Ava stood at the edge of the lake, her eyes fixed on the ripples that spread out from where the moonlight kissed the water’s surface. It had been a long day, a long week really, but the quiet here, in this small, forgotten corner of the world, gave her some semblance of peace. She was used to running from her emotions, hiding in places like this, where no one could see her, no one could hurt her. But tonight felt different. The weight of it pressed against her chest, a suffocating pressure that she couldn’t shake.

Noah’s words echoed in her mind. "Ava, you can't keep doing this to yourself. We're in this together."

But the thing was, Noah didn't understand. How could he? He didn't know the things she'd done, the choices she'd made in the past. Choices that had led her here, to this dark place, trapped between the love she had for him and the remnants of a past that refused to let her go.

A shadow moved behind her, and Ava stiffened. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She could feel him, his presence like a storm that never really passed.

"You're running away again," Liam's voice was soft, too soft. It was the kind of voice that still had power over her, no matter how hard she tried to shut it out.

Ava didn't say anything at first. She couldn’t. The silence between them stretched long enough that it almost felt like they were still together, like they had never broken apart, like the time between them had never really existed.

"I didn’t come here to hurt you," Liam continued, stepping closer. "You know that, right?"

But she didn’t know that. How could she? He’d hurt her before, left scars that no amount of time seemed to heal. He was the reason she had run from Noah, from love. Because deep down, she was terrified that she would fall back into the same trap, that he would hurt her again.

"I’m not the same person anymore," Liam said, as though the words were supposed to mean something, as though the past could be wiped away with a simple confession. "I never stopped loving you, Ava. Not for a single moment."

Ava finally turned, meeting his gaze. His eyes, the ones she had once loved, now seemed like they belonged to a stranger. There was no warmth there, no tenderness, just a coldness that cut deeper than anything he had ever said to her.

"Stop." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it held enough power to make him pause. "You don’t get to do this. Not after everything."

Liam’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t back down. "You think I don't know what you’re feeling? You think I don't feel the same pull between us?" He stepped closer, his hand reaching out like a magnet to her heart. "Ava, we’re not finished. We were never finished."

But Ava was finished. She had to be. She couldn’t keep holding on to the ghosts of her past, not when the present was so fragile, so uncertain. She had Noah now, and he was different. He wasn’t like Liam. Noah was steady, grounded. He didn’t make her feel like she was always teetering on the edge of something dangerous.

"I’m with Noah now," Ava said, her voice shaking, not from fear but from something deeper. "And you need to stay out of my life."

For a moment, Liam just stared at her, as though trying to piece together a puzzle that had fallen apart in his hands. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. Ava watched him disappear into the shadows, the weight in her chest lifting only slightly. But she knew, deep down, that this wasn’t over. It couldn’t be. There was something more to all of this, something she couldn’t quite understand, but could feel pulling at her, twisting her reality.

She turned back to the lake, her thoughts consumed by the feeling of his words still echoing in her mind. The past wasn’t done with her. She could feel it, like a thread that had never really been cut, a connection to something dark and dangerous that was now coming back to claim her.

Noah's face appeared in her mind, his warm smile, the way he held her, the way he made her feel like she was worth something again. She hadn’t told him the full truth. She hadn’t told him about Liam, about the things they had shared, the things that still haunted her. But she had to. She had to tell him everything, or the weight of her lies would crush her, piece by piece.

But would he even believe her? Could he?

She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. Tonight was supposed to be different. Tonight, she was supposed to find peace.

But the peace never came.

A loud crash echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Ava’s heart skipped a beat as she spun around, her body tensing.

Noah.

He emerged from the trees, his face etched with worry, his eyes wide and searching. The moment he saw her, his expression softened, but there was something else there,something darker. Something that she couldn’t place.

"Ava," he breathed, rushing towards her. "What are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you."

"I needed space," Ava said, her voice trembling. "I just needed to clear my head."

Noah looked at her for a long moment, as though trying to understand what she wasn’t saying. Then, slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing hers. His touch was warm, familiar, grounding. For a moment, Ava felt like everything would be okay.

But then the world around them seemed to shift. The shadows deepened, and the air grew heavy with something ,something she couldn’t quite name. Noah’s hand froze in hers, his grip tightening as he looked over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing.

"Who else is here?" he asked, his voice low, almost fearful.

Ava turned, her stomach sinking.

There, standing just beyond the tree line, was Liam. Watching them.

Ava’s breath caught in her throat as her gaze locked onto Liam, standing at the edge of the tree line, his silhouette barely visible in the dim light. His presence felt like a cold draft sweeping through the air, a reminder of all the broken pieces she’d tried to bury. But here he was again, impossible to escape.

