Chapter 53 Die trying
~Ava’s POV~
We stood there for a long moment, just breathing the same air, the world outside Logan’s apartment became blurring.
Finally, he pulled back, threading his fingers with mine. His touch was hesitant, almost like he was afraid I'd remove my hands if he held on too tightly.
"Come inside," he said.
I nodded and stepped in, letting him close the door behind me. The apartment was dim, the only light coming from a small lamp in the corner.
Logan led me to the couch and sat down heavily, pulling me down beside him. He stared at the floor for a long moment, his leg bouncing slightly.
"I don't know where to start," he muttered.
"Wherever you want," I said softly. "I'm here."
He glanced at me,gratitude flickering in his blue eyes.
"I guess..." He let out a breath. "I guess I should start with my mom."
I waited.
He rubbed the back of his neck, the way he always did when he was nervous.
"My mom was the best person I ever knew," he said, voice thick with emotion. "She was...kind. Gentle. She made everything feel safe. No matter what was going on, if she smiled at me, it felt like everything would be okay."
I reached over and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, like he needed it so badly.
"When I was thirteen," he said, staring at a spot on the carpet, "she got sick. Cancer. It started in her lungs, spread fast. The doctors tried everything. Chemo,radiation. Surgeries, everything!”
He swallowed hard.
"Nothing worked."
The pain in his voice was almost physical. I felt it settle into my bones.
"I'm so sorry, Logan," I whispered.
He gave a rough shake of his head. "She fought so hard. For me. For Levi. She used to joke that she had to stay alive long enough to see us graduate."
He laughed bitterly. "She didn’t make it."
I moved closer, wrapping my arm around his shoulders, feeling the tension in his body, the years of grief he carried all alone.
"The night she died..." He trailed off, his voice cracking slightly. "I was there. I was holding her hand. She told me...told me to take care of Levi. Told me to be strong."
His hands were shaking now. I caught them, holding them tightly between mine.
"You are strong," I said fiercely. "You did what she asked."
He gave me a broken smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"After she died, it all fell apart," he said quietly. "My dad...he wasn’t exactly husband-of-the-year before. But after? It was like he stopped pretending altogether."
He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.
"Everything became about business. Money. Power. I was just...a piece. Something he could use. Leverage. He didn’t give a damn about how I felt or what I needed."
I stayed silent, letting him pour it out.
"He tried to control every part of my life," Logan said, his voice low and bitter. "Where I went. Who I saw. What I did. Like I was another asset in his business."
He turned his head to look at me. "I couldn’t breathe, Ava. It was like living in a gilded cage. Gold bars, silk cushions...but still a cage."
I brushed my fingers through his hair gently.
"So I left," he said simply. "On my eighteenth birthday. Took Levi with me. Cut ties with him completely."
I blinked. "Wait. You took Levi?"
He nodded. "Levi didn't want him. Dad didn’t fight for him, not really. He was too busy expanding his empire. Levi didn’t want to stay either."
Logan let out a shaky laugh.
"We bounced around a lot at first. Cheap apartments. Crappy jobs. It wasn’t easy, but...it was ours."
I could see it now. The stubborn pride in the way Logan lived. The old truck. The basic apartment. He chose this life, not because he had to...but because it meant freedom.
"But the call last night," I said gently. "It was from him?"
Logan stiffened.
"I don’t know for sure," he admitted. "The number was blocked. But...it felt like him. The way my gut twisted the second I saw it."
He shivered slightly, like the memory alone was enough to make him cold.
"I haven’t heard from him in years," he said. "But if he's reaching out now...it can't be good."
I wanted to ask more, wanted to demand answers about what exactly he was afraid of, but I could see how close to the edge he was.
Instead, I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I'm proud of you," I said quietly. "For walking away. For surviving."
"I didn't have much of a choice," he said roughly. "It was either leave or...lose myself."
"You chose you," I said firmly. "You chose Levi. You chose life."
He turned his head and pressed a kiss into my hair, breathing me in like he needed the reassurance I was really there.
"I just..." He hesitated. "I don't want you caught up in any of this. If he finds out about you…"
I sat up and faced him, cupping his face between my hands.
"I'm not scared," I said firmly. "Not of him. Not of whatever he's trying to pull. You don't have to push me away to protect me, Logan. I'm stronger than I look."
He searched my face like he was looking for any sign of fear, but found none.
Finally, he let out a breath and slumped against the couch.
"I still don’t know what he wants," he said. "But I promise you, Ava...I won't let him touch you. I’ll burn everything to the ground before I let him hurt you."
The way his voice held so much sincerity, I believed him.
"You're not alone anymore," I whispered. "You don’t have to fight this battle by yourself."
He closed his eyes, as if absorbing the words I said in his brain.
We sat there quietly in the dim light, wrapped up in each other, enjoying each other's warmth.
Whatever storm was coming...we would face it together. Because love wasn't just the soft moments, the easy smiles.
It was choosing each other, even when the world tried to tear you apart.
And I wasn’t going to let anything tear us apart.Not even Sebastian Carter. Not even the shadows that clung to Logan’s past.
\~~~~
Logan’s POV
Later that night, after Ava had fallen asleep curled against my chest, I stayed awake staring at the ceiling.
Her breathing was soft and even, one hand fisted lightly in the fabric of my hoodie like she was afraid I'd slip away if she let go.
I brushed my fingers through her hair, feeling the familiar ache in my chest.
I didn’t deserve her.
And yet here she was stubborn, beautiful, loyal Ava refusing to let me drown alone.
I should tell her everything.
About my father.
About the real reason I ran.
But how could I?
How could I tell her that Sebastian Carter wasn’t just a cold businessman?
That behind the empire and the polished smiles and the Forbes articles...
was a man who built his fortune with blood and fear?
A man whose hands were soaked with darker secrets than any corporate scandal?
My father wasn’t just ruthless.
He was a king in a world built on violence.
A world I had run from, a world that might be trying to drag me back.
I tightened my arm around Ava protectively. I would fight tooth and nail to keep her out of it.
Even if it killed me.
Especially if it killed me.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead, breathing her in.
"I won't let him touch you," I whispered, a vow sealed in the dark.
She stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible before snuggling closer.
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of everything settle heavier on my chest.
The past was catching up.
And when it did...I had no idea if I'd be able to protect the person I loved most.
I wish I could meet her without using a bet as an excuse. Now I have to make sure my Dad doesn't reach her,at the same time,I have to tell her the truth about the bet.
I don't know if she'll ever forgive me if she found out about the bet.
But I would die trying to make her forgive me!.