Episode 52: Checkmate

Ava didn't move. Didn't speak.

She just stood there, staring at the two people who had spent so much time trying to "protect" her.

Lies. Half-truths. Secrets.

And now? Silence.

It was confirmation enough.

But she wouldn't let them know that. Not yet.

Noah's throat worked like he was about to say something,maybe an excuse, maybe an explanation.

Ava beat him to it.

Her voice came out steady. Controlled. "Fine."

Jasper blinked. "Fine?"

She forced her shoulders to relax. Steeled herself. "You won't tell me the truth? That's fine. I'll find it myself."

Noah's jaw clenched. "Ava"

She turned on her heel, heading for the door. Not running. Walking.

Calm. Measured. Like someone who wasn't unraveling inside.

She could feel Noah watching her, calculating. Good. Let him.

She had spent too long playing by their rules. It was time to play by her own.

Noah's voice came, low and tight. "Where do you think you're going?"

Ava's fingers brushed the doorknob. She glanced back. Met his gaze dead-on.

"I think you already know."

A pause. A beat.

Then Noah exhaled sharply, his control slipping just enough for her to catch it. "Ava. Stop."

She turned the knob.

And then Jasper stepped in her path.

"Think about this," he said quietly. "You leave now, you're not walking into the truth. You're walking into them."

Ava's stomach twisted, but she didn't let it show.

She lifted her chin. "Then maybe they'll be more honest than you."

Jasper's face darkened. "No, they won't."

A challenge.

A dare.

Ava let the tension stretch,long enough for Noah to step forward, long enough for Jasper's hands to curl at his sides, like he was preparing to stop her.

And then she made her move.

She let go of the doorknob.

Lifted her hands.

And smiled.

A slow, knowing smile. One that made Jasper's eyes narrow and Noah's breath catch.

"See?" she murmured. "I didn't even have to leave."

Jasper frowned. "What?"

Ava tilted her head. "You're already trying to stop me. Which means I already have my answer."

Silence.

She watched as realization flickered in Noah's eyes,too fast for him to hide.

And that was when Ava knew she had just turned the game around.

She didn't need to leave.

She didn't need to beg for the truth.

She just had to push them far enough to show her.

Ava's voice was quiet but sharp as a blade. "Now tell me the rest."