Chapter 18 – "The One Who Wasn't Dead"
Ava sneaks out just after sunset, dressed like a local, her hair pinned under a scarf. She slips past the guards using a spare keycard she found weeks ago—one Dominic never noticed missing.
Noah is waiting near a quiet fountain in Zurich's old town. He looks older—sharper—but his eyes still hold the warmth she remembers.
> "You're alive," he whispers, stepping closer, like he's afraid she'll vanish.
> "Not for much longer if Dominic finds out I'm here."
He gives her a half-smile. "You always did have a talent for dramatic rescues."
They sit. And for the first time in years, Ava tells someone the whole truth—her mother's illness, the cold bargain with Dominic, the isolation.
When she finishes, Noah is quiet.
Then he drops the bomb.
> "Ava… your mother's hospital bills—Dominic didn't pay them. I did."
She stares at him, frozen.
> "What?"
> "I tried to find you. When you disappeared, I traced the payments. They were coming from shell accounts… all pointing back to Dominic's company, yes—but I authorized the release."
> "Why?" she breathes.
> "Because I loved you. And I knew you'd never take the money if it came from me."
The ground tilts.
> Dominic didn't save her mother. Noah did.
Everything—the marriage, the manipulation—it was all based on a lie.
Ava rises, heart pounding in her throat.
> "He let me believe I owed him everything."
Noah hesitates. "There's more. I wasn't the only one looking for you."
He pulls a file from his bag—crisp, official. On the front: Ava Sinclair.
Inside are photos. Ones she's never seen. Ones of her mother after Ava left.
Healthy. Recovering.
And one that freezes her blood.
Her mother… shaking hands with Serena.
> "They've known each other for a long time," Noah says. "Long before your deal with Dominic."
Ava steps back, the world narrowing.
> What if my mother was never just sick…?
> What if I was never just a desperate daughter…?
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Would you like to continue to Chapter 19,
where Ava confronts her mother—and uncovers a betrayal that runs deeper than Dominic's?