Chapter 5

For a long moment, Ava sat frozen, a cascade of emotions rushing through her—disbelief, confusion, and, oddly, a quiet sense of peace. His words touched something deep within her, a part of her that had longed for understanding, for someone to see beyond her struggles and aspirations. She found herself speaking before she could second-guess.

“Age is but a number,” she murmured, her voice soft yet steady. “If this is truly what you want, Mr. George…then I’m willing to give it a chance.”

A radiant smile lit up his face, his eyes twinkling with the joy of a man whose heart had finally found its way home. “Please, Ava,” he said, his voice a gentle plea, “no more ‘sir.’ Just call me George.”

Ava’s lips curved into a smile, her own heart lifting with a rare hope she hadn’t dared to feel in ages. “Alright…George.”

Yet as the newness of their connection settled between them, an old doubt crept into her mind. “What about your family?” she asked cautiously, her brow furrowed. “Surely, at this point in your life, there must be others—children, maybe even a wife?”

George’s expression softened, the hint of old pain flickering across his features. “I do have a daughter,” he replied quietly. “She’s about to be married, but my wife…she passed away some years ago. That loss taught me the value of cherishing the time we have. And I promise you, Ava, my heart is sincere.”

His words touched Ava deeply, and as she looked into his eyes, she realized that perhaps fate had sent him into her life for a reason. She wondered if, in finding each other, they might find healing, too.

The next day, Ava stepped back into the world of fashion design, immersing herself fully in the project she’d been entrusted with—creating Alexandra’s dream wedding dress. Little did she know that the design was for the bride-to-be of her former lover, Sebastian.

In her creative cocoon, Ava poured every ounce of her passion into the delicate stitches and elegant lines, crafting a gown that held a piece of her heart with each flourish and fold.

As the weeks passed, the dress neared completion, and Alexandra contacted the fashion house with a special request: she wanted the gown delivered to her father’s home, where she was staying until the big day. With a nod from the hiring manager, Ava and a company driver were sent to deliver the finished gown.

When they arrived at the estate, Ava felt a rush of pride and anticipation. She carefully carried the gown to the grand entrance and rang the bell. To her shock, it was Sebastian who answered, his face twisting with immediate anger.

“Ava? What are you doing here?” he demanded, his tone laced with suspicion and fury. “Are you stalking me now? You’d better leave before I call security.”

Ava held her ground, her calm, measured gaze cutting through his accusations. “I’m not here for you, Sebastian,” she replied coolly, her voice steady. “I’m here on behalf of the fashion house to deliver a wedding dress.” Without waiting for his response, she stepped past him, the gown draped protectively over her arm.

As she crossed the threshold of the opulent mansion, she couldn’t help but feel the strange weight of destiny pulling her back into Sebastian’s orbit, as though their stories were bound by invisible threads she could neither see nor cut.

In the grand entryway, Ava was taken by the unfamiliar luxury of her surroundings. But before she could gather her thoughts, a familiar voice called down from the top of the staircase.

“Ava, my dear, what are you doing here?” Mr. George’s voice was filled with surprise and delight, yet there was a hint of bewilderment as well. “How did you find my address? I never shared it with you.”

For a moment, Ava was speechless, the pieces of an unimaginable puzzle beginning to fall into place. “I’m here to deliver a wedding dress,” she managed, her gaze shifting between George, who stood at the top of the stairs, and Sebastian, who remained rooted at the door, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.

At that moment, Alexandra appeared, her excitement palpable as she spotted Ava holding the dress. “My dress is here!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining—only to stop short when she realized who stood before her. Her face went pale, and her gaze darted between Sebastian, her father, and Ava, a mixture of confusion and dawning realization on her features.

Before Ava could process the scene, George spoke up, his voice brimming with pride. “Alexandra, Sebastian, I’d like you to meet Ava, the woman I hope to make my wife.”

A stunned silence fell over the room as Alexandra and Sebastian exchanged a look of utter disbelief.

“Wife?” they echoed in unison, their voices laced with shock.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. George asked, sensing the tension. “Do you two know each other?” His gaze moved between the three of them, his eyes narrowing with a hint of worry.

Ava’s mind raced, struggling to keep her composure as the weight of the situation bore down on her. She looked between George, Alexandra, and Sebastian, her heart pounding. She had walked into a whirlwind she hadn’t anticipated, a tangled web of relationships that seemed fated to collide in this very moment.

