THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 223 223

Chapter 223: The Choice
Ava’s vision swam in a dizzying blur, her surroundings twisting and fading as if the Abyss itself sought to claim her senses along with her soul. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a reminder of the precarious edge she teetered on. The sorceress’s voice, smooth and serpentine, coiled around her thoughts, whispering promises of power beyond her wildest dreams.

“Do you feel it?” the sorceress purred, her words dripping with venom and allure. “The freedom, the strength that awaits you. Let go of the past, Ava. Embrace what you were always meant to be.”

Ava’s breath hitched, her hand still hovering in the air, trembling. Power—it was intoxicating. It was what she had craved for so long, what had always eluded her. But the weight of it crushed her, leaving her drowning in the darkness of the Abyss, unsure if she would ever resurface. Her fingers twitched, inching closer to the sorceress’s outstretched hand, but something—someone—held her back.

Lucas.

His name echoed in her mind like a distant cry, pulling her out of the spiral of her own desire. But could she trust him? Could she trust anything anymore?

“Ava!” His voice was raw, barely audible above the crashing roar of the Abyss collapsing around them. His figure was distant now, flickering in and out of sight as the void threatened to devour him. Yet even in his fading state, his presence was a tether to the world she once knew. A world where love had been real, where he had promised her everything, where he had been her anchor.

But had that world ever truly existed? The sorceress’s words, laced with wicked truths, gnawed at her thoughts. “He never told you the whole truth, did he, Ava?” Her smile was sharp, cutting deeper than any blade. “He lied, kept you in the dark while making his own deals. He thinks you’re too weak to handle the truth, that you need to be protected. You don’t need protection—you need power. Power to break free of him, to break free of all of them.”

Ava’s throat tightened, her mind a battlefield of rage and doubt. Her pulse quickened with every accusation, every bitter truth she could no longer deny. Lucas had lied. He had made deals with the Abyss, with Zephyr—behind her back, without her knowing. She thought he had loved her, thought that love had been enough to bridge the chasm between them. But was it?

“I did it to save you!” Lucas’s voice cracked, his body staggering as he fought against the pull of the Abyss. “I was trying to protect you, Ava. I would do anything to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” Her voice was a whisper of disbelief, as bitter as the darkness around her. “You think lies protect me? You think keeping secrets is the way to keep me safe?” Her chest heaved with the weight of betrayal, each breath sharper than the last. “You made deals with Zephyr. You played with forces you couldn’t control—behind my back. And now you think your love can fix everything?”

Lucas’s face twisted with anguish, his hand still outstretched, trembling, trying to reach her through the thickening haze. “I never wanted this for you, Ava. I thought… I thought if I could just hold the Abyss at bay, you’d never have to face it. But I was wrong.”

“Wrong.” The word was a hollow echo in the void. Everything about him now felt wrong. The trust she had placed in him—the faith she had given him so willingly—now felt like a noose tightening around her neck.

“You see it now, don’t you?” Zephyr’s voice slithered into the conversation, sharp as a whip. His figure materialized in the distance, eyes glowing with a malevolent satisfaction. “He lied to you, Ava. He manipulated you, just like I said. And now look at him—pathetic, weak. Is that really what you want? A man who hides behind lies and half-truths, too afraid to let you see the monster he really is?”

Ava’s heart twisted in her chest, the pain unbearable, like a wound that would never heal. She wanted to scream, to demand answers, to beg Lucas to tell her it wasn’t true. But the silence that stretched between them was louder than any words he could have spoken.

The sorceress’s laughter cut through the tension, cold and merciless. “He was never your equal, Ava. He never will be. You deserve more than this—a life bound by lies and weakness. You deserve to be free. You deserve power.”

Her voice lowered, seductive and cruel. “Take my hand, Ava. Step into the Abyss fully. Let it become part of you. You will never be weak again. Never be betrayed again. You will be untouchable, unstoppable.” She leaned closer, her smile widening. “Take what is rightfully yours.”

