Ava got dressed and left the house. She walked through the busy streets of New York until she reached an unfamiliar door. Bending down, she checked under the doormat, found the keys, and unlocked it. Inside, the air was still — too still. She scanned the place for any sign of life, but it was silent, like the house itself was holding its breath. She checked her phone; no calls from Adam, no texts from Dawn, nothing from anyone. She smiled faintly and sat down, entertaining herself like nothing was wrong.
* * * * * *
Dawn served the food, and they ate in silence. After a few quiet minutes, Leslie, Jason, and Amy got up to head to school. Daphne gave Dawn a hug before leaving, and soon it was just Dawn and Adam in the room. Dawn reached into her pocket, pulled out the fake mustache, and placed it on the table.
"The plumber you sent here the other day, the one who came when I was poisoned, he left this," she said.
"I didn't send any plumber," Adam replied, frowning.
"He came here and said you did. He went straight to the kitchen sink, and then…" she trailed off, trying to piece it together.
"I don't follow, Dawn," Adam said, confusion deepening.
"He must've spiked something into my food. Ava went upstairs to get him his pay, and he was left alone in the kitchen," Dawn said finally, her voice trembling.
Adam froze, shock flickering across his face. He'd just broken Ava's heart, and now this? He felt a thousand thoughts crash into each other until Dawn spoke again.
"But what does he want? Why would he do it?" she asked, half to herself.
Adam stood abruptly. "I didn't trust Ava. I betrayed her. I have to find her."
Before Dawn could speak again, he rushed out leaving her standing there, torn between confusion and fear.
* * * * * *
Tara dragged herself home, tired from another long day at the boutique. She flicked on the lights and screamed.
Ava sat on her couch like she owned the place.
"Hi to you too," Ava said, smirking.
"You scared me," Tara snapped.
"My pleasure," Ava replied smoothly, still smiling.
"What are you doing here? Wait— how did you get in? And how did you even find my place?" Tara's voice was shaky.
"I'll answer, but first, promise you'll answer my questions back," Ava said calmly.
"What questions?" Tara demanded, but Ava ignored her, admiring the room instead. Tara sighed. "Fine. I promise."
"Good. First, I came here for a deal; to tell you you're not the only one good at offering deals. Second, who still hides their keys under the doormat? Be serious, Tara. And third, I do my research," Ava said, still composed, still smiling.
Tara frowned. "What deal?"
"Uh-uh, sweetheart. No more questions. Your turn." Ava's tone sharpened.
Tara exhaled, uneasy. "Fine. Ask."
"Why?" Ava asked quietly.
"Why what?" Tara blinked, confused.
"You've done so many bad things you don't even know which one I'm talking about. Why did you murder Dawn's unborn child and pin it on me?" Ava's voice was soft but deadly.
Tara froze, her eyes wide. "I… I didn't… why would—"
"I know it was you. I saw the mustache, but I didn't take it. I wanted Adam and Dawn to figure it out. They might not know who did it, but I can tell them. And you know the consequence," Ava said, sipping wine she'd grabbed from Tara's kitchen like she lived there.
"What do you want?" Tara asked nervously.
"Your deal," Ava said.
"No. It's over. I can't..."
"Oh, no problem, sweetheart. I hope your days in jail are peaceful and blessed. Your mom will miss you," Ava said, finishing the last drop of wine and standing.
"Wait," Tara said quickly, hurrying to her cupboard. She pulled out a small bottle filled with powder and handed it to Ava. "Use this for Adam."
Ava stared at it. "I'm not planning to kill my husband."
"It's not poison," Tara said quickly. "It's benzodiazepines."
"Benzo— what?" Ava frowned.
"It won't kill him. Just… affect his memory. If you give it to him regularly, he'll forget."
Before she could finish, Ava tossed the bottle back at her, fury blazing in her eyes.
"Why did you poison your cousin?" Ava demanded.
"I didn't know she was pregnant! It wouldn't have killed her," Tara said, voice trembling.
"Lame excuse," Ava said coldly. "Still… I'll help you. Because you were honest."
She picked up her bag and started to leave.
"How do you plan on helping me?" Tara asked weakly.
"Go upstairs to your room," Ava said without looking back.
"My room? How long have you—" but Ava was already gone.
Tara hesitated, then went upstairs. On her bed was a passport, a wad of cash, and a note that read: Leave while you still can. They're coming for you.
Tara swallowed hard. She didn't want to abandon her life, but she had to survive.
* * * * * *
Ava walked down the street, guilt eating at her. She regretted going to Tara, regretted even thinking about that deal. No matter how much Adam hurt her or how the world turned against her, this wasn't who she was. She decided to head to the Manchesters' house, hoping to fix what she could before it was too late.
* * * * * *
Adam drove through the city, hands gripping the wheel tight, his mind screaming at him. He kept calling Ava, again and again, but every call went straight to voicemail. He tried one more time while taking his eyes off the road and then CRASH.
Metal slammed into metal. The sound was sharp, brutal. His car spun, and his head hit the wheel hard. The world went black.
* * * * * *
Dawn paced the living room, her phone clutched tight in her hand. She'd called Adam over and over — no answer. It scared her. His phone had been on when he left, so why was it off now?
When Leslie, Jason, and Amy returned home, they found her still pacing. Jason nudged Leslie to talk to her while he went upstairs with Amy.
"Hey," Leslie started softly.
"Not now, Leslie," Dawn said, distracted.
"I broke up with Liam," Leslie said. "And I got an A-plus on my test."
"Congratulations," Dawn said flatly, still staring at her phone.
"Look, I know I went a bit far but..."
"A bit far?" Dawn snapped, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, too far," Leslie admitted. "But I'm sorry. I can't stand you being mad at me forever."
"You should've thought about that before hanging out with boys and throwing your life away," Dawn said sharply.
"I said I'm sorry..." Leslie stopped as Dawn's phone rang.
Dawn answered and then froze. Her face went pale.
Leslie's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"
Dawn didn't reply. She grabbed her bag and bolted out of the house, leaving Leslie standing there, terrified and confused.