Chapter 54. Big Daddy

Ava

I waited.

I sat on that couch like a statue, knees pulled to my chest, towel swapped for his old hoodie again because I was too stubborn to take it off. The clock on the wall ticked louder with every minute.

8:00 p.m.

Nothing.

9:17 p.m.

I refreshed my phone a hundred times. No calls. No texts.

10:42 p.m.

I walked to the window every five minutes, staring at the empty driveway like an idiot.

11:11 p.m.

I made a wish on the digital numbers anyway. Stupid.

11:59 p.m.

I was already crying, silent tears sliding down my cheeks, tasting salt when they hit my lips.

00:00

Midnight.

The porch light stayed dark. No headlights. No footsteps. No Adrian on his knees in the driveway like he promised.

Just the quiet, cruel click of the clock rolling into a new day. My twenty first birthday was officially over, and so was whatever fragile hope I’d stupidly let grow again.

I stood up, legs