Ava’s hand trembled, her heart pounding in her chest. The darkness of the Abyss swirled around her, seductive and suffocating. It whispered promises of power, of freedom from pain. All she had to do was let go.

But what was she letting go of? Her humanity? Her heart? Or was it the very thing that had always held her back—her belief in love, in trust, in Lucas?

Her mind spun, the weight of her choice crushing her from every direction. The sorceress stood before her, the embodiment of her desires, her fears. She was everything Ava could become, everything she both craved and feared.

“You don’t need him,” the sorceress whispered, her hand still outstretched. “You don’t need anyone. I will never betray you. I will never lie to you. With me, you will never feel pain again. Only power.”

The words echoed in Ava’s mind, seeping into her bones. No pain. No betrayal. Only power.

But was that truly freedom?

Lucas’s voice broke through the darkness once more, desperate and raw. “Ava… I’m begging you. Don’t do this. I know I’ve made mistakes, but I did it for you. I can’t lose you. Not like this.”

Ava’s breath hitched, her chest tight with emotion. His words, his love, pulled at her heart, reminding her of the world she had once known. A world of warmth, of love, of the promise of something more. But that world had been shattered, hadn’t it? Broken by lies, by betrayal.

Her fingers twitched, the pull of the sorceress’s hand growing stronger. She could end it all now. The pain, the doubt, the uncertainty. She could be free.

But as she looked into the sorceress’s eyes—her own eyes, cold and empty—she saw the truth. Power came at a cost. And the price was everything she held dear.

The sorceress’s smile faltered as she sensed Ava’s hesitation. “You will be nothing without me, Ava. You will be weak. You will be alone. Is that really what you want? To return to a life where everyone betrays you, where love is just a lie?”

Ava’s heart clenched painfully, the weight of the decision crushing her. Her gaze flickered to Lucas, his eyes filled with desperation, with regret, but also with love. Real, raw love.

“I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes,” Lucas said, his voice trembling. “But I can promise I’ll never stop fighting for you. I’ll never stop loving you.”

Ava’s tears blurred her vision as the darkness pressed in around her, suffocating, overwhelming. The sorceress loomed before her, the embodiment of everything she feared she could become. Cold, powerful, but alone.

“Choose, Ava,” the sorceress hissed, her voice sharp and venomous. “Choose power, or choose death. There is no middle ground.”

Ava’s hand hovered in the air, trembling, as the weight of her decision bore down on her.

Power. Freedom. Love. Trust.

She had to choose.

With a strangled breath, Ava’s hand shot forward, reaching out—toward her future, toward her fate.

But not toward the sorceress.

Her fingers closed around Lucas’s hand, gripping it tightly as the Abyss roared around them, furious and unforgiving. The sorceress shrieked in rage, her form dissolving into the shadows, her promises of power disintegrating into the void.

Ava’s breath came in shallow gasps as she clung to Lucas, her body shaking with the force of her decision. The Abyss surged around them, its dark tendrils thrashing, trying to pull her back, but Lucas’s grip on her never wavered.

“I won’t let you go,” he whispered, his voice hoarse but filled with determination. “I won’t ever let you go.”

Ava’s tears fell freely now, her heart aching with the weight of everything she had lost, everything she had chosen. But as Lucas pulled her into his arms, she felt something else—something stronger than the power the Abyss had promised.

She felt love.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt free.

The Abyss screamed in fury, the darkness collapsing in on itself as the sorceress’s final shriek echoed through the void. Ava clung to Lucas, her body trembling, but her heart was steady. She had made her choice.

But as the darkness closed in, a new voice—low, ancient, and filled with menace—whispered from the depths of the Abyss.

“You may have won this battle, Ava. But the war is far from over.”

The ground beneath them shook violently, the Abyss lashing out one final time before imploding, sending shockwaves through the air.