Chapter 57 You're enough
~Ava's pov~
I stared at the man in front of me, my hand still clutching the doorknob like it was the only thing keeping me standing.
The silence between us stretched thin.
His eyes raked over me judgmental, cold, furious.
I shrank back instinctively, pulling Logan’s shirt tighter around me.
“Real classy, Ava,” my father sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “Throwing yourself at the first guy with a bed.”
My stomach twisted painfully.
Before I could utter a reply, heavy footsteps approached behind me.
Logan.
“Who the hell are you?” Logan’s voice was sharp, edged with protectiveness. He moved beside me, wrapping a strong arm around my waist without hesitation, pulling me slightly behind him.
My father’s lip curled into a sneer.
“And who the hell are you?” he shot back. “Another loser she’s using to pay her bills?”
The words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
I flinched, shame flooding through me.
I couldn't even believe if this was my father talking before me.
Logan stiffened, his jaw tightening.
“I’m her boyfriend,” Logan said evenly, though I could feel the barely restrained fury simmering under his skin. “And if you think you can talk to her like that in my home, you’ve got another thing coming.”
My father laughed ... a humorless, bitter sound.
“Boyfriend? That’s rich.” He stepped closer, and instinctively, Logan shifted, keeping me behind him like a shield. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, kid.”
"Try me," Logan said coolly.
I wanted to disappear.
The apartment felt too small, too crowded, like the walls were caving in. I feel like the whole world was placed on my shoulders. it became too hard to breathe.
Another knock heard at the half open door, and my heart skyrocketed.
I didn’t have to guess who it was.
Logan opened the door wider just as Brian strolled in, followed by a girl I recognized instantly my stepsister, kate.
Brian looked me over with a smirk, his gaze lingering too long on my bare legs.
kate, in her designer jacket and six-inch heels, wrinkled her nose like she smelled something foul.
“Well, well, little Ava,” Brian drawled, his voice mocking. “Didn’t take you long to start whoring around once you left home, huh?”
I felt Logan tense beside me.
“Watch your mouth,” he growled, low and dangerous.
Brian snickered.
“She’s been like this since her mom died and our Mom married her dad. Always desperate for attention. Didn’t matter where she got it from.”
Kate stepped forward, crossing her arms.
“I mean, look at you,” she said, eyeing me with open disgust. “God, Ava, have you no shame? Throwing yourself at some meathead football player? Pathetic.”
Every word was a knife.
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself not to cry. even though it hurts so much.
Logan’s arm tightened protectively around me.
“She’s not the one showing up uninvited and running her mouth,” Logan said icily. “You don’t know a damn thing about her.”
My father scoffed.
“I know enough. She’s been a disappointment since the day she was born.”
That one hurt the most.
Worse than anything Brian or Kate could ever say.
I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly.
“Why are you even here?” Logan demanded, glaring at them all. “If you came to insult her, get the hell out before I make you.”
Brian chuckled, clearly amused by the threat.
“You think you’re tough, college boy?” he sneered. “You have no idea the kind of trash you’re dealing with.”
“I have a pretty damn good idea,” Logan shot back. “And guess what? She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. You? You’re nothing but a bunch of bitter assholes jealous that you’ll never have what she has.”
The room became silence all of sudden.
Brian’s smirk slipped.
Kate’s eyes narrowed.
Even my father looked slightly thrown.
Logan didn’t stop.
“She’s smart. She’s kind. She’s loyal. Everything you people wouldn’t recognize if it slapped you in the face,” Logan said, his voice rising. “And if you think you can come in here and tear her down, you’re wrong. She’s not alone anymore.”
I stared at him, feeling my throat close up.
No one had ever stood up for me like that.
No one had ever defended me like I was worth it.
Only him!
Tears pricked my eyes, but this time, they weren’t from hurt. They were from something good and overwhelming burning inside me.
Love.
Brian laughed harshly, breaking the moment.
“Whatever. Just don’t come crying to us when she ruins your life too.”
“Funny,” Logan said, smirking. “I was just about to say the same to you. Now get the hell out.”
My father gave me one last disgusted look, his mouth twisting.
“Just remember, Ava. Trash is trash. No matter how pretty you dress it up.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed out, Brian and Kate trailing behind him.
The door slammed shut with a final, echoing bang.
Silence fell over the apartment.
For a moment, I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
Then Logan turned to me, cupping my face in his hands gently, forcing me to look at him.
“Don’t you dare believe a word they said,” he said fiercely. “You hear me, baby? You’re not them. You’re not what they say.”
A sob escaped before I could stop it.
I buried my face against his chest, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
Logan held me tight, rubbing soothing circles on my back, murmuring soft reassurances against my hair.
“You’re good,” he whispered.
“You’re enough.”
“You’re everything.”
We stood there for what felt like forever, wrapped up in each other, until the worst of the shaking subsided.
Finally, I pulled back, wiping at my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I didn’t know they would , I didn’t think they would find me... Are you sure you want me? I'm broken...I'm..."
Logan cut me off with a kiss.
It was soft and slow and full of every promise he couldn’t put into words.
When he pulled back, he smiled crookedly.
“You’re stuck with me now, princess. No getting rid of me.”
A watery laugh bubbled out of me.
“I wouldn’t want to.”
He grinned, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone.
“Good. ‘Cause you’re mine, Ava Sinclair. And I don’t give a damn about your past. They don’t define you.”
I nodded, my heart full to bursting. For once, I believed I deserved this.
Him.
Us.
Our messy, beautiful, complicated future.