Noah’s hand tightened around hers, his voice low but firm. “Ava, who is that?”

Ava swallowed, her pulse racing. “It’s... it’s Liam.”

Noah’s grip faltered for a second, his eyes scanning her face, searching for any hint of the truth. But Ava couldn’t give it to him—not yet. She couldn’t explain everything, not without tearing open wounds that had just begun to heal. Not without risking everything she had with Noah, everything she had fought for.

Liam stepped forward slowly, his movements deliberate, almost predatory. He didn’t seem to care that Noah was standing beside her, or that Ava had already made her choice. He was still playing his game, always with the same dangerous confidence.

“Ava,” Liam called softly, as though trying to pull her in with just the sound of her name. “You and I both know it’s not over.”

Noah shifted beside her, his hand sliding protectively around her waist. “Stay the hell away from her.”

Liam smiled, but it was the kind of smile that sent a chill straight down Ava’s spine. “Noah,” he said, as though tasting the name on his tongue. “I don’t think you understand. She’s always been mine, whether she admits it or not.”

The words hung in the air, and Ava felt the weight of them pressing down on her, suffocating her. She wanted to scream, to deny him, to tell him that he didn’t own her, not anymore. But the truth was far more complicated. The bond between them wasn’t something that could be broken so easily. It was the kind of tie that tied them both to a past full of lies and secrets, a past that refused to stay buried.

“Stop,” Ava said, her voice shaking as she stepped closer to Noah, putting herself between him and Liam. “This isn’t your fight anymore. We’re done.”

Liam didn’t flinch. “No, Ava. You’re not done with me. And you never will be.”

Ava’s heart pounded in her chest, the words cutting through her like shards of glass. She wanted to tell him to leave, to run, to disappear from her life for good. But Liam’s gaze never wavered. There was something in his eyes now,something darker, more calculating. Ava could feel it. She could feel the way the air shifted around them, the tension crackling like electricity in the space between them.

Noah’s voice broke through the thick silence, raw with anger. “Enough. This ends now.”

Without thinking, he pulled Ava closer, his body shielding hers from Liam’s relentless gaze. For a moment, Ava felt the warmth of his touch, the safety he provided in a world that had always been so full of chaos. But the comfort was fleeting. Liam wasn’t going to let them walk away. He never did.

“I’m not going to stand here and watch you ruin her life again, Liam,” Noah spat, stepping forward, his fists clenched. “You had your chance. Now it’s over.”

Liam’s eyes glinted with something dark, something Ava couldn’t fully understand, but she felt it in her bones. He was pushing them. Testing them. Waiting for one of them to slip, to reveal something that would give him the upper hand.

“I don’t need your permission, Noah,” Liam said, his voice colder now, sharper. “I never did.”

Ava’s heart raced. She felt trapped, cornered between two worlds,one that had already broken her and one that she was desperate to keep whole. She glanced at Noah, his jaw clenched in determination, and then back to Liam, his figure looming in the shadows.

“I don’t want this,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, the weight of her words heavy in the still night air. “I don’t want you. Not anymore.”

For a moment, Liam just stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then, with a single, swift motion, he turned and disappeared back into the forest, the echo of his footsteps fading into the distance.

Ava stood there, frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. Was it over? Or was this just the beginning?

Noah’s hand was on her shoulder now, pulling her gently into his arms. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, though the truth was she felt anything but. Liam had left, but the damage had already been done. The words he’d spoken, the threats hidden behind his smiles ,they lingered in her mind like a poison, making it harder to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” Noah whispered, his voice thick with concern. “I didn’t mean to push you into something you weren’t ready for.”

Ava shook her head, pulling away just slightly to look up at him. “No, it’s not your fault. I should’ve told you. I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning.”

Noah’s brow furrowed. “Told me what? Ava, what’s going on? What is all this with Liam?”

Ava hesitated. She could feel the walls she had spent years building around herself start to crack. She could see the concern in Noah’s eyes, and for the first time, she wondered if she could let him in. Could she trust him with the truth? Could she let him see all the broken pieces she had spent so long hiding?

“I” She stopped, the words dying on her lips. “There’s so much I haven’t told you, Noah. So much you don’t know.”

Noah didn’t press her. Instead, he took her hands in his, his touch gentle but firm. “You don’t have to tell me everything right now. But I need you to know that I’m here. No matter what. We’ll figure this out together.”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity. But somewhere deep inside, the doubts still lingered. Could she really let him in? Could she trust him with the darkness she carried?

