chapter 4

Morning came too slowly. The single bulb above them flickered weakly, casting sickly yellow light over the cramped room. Ava stirred awake, her neck aching from sleeping against the wall. Her throat was dry, her body stiff.

Ethan was already awake. He sat cross-legged on the floor, his back against the wall near the door, eyes sharp and alert as though he hadn’t slept at all.

Ava rubbed her wrists, still sore from the ropes. “Do you ever sleep?” she muttered groggily.

“Not when I’m stuck in a cage with you,” Ethan replied, his tone flat but his lips twitching faintly.

Ava scowled. “Always charming.”

“Always honest,” he countered.

She pushed herself up to her feet, brushing the dust from her dress. “We need to get out of here. Just sitting around waiting for those men to decide our fate isn’t an option.”

“And what’s your plan?” Ethan raised a brow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Bat your eyelashes until they let you go? Or maybe throw another fit and hope they get scared?”

Her hands balled into fists. “At least I don’t sit there acting like I’ve got everything under control when I clearly don’t!”

His jaw tightened. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“Yes!” she snapped. “You’ve done nothing but make sarcastic comments and act like this is some kind of game.”

Ethan stood now, closing the distance between them. He loomed over her, his eyes blazing. “Do you really think this is a game to me? That I don’t understand the stakes?”

Ava swallowed hard but refused to back down. “Then prove it. Stop pretending. Stop acting like this doesn’t matter. Because it does—to me!”

For a heartbeat, silence filled the room. Ethan’s expression softened, but just as quickly, he looked away, his mask snapping back into place. “Careful, princess. You’re starting to sound like you care what happens to me.”

Ava’s cheeks burned. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

---

The tension between them simmered until footsteps echoed in the hallway. Ava froze. Ethan’s body stiffened instantly, eyes narrowing.

The door creaked open, and a guard stepped in carrying a jug of water. He sneered as he set it on the floor. “Drink up. You’ll need the strength later.”

Ava crossed her arms. “Strength for what?”

The guard smirked but said nothing, turning to leave. As he passed her, he muttered under his breath, “Shame if a pretty thing like you doesn’t make it out alive.”

Rage surged in Ava’s chest. “What did you just—”

Before she could finish, Ethan was on his feet, moving faster than she thought possible. He slammed into the guard with his shoulder, sending the jug crashing to the ground. Water splashed across the floor as the guard stumbled back, cursing.

Ethan’s hands grabbed the man’s collar, his voice low and deadly. “Say that again.”

The guard sneered, trying to shake him off. Another guard rushed in, yanking Ethan back before a fight could break out. Ethan didn’t resist, but his glare burned holes into the man as they shoved him against the wall.

“Touch her, and you’re dead,” Ethan spat.

The guards exchanged looks, muttered curses, and retreated, slamming the door shut behind them. The echo reverberated through the room.

Ava stood frozen, her pulse racing. She stared at Ethan, who was breathing heavily, his fists still clenched.

“You…” she whispered. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Ethan turned his head sharply, refusing to meet her eyes. “Don’t thank me. I wasn’t about to let some lowlife insult me like that.”

Ava frowned, her voice trembling. “But… he insulted me.”

His gaze flicked to hers then, just for a moment. The intensity in his eyes stole her breath away. “Exactly.”

Ava’s chest tightened, words failing her. She wanted to demand answers, to ask why he would go so far for someone he claimed to hate. But instead, all she managed was, “You’re reckless.”

Ethan smirked faintly, though his eyes were still stormy. “Better reckless than useless.”

She sank back down to the floor, hugging her knees. She couldn’t understand him. One moment, he was mocking her, treating her like a spoiled princess. The next, he was throwing himself into danger just to defend her.

What was he hiding?

---

Hours crawled by after the confrontation. Neither of them spoke. The silence was heavy, thick with unspoken words. Ava’s thoughts tangled in knots. Every time she replayed the moment Ethan lunged at the guard, her chest tightened.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Why did you really do it?”

Ethan didn’t look at her. He sat with his back to the wall, eyes closed, voice steady. “Because I don’t like cowards. And men who prey on the weak are the worst kind of cowards.”

Her heart gave a small, traitorous flutter. “So you think I’m weak?”

His lips curved faintly. “No. I think you’re stronger than you know. But you don’t know when to stay quiet, and that’s going to get you hurt.”

Ava pressed her lips together. She hated that his words stung because they were true.

For a long time, they sat in silence again, the drip of water the only sound. But something had shifted. The walls between them weren’t as solid as before. There were cracks now—cracks filled with questions Ava wasn’t ready to face.

---

That night, Ava lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn’t come. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan’s face when he’d slammed into the guard. The raw anger. The protective fury.

She turned her head slightly. Ethan was sitting near the door again, his head bowed, arms resting on his knees. He looked like a sentinel, not a prisoner.

“Why do you always stay awake?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

His voice was soft, almost weary. “Because if I don’t, no one else will.”

Her throat tightened. She wanted to ask what he meant, but her heart was pounding too loudly. So instead, she whispered, “Thank you.”

Ethan didn’t move. For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t respond. Then, so quietly she almost didn’t hear it, he said, “Don’t thank me yet.”

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