Chapter 107

Chapter 107
Dale’s POV

I walked into the house feeling a little sore from the fight I had engaged in. Dave had suggested that I come over so as to let go of some of the stress racing through me. He had been a great friend and anchor in these past few days, and I couldn’t be more grateful that he was in my corner.

Seeing Ava this evening with Justin had annoyed something within me, and the fight at Dave’s had really helped me work through the stress. Now it was over, and I could not wait to go and lie down on my bed. The only problem was that I might never sleep despite how dog-tired I was. For the past week, I have barely been able to sleep for more than four hours. It was taking a toll on my sanity, but it was the price that one had to pay for keeping myself away from Ava. She was doing well, and that was my only consolation.

I was just about to take the stairs when the light came on. I let out a deep breath and spun around, knowing that it was my mom at play here. The moment I spun around, I almost jumped out of my body in fear.

Mom, Mr. Rice, Justin, and Ava were all seated in the sitting room staring at me. Well, except Ava. She had her head bowed as she toyed with her fingers. Warning bells suddenly went off in my head, and I could not help but imagine that something was wrong, especially with Ava.

“What is going on here?” I asked no one in particular, my eyes still on Ava.

“Won’t you like to go and kiss your woman?” Mom asked and nodded at Ava.

Immediately she said that, a chill ran down my spine. My eyes quickly flicked from Ava to my mom, wondering if I had really heard well.

“You don’t have to look all shocked and confused, Dale. I know all about your illicit affair,” Mom said, and I knew for a fact that I was not dreaming.

How the hell had she found that out? I glanced at Ava, hoping to catch her eyes, even if it was for a second, to at least know just how bad this situation was, but she never raised her head. She must have been soaked deep in shame, and I felt so bad that I was the reason for her embarrassment. It was never my intention to hurt her, and it was time that I cleared her from all of this.

Letting out a deep breath, I knew that it was time for me to finally have this conversation with my mom.

“I don’t know how you found out about this, but I am certain that you are mad and disgusted at the both of us. You have a right to be, but please don’t hate Ava. This is all my fault. I tricked her into having sex with me, and if there is anyone you need to punish, you should punish me,” I said, hanging my head in shame and remorse.

There was an unnerving silence in the room, one that made my heart beat wildly.

“Well, according to Ava, you didn’t force her. If anything, she enjoyed all of it. Isn’t that true, Ava?” Mom stated, and my head shot back up in shock and surprise.

My eyes quickly pivoted to Ava, and for the first time since I came into this room, I found her smiling sheepishly. What the hell was going on?

“I think we should give the both of them some privacy to discuss,” Mom said, and with that, the two other men left the sitting lounge with her.

When Mom got to me, she paused and whispered, “You need to learn to trust me more.”

I did not get the chance to respond to her because she was gone just as soon as she came.

“I am so sorry. Your mom was never supposed to find out, and when she did, she forced all of the details out of me. I am so sorry,” Ava began apologizing as soon as everyone else had stepped out of the room.

I stared at her and could not help but be swept by a lot of emotions. All of a sudden, all I wanted to do was just kiss her. God, I had missed her a lot, and I could not believe that I have managed to stay this long without touching her. Without a second thought, I wrapped my hands around her waist and plastered my lips on hers. She clamped hers on mine as her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me even closer for better access to my mouth.

Finally, minutes later, we pulled away from each other, and we were both totally breathless.

“I am sorry if she treated you harshly. I will talk to her as soon as possible,” I promised.

“There would be no need for that. She is very cool with the both of us being together. After all, we are not related by blood,” she said, and I could not believe how well everything was resolving.

“It means that we can be together, Dale. No judgment, no fear,” she said, her eyes peering deep into mine.

I stared into the ocean of her eyes, and all I saw was the evidence of her love for me—and God, did I love her too. I wanted to be with her, but to do that, we needed to start on a clean slate, one where there were no secrets between us.

Finally letting out a deep breath, I took her palms in mine and held onto them for dear life. “There is something I need to tell you, Ava.”

“What is it?” she asked innocently.

I stared at her for a second, wondering just how to do it, and finally, with a shaky voice, I confessed, “I am your Mystery Man.”

Her face suddenly went ashy at my confession, and I could tell that I had lost her from the weight of my betrayal.

“I swear that I was always going to tell you, but the time was not just right, and I didn’t want us to lose what we had. But I cannot keep on lying to you now—not when we can finally be ourselves with each other,” I explained.

“How? How were you able to do that?” she asked. “The voice. It is different.”

I sighed, knowing I was about to reveal a secret. “There is a voice modifier on my mask. It helps change my voice while talking to you. It is the main reason I never took my mask off. The first time you came to the studio, there was a shortage of men to attend to you, and a sick, depraved part of me had decided to fill in for you. I am sorry, but please don’t hate me,” I begged.

She let out a chuckle and grabbed my hand. “I don’t hate you, Dale. I am just glad that the truth is finally out. We can finally be with each other without fear or hiding.”

“You are right,” I said and dropped a kiss on her lips.

When we pulled away, I took her hand in mine again and decided to do all of this properly. “Ava, would you please be my girlfriend?”

She threw her head back in laughter at my words and nodded her head. “Of course, Dale. I will always be your girl.”

As I kissed her again, I knew for a fact that she was the one for me.

THE END.