My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 94

Chapter 94: The cause of the fire.

At Dylan’s office…

“The cause of the fire was a short circuit,” Justin informed. “But there is more—the security footage had been tampered with, which indicated that it was not an accident. It was deliberate. Whoever did this wanted to create chaos during the exhibition.”

Dylan pinched his nose bridge, deep exhaustion etched into his features as he listened intently to Justin’s report. Since the fire, he hadn’t had a moment’s rest, consumed by the need to understand how Ava had been trapped there.

“I am still looking at who is behind this.” Justin hesitated, then added, “But there is something else. Something… disturbing.”

He passed his phone to Dylan, his eyes hardening. “We managed to recover some footage from inside the gallery. The last person to leave the restroom corridor was Miss Gianna. She was there. She might be the one who had deliberately locked Ava Madam.”

Dylan pulled his hand down instantly and took up the phone, his eyebrows knitting together.

“If she was inside the restroom, she would have known about Ava Madam,” Justin speculated with a grim face. “But she ran away alone, and the door was locked from outside. She definitely wanted her dead.”

Dylan’s hold on the phone tightened as he watched the footage. The grainy video showed Gianna rushing down the corridor. The camera didn’t capture her locking the door, but he didn’t doubt for a second that it was her doing.

“It’s Gianna again!” Dylan grunted furiously.

“What is your order, sir?” Justin asked, his voice tight. “Shall I bring her here?”

Dylan shook his head slowly, his gaze dark. “No… not yet. Your priority is finding out who orchestrated the fire at the gallery. Whoever they are, I want them identified.”

He handed the phone back to Justin, his tense expression softening momentarily. “Any update on Ava?”

Justin gave a small nod. “She is awake.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Dylan’s entire demeanor shifted. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he thundered, surging to his feet and grabbing his suit jacket from the hook. Urgency radiated from him as he moved swiftly toward the door. “I’m going to see her. And make sure you find out who is behind all of this.”

“I’ll do my best, sir,” Justin replied confidently.

Dylan took a few steps toward the door but paused and turned back to him. “One more thing… what’s the status of the accident investigation? Any progress?”

Justin’s expression turned somber. “It has been over a decade since it happened. Tracing evidence is difficult, but I’ve reached out to every source I can. I’ll let you know as soon as we get any updates.”

Dylan nodded, understanding his point. “Okay, keep looking into it. I’m sure you will find something. Also, keep an eye on the Bakers. I want to know exactly what they are up to.”

Justin nodded. “I’ll make sure someone keeps tabs on them.”

“Okay, call me if there is anything. I’m leaving now. And one last thing—send Ava the footage we recovered from the gallery. Do it anonymously. She doesn’t need to know it came from you.” With hurried steps, Dylan went out.

“En?” Before Justin could fully register the instructions, Dylan had already vanished out the door. He shrugged, mumbling under his breath, “Why hide it from her? She’d be grateful to know you’re helping.”

He grimaced, feeling helpless as to how he would convince his boss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ava lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to settle her restless mind. She tried to push thoughts of Dylan aside, but no matter how hard she tried, memories of him crept back in. Frustrated, she muttered to herself, “Didn’t he say he wanted a chance? Shouldn’t he be here now?” Her lips pressed into a pout. “Liar.”

Ding…

Just then, her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. Hope flickered in her chest as she grabbed it, expecting to see Dylan’s name. But disappointment quickly followed when she saw it was an unknown number, sending her a video message.

‘What is it?’ Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it, wondering who would send her a video message.

She tapped on the message and opened it. The video began to play, showing a familiar scene—a corridor from the art gallery.

She squinted, watching closely. A figure hurried out of the corridor, and Ava recognized Gianna. Shock rippled through her.

“Who would send me this?” Before she could make sense of it, another message buzzed onto her screen. Her fingers trembled as she read the text.

“Miss Gianna deliberately locked you inside the restroom. She wanted you dead.”

Ava couldn’t believe what she was reading. She blinked and read those words quite a few times. Her shock melted into a cold fury as the realization sank in.

“Gianna…” she hissed, rage simmering inside her. “You really won’t stop conspiring against me, will you?” Her hands tightened around her phone, determination hardening in her chest. “Jail is the only place you deserve, and I’ll make sure you rot there till your last breath.”

The soft creak of the door interrupted Ava’s turbulent thoughts. Ava thought Ethan was back. When she turned her head and looked at the door, she noticed Nicholas coming in, holding a bouquet of bright flowers and a basket of fruit.

“Nicholas!” A polite smile formed on her lips, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

She had only known him a short while, but his warmth and care had been constant. And yet, the one person she had shared her life with for a whole year hadn’t even shown up, as if her well-being meant nothing to him. The painful contrast tugged at her heart, but she pushed her sadness aside and welcomed him warmly.

“Please, take a seat,” she said, gesturing to the chair by her bedside. “The exhibition was a disaster. I’m so sorry for what happened. Were you able to save any of your paintings?”

“Ava, are you really worried about those paintings?” Nicholas narrowed his eyes, regret washing over him. If he had known she was still trapped inside, he wouldn’t have left. “You almost died, remember?”

Ethan returned with a lunchbox in his hand. But he paused outside the room as he heard the conversation between Nicholas and Ava. His grip on the lunchbox tightened as his mind began to swirl with a mix of frustration and jealousy.

‘Why is this man here?’ he muttered inwardly.

Whenever Nicholas was around Ava, Ethan’s temper flared. He couldn’t stand the sight of the man anywhere near her.

Out of his anger and insecurity, he had thought of teaching Nicholas a lesson by sabotaging his art exhibition. If he had known that Ava would be trapped and suffer like that, he wouldn’t have conspired to set the fire to the art gallery.

The regret gnawed at him, but it was quickly replaced by an overwhelming surge of anger. “Nicholas, it’s all because of you. I’ll deal with you first, and then I’ll think about how to get rid of this obstacle called Dylan.” He stormed away.