chapter 3

The metal door slammed shut, locking Ava and Ethan inside another dim, windowless room. This one was smaller, colder, with a single barred window high above their heads. Rusted pipes snaked along the walls, dripping water that echoed in the silence.

Ava sank onto the floor, her arms aching from being forced behind her back again. Her ropes felt tighter this time, digging into her skin until she hissed in pain.

Ethan sat against the opposite wall, his wrists bound like hers, though his expression stayed maddeningly calm. He looked as though he’d been through this before—like captivity was nothing new.

Ava’s chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. “This is insane. Why would anyone go through this trouble just to take me?”

“Because you’re a Hale,” Ethan said simply, tilting his head back against the wall. “Your family’s name alone paints a target on your back.”

She glared at him. “Oh, and what? You’re saying the Cross name doesn’t do the same? Don’t act like you’re not just as tangled in dangerous business.”

He shrugged, unbothered. “True. But I don’t make a habit of insulting my captors to their faces. Unlike you.”

Ava’s cheeks heated. She hated that he had a point. “I wasn’t going to just sit there like some helpless—”

“You almost got yourself killed,” Ethan cut in, his tone sharper than usual. “Do you realize how stupid that was? You don’t antagonize armed men who have nothing to lose.”

Ava blinked, stunned into silence. He had never spoken to her like that—no mockery, no smug smile. Just raw, frustrated honesty.

Her throat tightened. “Why do you even care?”

For a heartbeat, Ethan’s eyes softened, but then his smirk returned like a mask slipping back into place. “I don’t. I just don’t feel like dying because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

Ava scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Typical. Always looking out for yourself.”

But deep inside, she couldn’t shake the way he had stood in front of her earlier, shielding her from that guard’s shove. She had seen the fire in his eyes—the kind of fury that didn’t come from rivalry, but from something else.

Something protective.

---

Hours passed. The sound of dripping water was maddening. Ava tried wriggling her wrists free, but the ropes only burned her skin. She bit her lip, fighting frustration.

“Stop squirming,” Ethan muttered from across the room.

She shot him a glare. “Why don’t you stop telling me what to do?”

“Because you’re going to bleed before you get free.” His gaze flicked to her wrists. “Here.”

He scooted closer, his movements restricted but purposeful. Ava stiffened when he reached for her hands. “What are you—”

“Relax, princess,” he murmured. “I’m not going to bite.”

His fingers brushed against hers as he inspected the ropes. Ava’s pulse jumped. She hated the warmth that spread through her chest at the simple contact.

Ethan’s expression was focused now, the usual smugness gone. He shifted his bound wrists, pulling a tiny shard of metal from his sleeve. Ava’s eyes widened.

“You—you hid that?” she whispered.

“Of course,” he said casually, beginning to work the shard against her ropes. “You think I’d let them tie me up without a backup plan?”

The ropes loosened gradually. Ava held her breath, watching his steady hands. Every tug, every scrape of metal against rope made her chest tighten for reasons she didn’t understand.

Finally, her wrists came free. She exhaled sharply, rubbing the red marks on her skin. “How—how did you even get that piece of metal?”

Ethan leaned back, sliding the shard away before freeing his own ropes. “Let’s just say I notice things others don’t.”

“You’re impossible,” she muttered, though her voice lacked conviction.

“And you’re welcome,” he said smoothly, flexing his freed wrists.

---

They both knew escape wasn’t simple. The barred window was too high, the door too thick. But at least being unbound gave them a fighting chance.

As they whispered quietly in the shadows, Ava asked, “Do you think… they’ll kill us?”

Ethan studied her face, his eyes unreadable. For once, he didn’t tease. “Not if I can help it.”

Her heart skipped. She opened her mouth to argue, but the intensity in his voice silenced her.

Before she could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps sent them scrambling back into position, pretending their ropes were still tight. The door creaked open, and two guards stepped in with trays of food.

One of them tossed stale bread toward Ava, nearly hitting her shoulder. Rage burned inside her, but she bit her tongue this time. She remembered Ethan’s warning.

Ethan caught her eye, giving the faintest nod of approval.

When the guards finally left, Ava let out a shaky breath. “I hate this.”

Ethan leaned back, closing his eyes. “Welcome to the real world. It’s not galas and glitter.”

She bristled. “You think I don’t know hardship? You think I’m just some pampered doll?”

He opened his eyes again, meeting her gaze. For a moment, his usual mask slipped. “No. I think you’re stronger than you realize. But strength without control gets people killed.”

The words sank into her like a stone in water, rippling through every layer of her pride.

Ava turned away, hugging her knees to her chest. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was starting to see Ethan differently. Not just as the arrogant rival she’d grown up hating—but as someone who knew things she didn’t, who had survived things she couldn’t imagine.

Someone who—against all reason—was protecting her.

---

That night, as Ava dozed off against the wall, she stirred awake to the sound of movement. Her eyes fluttered open, and in the faint light, she saw Ethan standing near the door, silent and watchful.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” she whispered groggily.

“Because someone has to keep watch,” he murmured back.

Ava blinked at him, her chest tightening. She wanted to ask why—why he was doing all of this when he supposedly hated her. But exhaustion pulled her back into sleep before the words could leave her lips.

Ethan stood in the silence, his jaw tight. He glanced at her sleeping form, her head resting gently against the wall.

“You’ll never understand,” he whispered to the darkness. “Not yet.”

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