CHAPTER 019
AVA’S POV
I slowly regained consciousness, a pounding headache clouding my thoughts. I blinked, realizing I wasn’t at home.
My eyes darted around, and then I saw him, Alex, sitting by the window.
I quickly sat up, the blanket slipping off me. “Mr. Grey?” My voice was weak, barely more than a whisper.
He immediately stood, his expression a mix of relief and something I couldn’t quite place. “You’re awake,” he said, stepping closer to the bed.
“Why… why are you here?” I stammered, flashes of the previous night returning in pieces.
“You don’t remember?” His voice was calm.
I frowned, trying to recall everything. I remembered the dinner with Marcus, the strange feeling after I’d drunk. the wine he offered, and then everything going hazy.
The last thing I remembered clearly was being scooped up and carried out by Jason.
“Jason…” I blurted out. “Why isn’t he…”
Alex’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer right away, and the silence stung more than words could.
It wasn’t Jason who had come for me. It was him.
Before I could process it, there was a knock at the door.
Alex walked toward the door, when it opened, Jason rushed in, panic and frustration written across his face.
“Where is she?” he demanded, brushing past Alex without looking at him. His eyes landed on me, and he froze. Ava.”
“Jason,” I said softly, my voice trembling.
He looked at me, but there was no real concern in his eyes, no sign that he saw how badly I was shaken.
He sighed, almost like he was relieved. “You had me worried.”
I bit my lip, trying not to cry. He didn’t ask if I was okay or if I was hurt, nothing
Alex stood leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, watching Jason. There was something almost amused in his
eyes.
“Interesting,” he said coolly.
Jason turned sharply. “What’s interesting?”
“You,” Alex said casually. “You called, wanting answers, then showed up right after. It’s almost like you’re desperate to prove something.”
Jason clenched his jaw. “I came because I care about my employees.”
Employees? Is that all I was to him now?
The realization hit me hard. He wasn’t here as my husband, my partner, he was here as my boss.
Like I was nothing more than a responsibility, a task he needed to check off his list.
CHAPTER 019
+25 BONUS
Alex raised an eyebrow, looking at me. “Employees? That’s all she is to you?”
“Don’t twist my words,” Jason snapped. “I’m here because want to know what happened to her.”
Alex stepped closer, his presence filling the room. “Your employee was drugged and nearly raped,” he said, his voice cutting through the tension.
Jason flinched, but quickly covered it up. “What do you mican? Ava, is that true?” His tone felt more like an accusation than of concern.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Alex interrupted. “She doesn’t need to relive that for your benefit,” he said firmly. “What you should be asking yourself, Jason, is how this happened.”
Jason glared at him, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “It means you should pay more attention to the people around you. Maybe then you’d notice when someone has ulterior motives.”
Jason stiffened, his jaw tightening, as if Alex’s words hit harder than any punch.
“You don’t know anything about my life,” Jason said, his voice low. “Stay out of it.”
Alex smirked, “I’ve noticed more than you realize.”
The room felt suffocating. I needed to leave.
I
I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring the dizziness. “I need to go,” I whispered, trying to stand.
Jason immediately reached for me, grabbing my arm roughly. “I’ll take you home,” he said, his voice cold and commanding
I hesitated, glancing at Alex. His steady gaze made me feel safe. But Jason hold on my arm tightened, yanking me towards the door.
Just as we reached the door, Alex’s voice stopped us. “Ava,” he said softly, no longer sharp but warm. “If you need help, you can call me anytime.”
Η
Jason’s jaw twitched, and he practically dragged me out of the room before I could respond.
He stayed silent as we walked to the car, his fist tight and jaw locked.
Finally, he broke the silence. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Ava,” he snarled, gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
My chest burned. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play the innocent victim,” he roared. “You said you were drugged? Fine. Then why’d you end up in his bed? Why didn’t he take you to a hospital? Explain that. Or were you hoping I wouldn’t find out?”
His words hit like a slap, tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn’t going to cry now.
“Find out what? Jason, I didn’t choose this. I was drugged. Do you even care what could have happened to me?” I said my voice barely above a whisper.
“Do I care?” he scoffed. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you acted like a slut and got yourself into this mess. Or did you think I was stupid enough not to notice?”
I gasped, his words slicing through me like a knife. “How dare you!” I whispered, trembling with fury.
“How could you accuse me of such a thing?”
2/3
CHAPTER 019
Jason’s glare was icy. “Why was he there then? Why was he he one who saved you?
1 felt my face flush with anger. “Maybe because you didn’t pick up my call, Jason!” I shouted, my voice cracking.” Maybe because you told Laura she could send me to that stupid dinner!”
Jason shouted, “Laura is pregnant and needs rest. She couldn’t attend the meeting”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I knew Laura was pregnant, but hearing him say it like that, as if her needs were more important than mine made something snap inside me.
I was pregnant too, and yet I had to endure this constant pain, this endless feeling of being second–best.
My life wasn’t always like this. But Laura’s presence had turned everything upside down, carving a deep, aching hole in my heart, one I wasn’t sure could ever be filled.
I never imagined hiding my pregnancy would feel this suffocating.
Guilt weighed on me as I thought of the little life growing inside me, undeservedly caught in this storm. Another woman’s child was being prioritized over my own–over us
Myc
chest tightened, and the words escaped before I could stop them. “But I’m pre…”
But before I could finish, his phone rang.
He grabbed his phone, his face tight with anger, and his eyes softened when he saw the caller ID.
I didn’t need him to say it. I already knew who it was.
“Hello, Laura?” he answered, his voice low and gentle.
CHAPTER 020
CHAPTER 020
