Chapter 3

The pressure kept building.

The closer they got to the deadline, the sharper Ethan became.

And Ava… didn’t back down.

“This isn’t ready,” he said one afternoon, tossing the file onto the desk.

Ava’s patience snapped. “You’ve said that three times already. Maybe try being specific.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “The structure is weak.”

“No, it’s not. It’s different.”

“Different doesn’t mean better.”

“And strict doesn’t mean right.”

Their voices weren’t loud—but the intensity between them was enough to silence the entire room.

Ethan stood up. “You’re letting emotions affect your decisions.”

Ava laughed bitterly. “And you’re pretending you don’t have any.”

“That’s what makes me good at this.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s what makes you cold.”

The word hung in the air.

Ethan didn’t react immediately.

But something in his expression hardened.

“If you can’t handle professional criticism, you shouldn’t be here.”

That hit harder than he intended.

Ava went still.

For a moment, it looked like she might argue again.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she picked up her file quietly.

“Understood,” she said.

And walked out.

The next morning, her desk was empty.

Chloe noticed first.

“Where’s Ava?”

No one had an answer.

Ethan didn’t ask.

Not at first.

But by noon, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“Where is she?” he asked, his tone controlled.

Chloe hesitated. “She took leave.”

“For how long?”

“I… don’t know.”

Ethan nodded once, dismissing her.

But the silence that followed wasn’t normal.

The office felt… off.

And for the first time in a long time—

Ethan couldn’t focus.

.

.

.Three days passed.

Three long, quiet days.

By the fourth, Ethan stopped pretending it didn’t matter.

He found himself standing outside Ava’s apartment, staring at the door longer than necessary.

Then he knocked.

The door opened slowly.

Ava stood there, clearly not expecting him.

“What are you doing here?”

Ethan exhaled. “We need to talk.”

“About work?”

“No.”

That caught her off guard.

She stepped aside reluctantly, letting him in.

The apartment was simple. Small. Nothing like his world.

Ethan noticed.

Ava crossed her arms. “Say what you came to say.”

A moment passed.

Then—

“I was wrong.”

She frowned slightly. “About?”

“The way I spoke to you.”

Silence.

Ava looked at him carefully, as if trying to figure out if he was serious.

“You don’t usually apologize,” she said.

“I don’t,” he admitted.

“Then why now?”

Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

Because he didn’t fully understand it himself.

“I shouldn’t have said what I said,” he repeated. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Ava looked away, her voice quieter now. “You don’t know what I deserve.”

“Then tell me.”

Another pause.

And this time—

She did.

“My dad’s in the hospital,” she said softly. “I’m handling everything alone. Bills, work, everything.”

Ethan’s expression changed.

That explained a lot.

“That’s why I need this job,” she added.

The room fell silent again.

But it wasn’t tense anymore.

It was… heavy.

“You won’t lose it,” Ethan said firmly.

Ava shook her head slightly. “You can’t guarantee that.”

“I can.”

She looked at him.

And for the first time—

She believed him.

.

END OF THE CHAPTER

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