Chapter 111

Ava’s POV

I stood outside Emily’s door for longer than I should have.

My hand hovered over the wood, hesitating, retreating, then lifting again.

My heart wouldn’t calm down, thudding loud enough I swore she could hear it on the other side.

I’d spent years avoiding this exact moment.

Avoiding her questions, her suspicions, her sharp eyes that always saw too much but tonight, after Alex, after what I’d said, after the weight of everything pressing down… I couldn’t keep running.

I knocked.

It was soft, hesitant, but she answered almost immediately, like she’d been waiting.

The door opened and Emily stood there, hair tied up in a messy knot, sweater slipping off one shoulder.

Her expression flickered.

She was surprise, then something colder, something guarded.

“Ava,” she said, flat but not unkind. “What do you want?”

My throat tightened. “I… I need to talk to you.”

She studied me for a long second, then