AVA
The taxi she'd called a few minutes earlier rolled through the afternoon traffic of Havari. Ava stared out the window, her chin resting against her hand.
"Are you okay, miss?" the taxi driver suddenly asked.
Ava turned to him, startled by his voice.
Hidden behind oversized sunglasses, she forced a smile while thinking about his question.
Was she okay? she wondered.
The answer came swiftly to her mind.
Probably not, she thought, and in more ways than one.
Her smile faltered, hating her own thinking but knowing it was no less than the simple truth.
Because how else, Ava thought, could you categorize someone who attended the trial of a man whose name alone struck terror into the hearts of most people in Havari City while pining for him the entire time?
No, the word "fine" was definitely not the right description for her, Ava concluded.
She fully blamed Maxim for this current state. Hated him for it too.
After all, he had started all this five years ago when, despite being her boyfriend and promising he'd always be there for her, he'd disappeared from Ava's life at a time when she needed him most.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Nothing.
He'd just simply... left, like their relationship hadn't meant a damn thing. Like she hadn't meant a damn thing.
Ava's small hands unconsciously formed fists. Even after all these years, she still resented Maxim for how he'd treated her.
He was a pig, Ava told herself for the dozenth time.
But did thinking that, and seeing him today at the trial, make her get over him?
Not even close.
If anything, seeing him again today had only reopened those old wounds and reminded her how hopelessly stuck in the past she still was.
She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him since the moment he entered the courtroom. And he looked so devilishly handsome even with those handcuffs on his wrists. It just wasn't fair, Ava thought, getting pissed.
"Ma'am?" the driver called her.
He looked at Ava expectantly, making her remember that seconds ago he'd enquired after her well-being.
Snapping out of her reverie, Ava cleared her throat before finally replying.
"I'm completely fine, sir. No need for you to concerned about me."
"If you say so," the driver said slowly, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.
His expression in the mirror also seemed skeptical, but thankfully, he didn't push.
Ava sighed and turned back to the window again, ignoring him in favor of her own thoughts.
Get over him already, Ava, she told herself. Maxim Holloway is not worth a single one of your thoughts.
He is a douchebag, she reminded herself.
An asshole.
Not to mention a dangerous criminal.
...Well, an alleged dangerous criminal, Ava corrected herself.
The man had never been convicted and had just been acquitted of the recent charge against him.
Not that anyone in that courtroom—including her—believed he was innocent.
The Holloway family had been linked to too many shady dealings over the years for her to believe that this case was any different.
And Maxim certainly hadn't behaved like a man who'd been falsely accused, glaring at everyone, including the jury, and radiating arrogance.
But somehow, he'd still walked free. Ava still shook her head in disbelief at the outcome. His lawyer had been good, but the evidence against Maxim had been pretty compelling, to say the least.
The fact that he was acquitted could only mean that some kind of foul play was involved, Ava concluded.
She sighed and closed her eyes sadly.
Part of her was still unable to believe that the man she had once loved was capable of doing such things. To think she'd once believed he was better than all of this, better than his family.
Ava was pulled from her reverie when the taxi stopped at a red light, jostling her in her seat.
When she looked in front of her, she caught the taxi driver staring at her through the rear-view mirror.
When he didn't seem to have any intention of looking away, Ava immediately concluded that he was checking her out.
She wasn't surprised by this. Throughout the course of her life, she'd been told that she possessed a very lovely face and frame.
For that reason, Ava didn't normally mind being checked out. Who could blame them, really?
But she drew the line at it being done by the person driving the car she was in.
She raised an eyebrow at the taxi driver, who continued staring even after she caught him in the act.
"Eyes on the road, please," she said. "I'd rather not survive another emotional disaster in my life only to die in a traffic accident."
The driver chuckled softly at her words before looking forward again with a sheepish expression.
"I'm sorry. You're right," he said quickly. "I was just wondering..."
Ava's expression became a bit confused.
"Excuse me? Wondering what exactly?"
He gestured toward her outfit.
"What's with the all-black look? That hoodie, jeans, boots, sunglasses... You look like a really bad spy."
Ava gasped at these words and glanced down at herself in moderate concern.
She had dressed like this, hoping to blend into the crowd at the courthouse so that no one would recognize her, especially Maxim.
But according to this driver, her clothes may have had exactly the opposite effect.
Ava's cheeks immediately became red as she blushed, feeling more foolish than she'd ever felt in her twenty-six years.
"I thought it looked stylish," she said to the driver, not meeting his eyes.
"Well, I don't know about that," he replied with a grin. "But it's certainly eye-catching..."
Ava looked away again and silently cursed at his words.
That was the very last thing she'd wanted to hear, given what she'd set out to achieve that day. Her only consolation was that no one at the courthouse had seemed interested in her.
Everyone's attention had been on Maxim and the trial.
Well, everyone except Maxim.
She could be wrong, but Ava could have sworn she'd caught him looking in her direction more than once.
Had he recognized her? she wondered.
Probably not, she thought.
The hood and sunglasses had hidden most of her face.
She had nothing to worry about, she told herself, playing with her fingers. Even after reassuring herself, Ava found that she was still nervous about the possibility.
What if Maxim had recognized her? What would he have thought?
Had he laughed to himself about her, thinking how pathetic she was for showing up five years after they'd separated?
Or, worse, maybe he'd just been indifferent because she'd never meant anything to him at all.
Ava swallowed at the thought, feeling like she might very well burst into tears.
As she wrestled against her feelings of despair, an entirely different thought occurred to her.
Wait.
What if... what if seeing her had reminded Maxim of the amazing relationship they'd had five years ago and how good a girlfriend she was to him?
And maybe he finally realized what an idiot he'd been for letting her go.
Ava bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the thought.
As if that would happen.
After five years of silence, Maxim suddenly decides that he wants her back?
The thought made no sense. It was just ridiculous.
Maxim was done with her for good, that much was clear.
But if he did develop the nerve to try to get back together with her, Ava couldn't help thinking, nails digging into her skin, she wouldn't even begin considering letting that piece of trash back into her life.
Would she?
"We've arrived at your destination," the driver announced to her before Ava could dwell more on the last thought.
She blinked and looked outside.
The familiar neighborhood café where she worked as a waitress came into view, along with the window of the small apartment she rented above it.
Home.
Ava reached into her purse, paid the fare, and reached for the door.
"Thank you, sir," she told the driver.
"My pleasure. And here, take this."
The driver had turned and was holding out a card to Ava.
"It's my number," he clarified when Ava looked momentarily confused.
She accepted it politely, frowning as she looked at him and the card.
"Why are you giving me your number... Mr. Jackson Parker?"
He shrugged innocently.
"In case you ever need a ride... or fashion advice."
Ava gaped at him for a moment before rolling her eyes, her lips curling into a small smile.
"Very funny, Jackson," she told him before getting out of the car.
Jackson didn't reply to this. He just drove away, chuckling to himself.
As he went, Ava smiled widely, hoping everyone she talked to for the rest of that day would be as cordial as her taxi driver had been.
Unfortunately, her sincere wish to the universe didn't get fulfilled at all.