My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: The misjudgment

“Yes!” Lola was equally surprised. “Don’t you know? He didn’t tell you!” She was perplexed as to why Dylan hadn’t told Ava yet that he had rushed into the blazing fire to save her, ignoring the guard’s warning.

Ava dazedly shook her head, still unable to process what she was hearing. It turned out that what she had considered a dream was actually the reality. Dylan had come to rescue her.

“The guards refused to go and look for you because the fire spread everywhere,” Lola explained, “but Dylan didn’t hesitate. He ignored the warnings and ran to find you. He didn’t care about his own safety.”

Ava sat there, still, her mind racing with conflicted emotions. She had been so quick to assume the worst of Dylan, convinced that he’d abandoned her in her time of need.

Guilt and sadness rolled through her stomach. How wrong she had been about him. Because of her misconception, she had scolded him. Instead of thanking him, she had hurt him with her harsh comments.

“I am now sure that he is serious about you,” Lola said cautiously. “It’s not a simple thing to put one’s own life in danger for the sake of others. It needs a lot of courage and sincerity. Dylan, with his actions, has proved that he is serious about you. I think you should consider reconciling with him.”

Ava nervously fidgeted with her fingers. She felt awful as she thought about how she had chased him out of the room. Dylan might have come to see her, to make sure she was alright. But how had she treated him?

Her growing silence made Lola think that Ava didn’t agree with her. “I know it’s not easy, Ava. I know what he has put you through, and no one expects you to forget all of that just because he did something right for once.” She paused, searching Ava’s face. “But I think you should at least consider forgiving him.”

Ava swallowed hard, her mind flashing back to his wounded expression when she had ordered him to leave. “Thank you, Lola, for telling me all this.” She managed a small smile.

“Anything for you.” Lola smiled back at her, squeezing her hands. But that smile vanished the next moment. “Why didn’t you know about it? Didn’t anyone tell you this?”

Ava sighed, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “When I woke up, there was only Ethan. He seemed not to know much.”

“But where is Dylan? Didn’t he come to see you yet?”

Ava didn’t reply. What would she say? Could she tell her she had scolded him and chased him away? She was ashamed of herself for her rash behavior.

“Maybe he is busy finding the reason for the fire breakout,” Lola speculated. “I remember him saying that he would investigate it.”

“He is investigating!” Ava exclaimed, a surprised look crossing her face. She had been so angry, so hurt by his past actions, that she hadn’t thought about the possibility of Dylan looking into this matter. At this point, she realized, why he had been busy all the time.

“Of course, he will investigate it,” Lola asserted. “You could have died in that fire.”

Ava’s gaze dropped to the floor as she tried to process the rush of emotions flooding through her. She shouldn’t have judged him so quickly. Her initial anger, her quick dismissal of his efforts, now seemed foolish in hindsight.

Her thoughts drifted to the mysterious footage that had been sent to her. A brief spark of doubt flickered in her mind—could it have been Dylan who had sent it? But the idea felt wrong.

‘Why would he send it anonymously?’ she thought.

It didn’t make sense. There was no need for him to hide his identity. He could just simply tell her who had locked her up.

‘It’s not him. He doesn’t need to hide it,’ she mumbled to herself. Dylan previously had shown her the footage of the get-together party where Gianna had conspired to drug him. Why would he hide it this time?

Her mind shifted to the only other possibility—Nicholas, who might have been planning to help her stay behind the shadows. However, she couldn’t ignore the fact that Dylan had gone all out to save her this time.

The truth hurt.

Ava blinked back the sting of tears that threatened to rise. She had misunderstood him. She had been so focused on her own hurt that she hadn’t paused long enough to understand his actions.

“Thank goodness, he rescued you in on time,” Lola continued. “If he waited for the firefighters like everyone else, I don’t know what would have happened. For his bravery, I no longer have any resentment toward him.”

Ava could only manage a smile. Her emotions were tangled, her gratitude muted by the whirlwind of revelations.

Lola’s expression shifted to one of curiosity and concern. “But how did you end up trapped in the restroom?”

Ava held her phone out to Lola and hit play. “Take a look. Gianna was there while I was still inside the restroom. She ran away without listening to my cries because she wanted me dead. She was the one who locked the door from outside.”

Lola’s eyeballs seemed to pop out as she gawked at the phone screen unblinkingly. “Holy crap! It’s her! Gianna tried to kill you!”

Ava nodded grimly, drawing the phone back.

“Who sent you this?” Lola asked. “Dylan?”

“It’s an unknown person,” Ava replied. “The sender didn’t reveal its identity. But right now, it doesn’t matter. I’ll figure that out later. My priority is making sure Gianna pays for what she did.”

Her resolve hardened. This was it—the moment she had waited for. Every sliver of evidence was now in her grasp, ready to bring Gianna’s scheming to light.

“I can’t wait to see her downfall,” she muttered. “And I need you to help me.”

“I’m with you,” Lola asserted. “Let’s do it together.”

They clasped hands, exchanging determined gazes.

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

Two days had passed in a blink. The art exhibition incident might have slipped from everyone’s memory, but Ava hadn’t forgotten anything. Finally, the day she had been waiting for arrived, and Ava was ready.

She stood in front of her mirror, slipping into a bright, red off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her figure with graceful defiance, paired with a dazzling diamond necklace. With her hair tied up into a messy bun, she looked gorgeous, but her amber eyes shone with slyness and determination.

Tonight, Gianna would finally face the consequences of her actions. “Be ready, Gianna. I’m coming for you.”

With a final glance at her reflection in the mirror, she turned away, her heels clicking with purpose as she walked out.