chapter 16

Absolutely — here's Chapter 16 of Beneath the Same Roof.

The pressure reaches a breaking point now: the blackmailer has a number. A deadline. And proof. Ava and Julian are cornered, and running is no longer an option.

This chapter brings urgency, paranoia, and the first crack in their trust. Can love survive exposure, threats — and betrayal?

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📖 Chapter 16 – The Deadline

Word Count: ~1,400 | POV: Julian

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The image burned into my brain.

Ava. Me. Wrapped around each other in sleep. Bare skin. Entwined limbs. Vulnerable.

It had to have been taken from the backyard.

Through the crack in the blinds I always forgot to close.

The message was worse.

> "$5,000 by Friday. Or everyone sees this."

We had four days.

Four days before everything we were — and everything we could be — got torn apart.

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Ava's hands shook as she handed me the phone again. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," I said honestly.

It killed me to say that.

She looked at me like I was supposed to have answers. Like I'd always been the protector, the calm one. But this — this was war, and I hadn't seen it coming fast enough.

I took a breath, forced my mind to slow down.

"First," I said, "we confirm who it is."

Ava frowned. "You still think it's Tyler?"

"Who else could've gotten that close?"

She hesitated. "We need to be sure. Because if we accuse the wrong person—"

"—we lose what little time we have left," I finished.

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We made a burner email. Sent a message back.

> "Drop location?"

The reply came instantly.

> "Smithson Alley. Behind the old bookstore. Thursday night. Bring cash."

That gave us three days.

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That night, Ava cried in my arms.

It wasn't loud or dramatic. Just soft, steady tears against my chest.

"I don't care if people know we're in love," she whispered. "I just care what they'll do with it. What it'll do to our parents."

I stroked her hair. "They'll hate it. But they'll hate the lie more."

"And school—"

"Let them talk."

She looked up at me, teary-eyed. "You'll survive it. You're a guy. You'll be called a legend."

My jaw clenched. "You'll be called every disgusting thing they can think of."

"I don't care what they say."

"I do."

I pulled her tighter.

"I'll burn this city down before I let them touch you."

But the truth was: I didn't have five grand.

And neither did she.

The next day, I tried to get a loan. Got rejected.

Asked my dad for an advance on my college fund — he laughed, told me to "man up" and "earn things like everyone else."

Ava checked her mom's jewelry box. Nothing pawnable.

We were trapped.

Unless we got smart.

So we made another plan.

We'd go to the drop spot — but we wouldn't bring the money.

We'd bring a camera. And a voice recorder.

We'd get proof.

And then we'd flip the script.

Expose the blackmailer before they exposed us.

But we had to be careful.

Because whoever this was — they weren't bluffing.

Thursday night. 9:47 PM.

We parked two blocks from the alley.

Dark hoodie. Ball cap. Mask. I looked like a thief — because tonight, I was.

Ava stayed in the car, watching through binoculars, phone on speaker.

"See anything?" she whispered.

"Not yet," I murmured.

A shadow moved near the dumpster.

Someone stepped out.

I lifted the phone, recording.

The figure came closer.

Too tall to be Ava's mom.

Too thin to be her dad.

And then I saw the hoodie.

School team logo. Varsity lettering.

My blood went cold.

Tyler.

He didn't see me at first. Just paced, checking his phone.

I crept closer behind a trash bin.

He muttered to himself, annoyed. "Better not be late. Better have the cash."

My finger hovered over the "record" button again.

"Stupid bitch thinks she's untouchable," he hissed.

Ava's voice in my ear tensed. "I knew it was him."

That's when my boot hit a loose glass bottle.

It clinked.

Loud.

Tyler whipped around.

"Who's there?"

I bolted

I made it back to the car, breath ragged.

Ava was already in the driver's seat, heart pounding. "Did he see you?"

"Maybe. But I got the audio."

We sat there, adrenaline flooding us both.

And then Ava turned to me, fierce and shaking.

"I want to ruin him."

"We will," I promised. "Together."

🖤 End of Chapter Hook:

The next morning, Ava opens her locker.

There's a note shoved through the slats. No envelope. Just a folded paper.

Inside, it reads:

> You should've paid. Tick, tick.

At the bottom is a photo of her mom and dad — with Ava's phone hacked into the background.

He's not just watching Ava now.

He's in her life. In her room. In her phone.