CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Ava's day had been a blur of emotions. As a detective, she was trained to remain detached, but Ethan's case had gotten under her skin. With no friends to turn to at the station, she found herself alone, lost in thought.

As evening fell, Ava didn't want to face the emptiness of her home. Instead, she headed to a local bar, seeking solace in the bottom of a glass.

"What's the strongest drink you have?" she asked the bartender, her voice barely above a whisper.

The bartender raised an eyebrow but poured her a generous serving of whiskey. Ava downed it in one gulp, feeling the burn all the way down.

As she sat there, nursing her drink, Ava's emotions began to spill out. "Why is my life like this?" she muttered to herself, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why did I have to fall for a killer?"

A stranger sat in the shadows, watching her with an intensity that made his eyes gleam in the dim light of the bar.

As ava drank,she began to get drunk which was not looking good at all.

Ava's words slurred as she spoke, her drunken state making her thoughts tumble out in a jumbled mess. "I fell for a killer," she said, her voice rising.

"Have you fallen for a killer before?"

The bartender's expression turned confused. "Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Ava's laughter was tinged with hysteria. "You wouldn't know. I fell for a killer. It's frustrating. I'm frustrated."

Her words devolved into gibberish, with Ava rambling about her eyes, ears, and the killer. The bartender exchanged worried glances with nearby patrons.

Ava's gaze locked onto the bartender, her eyes wild. "I'm a detective, but I fell for a killer. The one we've been searching for years."

Onlookers began to stare, shocked by Ava's bizarre outburst. Some whispered to each other, shocked by her revelation.

Ava's voice dropped to a whisper. "But I love him. I won't get angry. Yet...the more I think about it, the stupider it seems."

Her words trailed off, and Ava's head slumped onto the bar, her drunken state finally catching up with her.

Ava stumbled out of her seat, unsure of her destination. The bartender halted her, saying, "You haven't paid for your drink."

Ava turned, her expression disoriented. "Oh, your money... Because I fell for a killer, you want to collect money from me?"

The bartender's tone remained firm. "You're drunk, but that's not my problem. You need to pay for your drink."

Ava slurred, "Because I'm drunk, you want to collect money from me?"

Just then, the stranger who had been watching Ava stepped forward. "How much does she owe?" he asked the bartender.

The bartender named the price, and the stranger paid promptly. He then guided Ava to his seat, where she collapsed.

Ava's gaze drifted up to the stranger's face. "Hey, you... Who are you? Your face doesn't look familiar at all."

The stranger smiled and introduced himself as Kayla. Ava repeated the name, clearly intoxicated. "Kayla, Kayla... That name is so... harsh. Not like my handsome boyfriend's name."

Ava continued, slurring her words. "My boyfriend's name is so good... He's a killer boy, so cute."

The stranger tried to steady Ava as she staggered. "Don't hold me!" she shouted, pushing him away. "I'm a detective. Touch me, and you'll be arrested."

The stranger calmly asked, "Where's your house? I can drop you off."

Ava's response was aggressive. "Drop me? How dare you!" She slapped the stranger's face. "My killer boyfriend will come after you if you don't leave me alone."

Ava stood up, staggering "I'm going home now."

The stranger insisted, "I can't let you go home alone. Tell me where you stay."

Ava's eyes narrowed as she belched. "What's your business with where I stay? I'm a detective. If you don't want to end up in jail, go to hell."

As Ava spoke, she lost her balance and collided with a table, falling to the ground. She lay there for a moment before raising her head, her hair scattering all over her face.

Ava complained, "Oh, this hair... I need to cut it. It's getting in my eyes... blinding me... and it tastes so salty."

The stranger stood over her, shaking his head in amusement.

The stranger lifted Ava, who protested, "Why are you touching me? Don't touch me!"

The stranger tried to calm her. "If you don't want me to take you to your house, I'll take you to mine, When you're okay, I'll drop you off at yours."

