The Traps of Black Swan

Dax was speaking with Ava Kelly every day about the work if not urging her to eat but he had hidden everything about Shawn and the Rivas family. 

Probably she could have come out of her sea of pain and stayed beside Shawn if she knew before. Perhaps course actions could have changed. Anyway, it was too late to speak about the past.

Shawn continued to dig out his sorrows and cry at her. "B-big Mom... She was shocked, hurt and she drove out of the car. Little Heart, she was crying and driving. Big Mom too met with an accident. W-we lost her…"

Ava pressed her hand on the bench and stood up. She walked away from the police station as she tried to comfort him, listen to him. But it wasn't so easy to get over the death of family when you love them so much

After about ten minutes, Ava requested when she had failed to make him at ease. "Shawn, please listen to me. Okay?"

A confused hum sounded from the other side before Ava told him, "Please go to your hotel room and sleep. Don't drink anymore." Shawn was in the bar of the hotel he was staying at. So she asked, "Could you please pass the mobile to the bartender?"

Shawn, who wanted to say he wanted to drink, stuffed the mobile to the bartender saying, "Little Heart wants to talk to you." Then he ordered, "Speak."

[Hello] An hesitant male voice sounded.

"Hello, could you please ask the manager to send this customer to his room? Please tell him that it's closing time, he won't ask for more drinks." She politely requested everything in a breath afraid her voice might crack anytime and cry again.

The bartender agreed and passed the mobile back to Shawn. "I will call you tomorrow, Shawn."

Shawn obediently agreed before Ava ended the call and tears made their way back on her face. She felt too selfish and thoughtless for reaching out to Shawn when she needed him. 

'Where was I when I should have been with him?'

'I am such an inconsiderate friend he could have.'

She pulled her exhausted body where she could get taxis and buses. She was about to hail the taxi but the sight of the driver shot back her fear. She stumbled back unawarely.

Many taxis passed by but she didn't dare to hail one. She cringed in a corner when the eyes of people became too obvious. She felt herself the reason for her situation. 

If she had just locked herself somewhere without wishing to move on, she would have been fine. If she had endured her parents much longer, she would have at least had a corner to cry alone.

She didn't dare to go anywhere, she could have lodged in a hotel but she was afraid. She wanted to look for Hayden but he wasn't answering the call and she wasn't daring to take a taxi. What if the driver does something?

She noticed a bus coming towards the bus stop. It was a bus that goes towards the area where Grace Wells stays. Without a second thought, she got on the bus, bought the ticket before realizing her condition was awful and she had almost everyone's eyes.

Her hair was unkempt, she had bruises on her pale slender legs, blood dried wounds on her knees. The jacket on her had covered her arms but the purple bruise on her neck was obvious. Swollen eyes, flushed face, a bruised forehead, everything spoke somebody had tried to molest her.

The driver was alarmed and looked at her, not in a helpful way. Instead, he looked as though she was going to break down the bus. She bit her lips and turned towards the seats.

She found pity and also disgust in the eyes of passengers. It wasn't like she had expected them to help her but they made it worse. They shifted and moved away when she went in to take a seat. She didn't have so much strength left to travel while standing on the bus.

Feeling the gazes on her increase which were looking at her as though she was a criminal, Ava pulled the oversized hood on her head that covered half of her face, feeling undefended and exposed to their eyes.

Tears rolled on her petite face but she decisively wiped it off. She didn't know why she was going to Grace's place, she was on the way. But she didn't doubt Grace even once, She trusted her friend who wanted to help her move on.

Ava had believed that Grace wasn't able to take her home so Grace left her in the hotel so that she could sleep. Ava didn't even realize she wasn't tipsy at all, it was just that one drink that made her unconscious. 

Alighting the bus, Ava kept her hood down and walked towards the apartment on the road which was deserted. It was around eleven in the night.

Walking down two streets, she reached the apartment where Grace lives. It wasn't a rich area but good enough for single girls and middle-class families to reside. 

Ava wanted to rent a place or live with Grace when she had bought the company but Dax and Shawn had stopped her. They didn't trust Grace but they didn't tell their opinion of Grace to Ava.

Ava was about to enter the building when something caught her eyes. She saw the white Audi R8 parked aside. It was an expensive car to be owned by the people over there but that wasn't the reason Ava stood frozen. The number of the car felt highly familiar. It took her a few seconds to realize it was Vance Hays's car.

Flustered, Ava ran inside the building and pressed the elevator button repeatedly. But the elevator didn't move from the fifth floor. Grace lived on the fifth floor.

The panic hit Ava's nerves. She assumed Vance was there to hurt Grace for standing by her. Ava regretted being silent when Grace was reproaching Vance Hays. She was very angry at herself for not stopping Grace at the club.

She was scared thinking Vance might be there to hurt Grace. She didn't want her friends to get hurt for supporting her. 

Seeing the elevator unmoving, she looked around and ran up to the emergency stairs. She forgot her pain, emotional and physical, all she had in her mind was to save Grace Wells from Vance Hays. She didn't mind even once if her life was going to be at risk, All that mattered to her was protecting Grace Wells.

"Ahhh…." Ava cried out in pain as soon as she took the first step leaving weight on the left leg. She slipped, her knee hit the corner of the stair and fell down. The drying wound immediately opened and blood oozed out. 

Even if she was resolute, her body wasn't in the best condition. Teardrops rolled out but her focus was still on Grace, and save her.

She didn't give up or waste time, she flinched in pain when she stood up but she held herself strong. she was determined although it was more painful than she had expected. She took a step at a time for her body to get used to the pain and rushed upstairs without knowing all her efforts were going to earn a betrayal.