THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 139

Chapter 139: The Past
The wind whispered secrets through the abandoned building, the very structure groaning under the weight of memories. Ava stood at the entrance, the decaying wood beneath her feet creaking like the echoes of a forgotten life. This place, once vibrant with the laughter of her childhood, now lay in ruins—a ghost of what it once was, much like her own heart.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stepped inside, the air thick with the scent of mildew and dust. Each step she took felt like a descent into the past, where shadows of memories long buried clawed their way to the surface. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant drip of water and the shuffling of rodents in the walls.

“Why here?” Ava murmured to herself, the sound of her voice alien in the oppressive quiet. Her fingers grazed the faded wallpaper, peeling away like the layers of her own soul. She had vowed never to return, to leave this place in the dark recesses of her mind where it belonged. But the cryptic message had been too compelling to ignore, dragging her back to this forsaken corner of her past.

The memories hit her like a tidal wave, drowning her in visions of a little girl with wide eyes and a heart too pure for the world she was thrust into. This was where it all began—where the seeds of her pain were sown, where the mastermind’s web first began to weave its way into her life. The room she entered now was once her sanctuary, the one place she felt safe. But now, it was a tomb of broken dreams and shattered innocence.

She could still hear the laughter, a cruel echo of a time long gone, mingling with the sinister whispers of the present. The walls seemed to close in on her, the darkness pressing in until she could barely breathe. Ava closed her eyes, willing herself to stay focused, to keep the mission at the forefront of her mind. But the ghosts of her past were relentless, pulling her deeper into the abyss.

Every corner of this decrepit building held a memory, each more painful than the last. The place was a labyrinth of her own making, and she was the prisoner. A flash of laughter, the scent of her mother’s perfume, the warmth of a hug that would never come again—each memory cut deeper than the last. Ava’s knees buckled under the weight of it all, and she clutched the wall for support, her nails digging into the peeling paint.

“You’re stronger than this,” she whispered to herself, the words a lifeline in the sea of despair threatening to swallow her whole. But even as she spoke, she knew the truth—this place held a power over her that she could never escape, no matter how far she ran. It was here, in these very walls, that she first learned of the mastermind’s existence. Here, where her life was forever altered by a force she couldn’t comprehend.

As she moved through the rooms, her footsteps light but purposeful, Ava’s mind swirled with memories, each one more vivid than the last. The laughter of children, the clatter of dishes in the kitchen, the feel of her father’s hand ruffling her hair—it was all too much, too real. But these were only the good memories, the ones that made her ache with a longing that had no place in her heart anymore.

Then came the darker memories, the ones that twisted her insides and made her skin crawl. The arguments, the raised voices, the slamming doors—her parents’ faces contorted with anger, with fear, with something else she couldn’t quite place. And then, the silence. The unbearable, crushing silence that followed.

It was in that silence that the mastermind first made his move. Ava remembered the day clearly, as if it had been etched into her very soul. The letter that arrived with no return address, the message inside simple yet terrifying: “I’m watching.” She was only ten years old, but even then, she understood the threat. It was the beginning of the end of her innocence.

Ava reached the back room, the one place she had been avoiding since she arrived. This was where it all went wrong. The memories here were more than just painful—they were searing, like hot irons pressed against her skin. Her hand trembled as she reached for the door, the wood splintering under her touch. She hesitated, every instinct screaming at her to turn back, to leave this place and never return. But she couldn’t. Not now.

The door creaked open, revealing a room bathed in shadows, the faint light from the cracked window doing little to dispel the gloom. Ava’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat a drum that echoed through the empty house. She stepped inside, her breath hitching as she saw it—a single piece of paper, lying on the dusty floor in the center of the room.

She approached it cautiously, her mind racing with possibilities. As she bent down to pick it up, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

“I knew you’d come back, Ava.”

She whirled around, her heart leaping into her throat. There, standing in the doorway, was a figure she hadn’t seen in years. His face was as familiar as her own, yet so changed by time that it was almost unrecognizable. The once-boyish charm was gone, replaced by a hardness that spoke of a life lived in shadows. But his eyes—they were the same. The same deep brown that had always held her secrets.

“Lucas,” she breathed, her voice a mix of shock and disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

He stepped into the room, the floorboards creaking under his weight. “I could ask you the same thing,” he replied, his voice tinged with something she couldn’t quite place—was it concern? Or something darker?

“I followed the message,” Ava said, her gaze flickering back to the paper on the floor. “It led me here.”

Lucas’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the paper. “And you thought it would be that simple? That you could just waltz back into your past and find all the answers neatly laid out for you?”

Ava clenched her fists, anger bubbling up from the depths of her soul. “What do you know about it? About him?”

Lucas sighed, a sound that spoke of years of weariness. “More than I care to. But this—” he gestured to the room around them, “—this isn’t just about you, Ava. It’s about all of us. He’s been playing us for years, and you’re just now seeing it.”

Ava’s mind raced as she tried to piece together the puzzle. The mastermind had always been a step ahead, always out of reach. But now, standing here in the ruins of her past, with Lucas by her side, she felt the pieces beginning to fall into place.

“What do you mean?” she demanded, her voice trembling with barely-contained emotion. “What does he want with me?”

Lucas shook his head, his expression grim. “He’s been setting this up for a long time, Ava. Every move you’ve made, every decision—it’s all been part of his plan. And now, he’s drawing you in, closer than ever before. But you need to be careful.”

“Careful?” Ava spat, her frustration boiling over. “I’ve been careful my entire life, and where has it gotten me? Back here, in this godforsaken place, with nothing but more questions!”

Lucas reached out, gripping her shoulders with a firmness that surprised her. “Listen to me, Ava. He’s dangerous, more dangerous than you can imagine. And if you keep digging, if you keep pushing, you’re going to find something you’re not ready for.”

Ava stared at him, her resolve wavering. For a moment, she was that little girl again, scared and alone, desperate for someone to save her. But then, the anger returned, fierce and unrelenting. “I don’t care what I find. I’m not running anymore.”

Lucas’s eyes softened, a flicker of the old Lucas—the one she had once trusted with everything—shining through. “Just… be careful,” he repeated, his voice almost a whisper.

Ava turned away from him, her gaze locking onto the piece of paper on the floor. She bent down and picked it up, her heart pounding in her chest as she unfolded it. The message was short, but it sent a chill down her spine.

“Welcome home, Ava. The game has only just begun.”

She crumpled the paper in her hand, her jaw set in determination. But as she turned back to Lucas, his expression made her pause.

“There’s more,” he said, his voice low and filled with a warning that sent a shiver down her spine. “If you keep going down this path, you’re going to lose more than just your past. You’re going to lose everything.”

Ava’s breath hitched, but she pushed the fear aside. She had come too far to turn back now. “I have to know the truth, Lucas. No matter the cost.”

Lucas nodded slowly, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and resignation. “Then you’d better be ready. Because once you start down this road, there’s no going back.”

Ava swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over her like a heavy blanket. But she squared her shoulders, her resolve hardening. “I’m ready.”

But even as she said the words, a part of her knew—nothing could have prepared her for what was to come.