Ava continued, "Oh, you want to drop me at your house? My boyfriend is going to come after you. My boyfriend is a killer, and he's going to kill you!"

The stranger ignored Ava's threats and tried to drag her away. Ava struggled, shouting, "Leave me alone! My boyfriend is going to destroy you! You're a kidnapper!"

As Ava shouted for help, the stranger tried to silence her. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, wearing a blue hoodie and joggers, with his hair bangs covering half of his eyes.

The stranger, Kayla, turned to face the newcomer. "Who are you?"

Ava looked up, excited. "Oh, he's my killer boyfriend!"

Kayla laughed. "Oh, you're the killer she's been talking about, right?"

Ethan,landed a heavy punch on Kayla's face. "How dare you?"

A fierce fight ensued, with Ethan throwing punches and Kayla retaliating. Ava watched, cheering, "Oh my gosh, what a show! My boyfriend is going to win! He's the winner!"

As the fight intensified, passersby stopped to watch. Unfortunately, a police van happened to be passing by and arrested both Ethan and Kayla.Ava, still drunk, was taken along with them.

At the police station, Ethan and Kayla were interrogated while Ava was kept aside, still drunk and disorderly.

The detective asked, "Why were you two fighting and creating a scene?"

Both men remained silent. The detective pressed, "You guys should start talking."

Kayla spoke up, "The girl was drunk. She kept saying her 'Killer boyfriend' abandoned her. I tried to take her home, but she wouldn't give me her address."

Ethan listened intently, his hand in his hoodie pocket. He brought out a stick lollipop, tearing the wrap apart and diving it straight into his mouth,at the same time crossing his legs.

The detective stood up, ignoring Ethan's actions. "What happened next?" he asked Kayla.

Kayla replied, "I offered to take her to my home, and this guy appeared out of nowhere, starting a fight."

Ethan then spoke,This guy tried to kidnap my girlfriend. I only rescued her."

The detective raised an eyebrow.

Ethan smiled. "I fought for my girlfriend, who almost got kidnapped."

Kayla looked at Ethan, skeptical. "If she was your girlfriend, why did you abandon her?"

Ethan stared at Kayla,responding, "Look, I never abandoned her. We just had a misunderstanding, and she was drunk, probably talking nonsense."

The detective asked, "Besides, what were you doing around there? How did you know your girlfriend was there?"

Ethan explained, "I happened to be passing by and heard her voice. It was night, so I didn't see her at first, but when I approached, I realized it was really her."

Ethan looked at the detective, confident. "We didn't cause any damage, so there's no reason to keep us here."

He corrected himself, "I mean, I didn't do anything. I just rescued my girlfriend. I don't know know this guy."

The detective continued staring, his expression unreadable.

The detective looked at them and said, "Okay, you know what? You guys are going to pay a fine for disturbing the peace of the neighborhood."

Kayla spoke up, "I don't understand. We didn't do anything. Why would we pay damages?"

Ethan intervened, "Just give me your account details, and I'll send the money. I don't understand why we're paying, but..." He turned to Kayla. "Stop staring like a fool"

Kayla turned to the detective, indignantly. "What? Detective, did you hear? Did you hear this guy? He just called me a fool!"

The detective remained silent, his expression neutral, as he watched Kayla's outburst.

Ethan, turned back and smirked. "It's obvious you were never sent to school, bro. There's a difference between like a fool and 'being a fool'."

Kayla's face reddened with anger as Ethan's words hung in the air, further infuriating him.

Ethan turned to the detective and asked, "What's the account details for the fine?"

The detective provided the account information, and Ethan quickly made the payment.

Ethan paid the fine, grasped Ava's hand, and swiftly exited the scene.

Kayla shouted after them, "Hey! Hey! Where are you going?"

Ethan turned back, smiled, and said, "Goodbye, bro. Hopefully, we won't see each other again."

With that, Ethan and Ava disappeared into the distance, leaving Kayla behind, looking frustrated.