Episode 53: The Line You Can’t Cross

The phone sat between them.

Unassuming. Silent. But it might as well have been a bomb, waiting to go off.

Ava's pulse pounded as she stared at the glowing screen.

One number. One call.

Noah's gaze weighed on her,tense, searching. Jasper, though, was still. Waiting. Expecting her to hesitate. Expecting her to break.

A test.

Ava exhaled slowly. Her fingers twitched at her side, a brief flicker of uncertainty—so fast it barely registered. But Jasper saw everything. And he was expecting that hesitation.

She steeled herself.

Don't let him see a crack.

"Who's on the other end?" she asked, voice smooth, measured.

Jasper tilted his head, his smirk just shy of mocking. "You tell me."

A name. He wanted her to say it. Wanted her to admit she already knew.

But she wasn't giving him that satisfaction.

Instead, she reached for the phone.

Noah stiffened. "Ava."

She ignored him.

The screen was cool against her fingertips, but the air between them was thick with heat. She could feel Jasper's attention sharpening, watching every move, waiting for her choice.

He leaned in, voice silk and steel. "You pick up that phone, you don't get to take it back. This isn't a game you can pause."

Ava's pulse kicked. She flicked her gaze up to his, her grip tightening around the device.

"I never said I wanted to pause."

A flicker of something crossed Jasper's face,approval? Amusement? It was gone before she could catch it.

Noah stepped forward, tension bleeding through his voice. "That's enough."

Ava didn't look at him. She had her own choice to make.

Three options.

1.Make the call. Show them she wasn't afraid. Prove she could stand on her own.

2.Refuse. Not out of fear,but because she knew it was a trap.

3. Turn it on Jasper. Flip the test back on him. Make him explain why this mattered so much.

Her grip on the phone tightened,then loosened.

She exhaled through her nose, a slow smile forming.

Jasper's expression flickered. A split-second of confusion before it smoothed over.

Ava turned the phone around, holding it out.

"Why don't you make the call?"

Noah went still.

Jasper's eyes darkened. "That's not how this works."

"Isn't it?" Ava tilted her head, feigning curiosity. "You handed me the phone, dared me to prove myself, but let's be honest,

you want this call more than I do."

Silence.

Jasper's fingers twitched at his side, so subtle most people wouldn't notice.

But Ava did.

She pressed in. "What happens if I say no? Does it mess up your plan?"

Jasper didn't answer.

Which was all the answer she needed.

Ava leaned back, fingers tracing slow, idle patterns against the phone's surface. "So tell me, Jasper—who really needs to prove something here? Me, or you?"

The air stretched tight. Dangerous.

Jasper's jaw tightened just slightly. Not enough to break his composure—but enough for Ava to see it.

For the first time, he was the one under the microscope.

And he knew it.

A slow exhale left his lips. Then, finally, he reached for the phone.

Smooth. Controlled.

But not effortless.

He wasn't rattled. Not quite. But she'd touched something.

Ava felt it.

Jasper slipped the phone back into his jacket. "Fine."

Ava raised a brow. "That easy?"

Jasper smirked. "You passed the first test. That's all."

Noah made a quiet sound,something between disbelief and frustration. "She's not a damn test, Jasper."

Jasper shrugged. "Could've fooled me."

Ava ignored the rising tension between them. She had won this round. But the game wasn't over.

Her gaze slid to Noah. "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

Noah hesitated.

Too long.

Ava's stomach turned. "How long?"

His jaw tightened. "Ava"

"How long, Noah?"

Silence.

Jasper watched the exchange like it was mildly entertaining.

Ava swallowed against the tightness in her chest. "You both knew I'd end up here. You both knew what I'd have to face. So tell me,why not just say it from the start?"

Jasper gave Noah a pointed look. See? This is why I wanted her to make the call.

Noah exhaled sharply. His hand curled into a fist at his side.

Something was shifting in him.

Ava could see it.

The hesitation. The reluctance.

But before he could answer

A knock.

Sharp. Precise.

The entire room tensed.

Noah moved first, stepping in front of Ava.

Jasper was already reaching into his jacket.

Not a phone this time.

A weapon.

Ava's heart slammed against her ribs.

Another knock. Slower this time. Deliberate.

The breath in her throat stilled.

This wasn't just a visitor.

This was a statement.

A shadow shifted beneath the door.

Ava inhaled sharply.

Whoever was outside

They weren't here by accident.

And just like that

She realized.

The game had only just begun.