As she stared at Noah, something shifted. The world around them seemed to blur, and for a moment, it felt like the whole universe was holding its breath, waiting for her to make a choice.

And then it happened.

A figure stepped from the shadows, and Ava’s heart skipped a beat.

It wasn’t Liam.

This was someone new. Someone far more dangerous.

Ava didn’t have to turn to know that something was off. The air had changed, thick with a sense of dread. She felt it before she saw it, a presence lurking just out of sight. Her instincts screamed at her to move, to run, but her feet felt rooted to the ground, like a part of her was still bound to this place, still tethered to the past.

Noah’s hand on her arm tightened. His grip, usually so comforting, now felt like a warning. “Ava, who’s there?”

Ava’s eyes darted around, searching the shadows that stretched across the forest. The figure stepped forward, barely making a sound, but the weight of their presence was unmistakable.

It was a woman, tall and lean, her hair dark and cascading down her back like a midnight river. She moved with an eerie grace, the kind of stillness that didn’t belong in the chaos of the moment. Her eyes gleamed with something cold, something calculating.

Ava’s heart raced. She didn’t recognize her, but the woman’s gaze seemed all too familiar, like she had been in her life long before now. Something about her felt wrong, like a thread of deception weaving through the air.

“You’ve been expecting me, haven’t you, Ava?” The woman’s voice was smooth, almost too smooth, like the calm before a storm. It was familiar, yet foreign, and it made Ava’s stomach churn.

Noah’s protective stance only deepened as he positioned himself between Ava and the woman. “Stay the hell away from her.”

The woman chuckled, the sound soft but laced with venom. “How cute. The knight in shining armor thinks he can protect her. But there are things far darker than you understand, boy.”

Ava’s mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of this puzzle. She’d never seen this woman before, but there was something in her eyes that stirred old memories, things she thought she had buried for good. The unease gnawed at her, her pulse quickening.

“I don’t know who you are,” Ava said, her voice steady despite the chaos inside her, “but if you’re here to threaten me”

“Not to threaten you, Ava. To warn you,” the woman interrupted, her smile knowing, sinister. “You can’t outrun what’s coming. None of you can.”

Noah stepped forward, but the woman raised a hand, halting him with an authority that sent a shiver down his spine. “Your little love story won’t protect you. Not from the truth. Not from the mess you’ve both made.”

Ava’s throat tightened. “What are you talking about?”

The woman took a step closer, her gaze never leaving Ava. “You think you’ve made choices, Ava? You think you control your own fate? You’re wrong. You’re all just players in a game much bigger than you. And the strings that bind you” She glanced briefly at Noah. “they’re already tangled.”

Ava’s mind raced, trying to grasp what the woman meant. Who was she? How did she know so much about Ava’s life? About Noah? What game was she talking about?

Before she could ask another question, the woman turned away, her silhouette disappearing into the shadows as swiftly as she had appeared.

Noah moved toward Ava, his eyes searching her face for answers she didn’t have. “Ava, who was that?”

She shook her head, trying to steady her breathing. “I don’t know. I don’t know who she is or what she wants.”

But deep down, Ava knew something had shifted. There was a darkness closing in on them, a shadow they couldn’t escape. She had thought the worst was over, that her past with Liam and all the mess that came with it was behind her. But this? This was something new.

And it wasn’t over.

The next few days passed in a blur. Ava tried to find some semblance of normalcy, but it was like the world had shifted beneath her feet. Every corner seemed to hold a new secret, a new piece of the puzzle she couldn’t quite solve. She couldn’t stop thinking about the woman in the forest, her words echoing in Ava’s mind like a haunting refrain.

She found herself looking over her shoulder, waiting for something, anything, to happen. She didn’t know who she could trust anymore. Was Noah truly the safe haven he seemed to be, or was there something about him, something she hadn’t yet uncovered?

As she sat in her apartment, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her chest, her phone buzzed. A text message. From an unknown number.

You’re not safe. Not anymore.

Ava’s stomach churned as she read the message. Her fingers trembled, the phone slipping from her grip as her mind raced. Who could this be? What did they want from her?

The phone buzzed again, pulling her from her thoughts.

Liam isn’t the only one who has been watching you. You’re tangled in a web that you can’t see yet, but you will. And when you do, it will be too late.

Ava felt a chill crawl up her spine. She hadn’t told Noah about the woman in the forest, hadn’t told him about the cryptic warnings she had received. She wasn’t sure she could. She wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore.

But she knew one thing for certain.

Her past wasn’t done with her. Not yet.

And whatever game they were all playing ,Ava was about to find herself at the center of it, whether she wanted to or not.