don’t understand Fiona’s obsession with me. She’s making my life a living hell. I try texting Ava as I drive home, hoping she’ll answer, but she still doesn’t reply.
Radio silence.
All I need is to sit and talk to her. Explain everything. Pulling up, I see I’ve beaten them home. All I can do is wait. I can fix this. She just needs to give me a chance to.
After seeing her get out of the car, I knew whatever went down at the clothing store was bad. The anger and pain on her face were like nothing I had seen before. I ran upstairs, needing her to explain what had happened. But the woman is stubborn. Then she told me Fiona is pregnant and slammed the door.
I want to kick the door down and make her talk about her conversation with Fiona. I need to know what she meant about Fiona being pregnant. It must be a lie. There’s no way Fiona is having my child. I pace, trying to figure out what my next move is. Breaking down the door is not what Ava needs, as much as I want to do it. To my surprise, she opens the door and walks out.
I reach for her. “We have to talk.” Her face is red from crying.
“Your mom will be here in a few hours. I have to get everything ready.” She tries to walk past me, but I stop her.
“Ava, we have to talk.” She looks at me.
“The time to talk has passed. There’s nothing to say. Let’s get through tonight.”
“Ava.” I try to block her.
“Stop, Viktor.”
I freeze. Her eyes are ice cold. She spins around and leaves the bedroom. I dial Oliver.
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“I need you to find Fiona.”
“What did she do?”
“She told Ava she’s pregnant.”
“On it.” I end the call.
What am I supposed to do now? I won’t lose Ava. She’s the best thing that has happened to me. I don’t believe anything that comes out of Fiona’s mouth for one second. This is yet another elaborate lie to get what she wants. She will not get away with this.
“Can we talk?” It’s been a few hours of Ava ignoring me, going around the house, getting everything ready for dinner.
“Anita will be here any minute.” She buttons her blouse.
“You can’t ignore me. I won’t allow it.” I take steps to close our gap.
“What was it you said once? We can’t always have what we want.” She pushes me out of the way, but I stop her.
“Baby girl, I always get what I want. You’re not the exception.”
I push her against the wall and kiss her. For a second, I think she’s going to fight me, but she doesn’t. I pin her hands above her head as soft moans escape her. She’s ferocious with her kiss. I let go of her hands and turn her around. I pull her slacks and panties down and they pool at her feet. I softly bite her shoulders and neck. I thrust inside, and she cries in pleasure. She meets every thrust. It’s angry and hard.
“Fuck!” I groan.
“Viktor,” she screams as she comes. It doesn’t take long for me to follow, and soon, we’re panting for air. She pushes me away. “I need to finish getting ready.”
Her voice quivers. I have never seen Ava like this. She’s cold. She picks up her slacks and goes to the bathroom. I’m confused by her reaction. I walk to the bathroom door and watch as she cleans herself and gets dressed again. She doesn’t speak or look at me. I’m not here. It’s like she’s by herself. It angers me how she’s treating me. I’ve done nothing wrong.
“Ava—”
“There’s nothing you can say now that I want to hear. Like I said, let's get through the next few hours. I deserve that much.” She walks past me. I go to stop her. She turns and stares. We’re quiet for a few seconds. I finally let her go.
I watch as she leaves our bedroom. I’m so shocked that I’m frozen in place. I run my fingers through my hair. I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. As the water hits my head, I realize I can’t imagine what Ava must be feeling. Whether I want to admit it or not, I betrayed her trust. I lied. But this isn’t something that can’t be fixed. She just needs to give me a chance to explain myself. This shit isn’t my fault. Once she hears the truth, she’ll know there’s nothing between Fiona and me. It was an honest mistake. We can get through this.