Alexandra finally found her voice, her gaze fixed on Sebastian, an edge of betrayal in her tone. “Sebastian, who is this woman? Why is my father talking about marrying her?”

Sebastian’s face flushed, his gaze flickering between Ava and Alexandra as he struggled to find the words. “Ava and I…we knew each other a long time ago, back in college,” he stammered, his words laden with caution.

Mr. George looked between his daughter and Sebastian, then back at Ava, his eyes filled with concern. “Ava, is there something I should know?”

Ava took a steadying breath, the weight of her past with Sebastian pressing down on her. She had thought this chapter was behind her, yet here it was, unfurling before the very people whose love and respect she now valued most. She turned to George, her gaze steady. “There’s a history between Sebastian and me,” she confessed. “I believe it’s important that we all understand it before moving forward.”

Sebastian’s gaze snapped to Ava, a flicker of fear in his eyes as he anticipated what might be revealed.

Alexandra’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and condemning, her words filled with scorn. "You can't marry her, Dad! Ava is an ex-convict—a woman who spent years behind bars." She cast a withering glance at Ava, each word landing like a slap.

Sebastian seized the moment, stepping in to amplify the accusations. "That’s right, sir," he added, his tone dripping with feigned concern. "Ava has a criminal past. She was arrested for theft and only sees you as a way to escape her old life and pocket some money."

For a moment, the room stood still, as if absorbing the weight of their words. Ava felt as though the air had been pulled from her lungs, the delicate threads of her newly built life fraying with each scathing accusation.

Her cheeks flushed with shame as she placed the wedding dress carefully on the couch, her fingers lingering on the delicate fabric, the gown that symbolized all her hard work and dreams. Without a word, she fled the mansion, her heart breaking as hot tears streamed down her face.

Outside, the chill of the evening air hit her like a slap, but it did little to clear her mind or slow the racing of her heart. She barely felt the cold as she ran, her mind swirling with disbelief. How had she ended up here, back in Sebastian’s toxic web, entangled in a family whose secrets ran deeper than she could have ever imagined? She had thought she’d found love, maybe even a new start, but it seemed that all those hopes had shattered in a single night.

Back inside the Harrington mansion, an uncomfortable silence lingered after Ava’s departure. Alexandra’s eyes were still blazing with defiance as she clung to Sebastian, looking up at her father as though daring him to argue.

Mr. George, however, stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the wedding dress Ava had left behind, a reminder of the joy she had once brought into his life. He felt a pang of regret twist in his gut as he thought of Ava’s teary-eyed departure.

Sebastian, seeing an opportunity, took a step closer. “Sir,” he pressed, his voice taking on a falsely sympathetic tone, “you’re better off without her. Ava is nothing but trouble. I’m sure she would have taken advantage of your kindness sooner or later.”

Mr. George shook his head slowly, his brows furrowed with a mixture of hurt and disbelief. He knew Ava had a past—she had hinted at her mistakes, and he had never judged her for them. Instead, he had seen the beauty in her resilience, the talent in her designs, and the kindness in her heart. She had inspired something in him, something he hadn’t felt in years.

“We’ve all made mistakes,” he said softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “None of us are perfect. Ava is not the person you’re trying to paint her as.”

But Alexandra would not back down. She looked at her father with narrowed eyes, her face a mask of disbelief and frustration. “Can’t you see? She was using you. Don’t be blinded by her act. She only cares about herself.”

Mr. George looked up, and for the first time, there was a firmness in his gaze that silenced Alexandra’s protests.

“Enough,” he said, his voice laced with quiet authority. He took one last look at the gown, the remnants of a dream, and without another word, grabbed his coat. Ignoring their disapproving glares, he stepped out into the night, his heart set on finding Ava and offering her the support she so desperately needed.

But his search was futile. The vast estate held no sign of her, and after hours of scouring the grounds, he had no choice but to return home, a heavy weight settling in his chest. He would try again in the morning; he refused to let her slip away so easily.

Meanwhile, Ava had arrived home, her mind a whirl of grief and humiliation. Her mother, who was waiting up anxiously, hurried to her side as she stepped through the door.

But Ava couldn’t find the words to explain, her heart too burdened with the events of the night. She held up a hand to her mother’s questions, her voice strained.

“Please, Mom. I just need to be alone right now.” And with that, she retreated to her room, collapsing onto her bed, where she lay awake long into the night, grappling with the fresh wounds Sebastian and Alexandra had inflicted.