Chapter 27 - Tick-Tock, Ava

Ava's POV

The night before replayed in my mind, every moment burned into my memory with sickening clarity as I reached for the elevator. I remembered how it started—the jealousy on Orion's face when he picked me up at the restaurant to the subtle softness in his touch, his fingers trailing along my jawline as if I was a fragile treasure.

For one fleeting moment, I thought it meant something. I thought I meant something. The way he had looked at me with those dark eyes, as if I was the only one who existed in that restaurant, had almost convinced me that the worst was behind us. I had foolishly thought that maybe he's seeing me differently now.

I should have known better.