THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: The Choice
The cliffs loomed over Ava like a beast of stone, jagged and unyielding. The storm had waned, but the night remained heavy, pressing down on her like the weight of the past she could never escape. The shadowy figure had been defeated, their body crumpled on the ground, but the battle wasn’t over. It never really would be. Not for Ava.

The betrayer, bloodied but standing, watched her with eyes that were both a refuge and a reminder of everything she had lost. His breath came in sharp bursts, each one a mark of the price they had both paid to be here, at this crossroads.

Ava’s hand trembled as she wiped the blood from her knife, her knuckles white from the effort to keep it steady. Every fiber of her being screamed for rest, for relief, but there was none to be found. Not here. Not now.

“What now, Ava?” His voice was low, a whisper that carried through the stillness. It wasn’t a question she wanted to answer. Not yet. But the silence between them was unbearable, a void that threatened to swallow her whole.

“We leave,” she replied, the words falling from her lips like lead. “We leave and never look back.” But even as she said it, Ava knew it was a lie. She couldn’t leave. Not really. The past had a way of pulling you back, no matter how far you tried to run.

The betrayer stepped closer, his hand reaching for hers. She flinched but didn’t pull away. She couldn’t. She needed to feel something, anything, that wasn’t the crushing emptiness that had settled in her chest.

“We can’t outrun this, Ava,” he said, his voice tinged with a sadness that mirrored her own. “You know that. They’ll keep coming for us. For you.”

Ava met his gaze, her eyes burning with a fire that had not yet been extinguished. “Then we’ll fight,” she said, her voice firm, resolute. “We’ll fight until there’s nothing left to fight for.”

He looked at her with an expression that was both admiration and despair. “And what if there’s nothing left of us when it’s over?”

The question hung in the air, a blade that cut deeper than any wound she had suffered. Ava didn’t have an answer. She didn’t know if there would be anything left of her when this was over, if there was anything left of her now.

“Then we’ll fight anyway,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “Because what else is there?”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. The silence between them was answer enough. There was nothing else. Nothing but the fight. Nothing but the darkness that loomed ahead, the endless struggle to survive in a world that had no place for them.

Ava turned her back on the cliff, on the shadowy figure’s lifeless form, on the blood that stained the ground. She turned her back on everything that had brought her here, to this moment, and walked away.

The betrayer followed, his footsteps heavy, each one a reminder of the burden they both carried. They walked in silence, the only sound the wind that whispered through the trees, a mournful echo of the life she had left behind.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Ava paused, her hand resting on the rough bark of a tree. She stared into the darkness ahead, knowing that it held no answers, no comfort. Only more questions, more pain.

“Are you sure about this?” His voice was soft, hesitant, as if he feared the answer.

Ava closed her eyes, the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She wasn’t sure about anything. Not anymore. But she had made her choice. And now she had to live with it.

“I’m sure,” she lied, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

He didn’t push her, didn’t try to convince her otherwise. He simply nodded, accepting her decision as if it were his own. And maybe it was. Maybe they were both trapped in this, unable to escape the choices they had made, the lives they had lived.

Together, they stepped into the darkness, leaving behind the past that would never truly be gone.

They walked for hours, the night stretching on in endless shadows. Ava’s thoughts were a whirlwind, a tempest of doubt and fear and regret. But she kept moving, kept putting one foot in front of the other, because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant facing the truth she wasn’t ready to confront.

“Do you think it will be enough?” he asked after a while, his voice breaking the silence that had settled between them.

“Enough?” she repeated, not understanding.

“To stop them. To end this.”

Ava didn’t answer right away. She didn’t know if anything would ever be enough. The shadowy figure had been powerful, but they were just one of many. There would always be others, always someone else who wanted to control her, to use her.

“I don’t know,” she admitted finally. “But we have to try.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable in the darkness. “We do.”

They continued walking, the silence once again enveloping them. Ava could feel the tension between them, the unspoken words that hovered in the air, threatening to break the fragile peace they had found.

“Why did you come back?” she asked suddenly, the question bursting forth before she could stop it. It was something she had wanted to ask for so long, something that had haunted her since the moment he had returned to her life.

He didn’t answer right away, his steps faltering slightly as if the question had caught him off guard. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost pained. “Because I couldn’t stay away.”

Ava’s heart ached at the simplicity of the answer, at the truth she could hear in his words. “Even after everything?”

“Especially after everything,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I thought… I thought I could protect you. That maybe, somehow, I could make up for what I did.”

Ava’s breath hitched, her chest tightening with a mix of anger and sorrow. “You can’t,” she said, her voice sharp. “You can’t change the past.”

“I know,” he replied, his tone defeated. “But I had to try.”

She stopped walking, turning to face him. “Why? Why did you have to try?”

His eyes met hers, and in them, she saw the depth of his guilt, the weight of his regret. “Because I still love you,” he confessed, the words spilling out like a wound finally laid bare. “Because I never stopped.”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest. She had known, deep down, that he still cared for her. But hearing the words, hearing the raw emotion in his voice, was something else entirely.

“You don’t get to say that,” she whispered, her voice trembling with the force of her emotions. “You don’t get to love me after everything you’ve done.”

“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “I know, and I’m sorry. But it’s the truth.”

Ava shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. She wanted to hate him, wanted to scream at him, to tell him that he had no right to feel anything for her. But she couldn’t. Because the truth was, she still cared for him too. Despite everything, despite all the pain and betrayal, she couldn’t deny the connection between them.

“I can’t do this,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t love you. Not anymore.”

He nodded, his eyes filled with an understanding that only deepened her pain. “I know,” he said softly. “And I don’t expect you to. But I’m here, Ava. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. Not this time.”

She looked away, unable to face the intensity of his gaze. “What if it’s too late?”

“Then it’s too late,” he replied, his voice steady. “But I’ll still be here. I’ll fight for you, even if you can’t love me back.”

Ava swallowed hard, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “Why? Why would you do that?”

“Because I owe you that much,” he said simply. “And because I can’t walk away. Not again.”

She wanted to argue, wanted to push him away, to tell him that she didn’t need him, didn’t want him. But the words wouldn’t come. Because deep down, she knew that wasn’t true. She did need him. Maybe not in the way he wanted, but she needed him all the same.

“Then stay,” she said finally, her voice barely audible. “Stay, but don’t expect anything more.”

“I won’t,” he promised, a small, sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I just want to be by your side. That’s all I ask.”

Ava nodded, the tension in her chest easing slightly. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the only one she could offer. And for now, it would have to be enough.

They continued walking, the night slowly giving way to the first light of dawn. The forest began to thin, the trees parting to reveal a narrow path that wound its way through the mountains.

Ava felt a sense of unease settle over her as they approached the path. It felt like a threshold, a point of no return. Once they crossed it, there would be no going back.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice breaking through her thoughts.

Ava hesitated, her eyes scanning the path ahead