The Line Between Us

Orion

I left Ava at the office, her accusations still echoing in my head. I know she hates me, but would she really stoop so low as to poison Holly just to make me look like the villain? No. That doesn’t sound like her. Ava might despise me, but she wouldn’t put her sister in danger… would she?

Still, something didn’t sit right. If it wasn’t her, then who? Chloe? Doubtful. Chloe thrives on chaos, sure, but if she wanted to mess with me, she’d let me know to my face. This felt sneakier, underhanded. Maybe one of the maids?

Anger simmered beneath the surface as I drove home. Whoever did this wanted me to take the fall. Someone was playing games, and I wasn’t about to let them win.

When I got to the mansion, it felt eerily quiet. No Peter lounging around in the living room, no usual chatter from the staff. I glanced around, but nothing seemed out of place. Maybe Peter had gone back to the office.

I headed straight for the kitchen and found one of the maids unpacking groceries. “Who bought the juice in the fridge?” I asked, my tone harsher than I intended.

She looked startled, fumbling with a carton of eggs. “I did, sir. I got it when I was restocking food items the other day.”

“Drink it,” I said, grabbing a glass and pouring some of the juice.

Her eyes widened in confusion, but she didn’t dare argue. She took the glass and drank it, her hands trembling slightly. I watched her closely, waiting for any reaction. Nothing.

That ruled out the juice itself. Which meant… whatever hurt Holly had been added to the glass.

I left the kitchen and headed upstairs, intending to check my room for Chloe and confront her. But as I opened the door, I froze. I’d forgotten Ava had reassigned the room to Holly.

Frustrated, I went back downstairs, intending to go to Chloe’s room instead. Halfway there, I found Peter sitting on the couch, looking a little disheveled.

“You weren’t here when I came in earlier,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

“I was in the bathroom,” Peter replied casually, but something about his tone felt off.

Before I could press him further, Chloe walked in, her arms wrapping around me in a hug. “You’re back early! I thought your meeting would take forever,” she said, grinning up at me.

“Yeah, well, things didn’t go as planned,” I muttered, my mind racing.

She frowned, picking up on my tension. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said, brushing her off. Now wasn’t the time.

I hesitated to ask Chloe about the glass. What if it wasn’t her? I would be hurting her feelings by putting her in that position.

What if this was all part of Ava’s elaborate plan to take me down somehow? But that didn’t track either. Ava wouldn’t risk her sister’s life to make a point… would she?

Hell, was Holly in on this too? Were they faking it? But that didn’t sound right to me either.

I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration boiling over.

“You okay?” Chloe asked, her brows knitting together in concern.

“I’m fine,” I lied. I wasn’t. But I’d get to the bottom of this, no matter what.

After a tense exchange, Peter gathered the documents and got ready to leave. I gave him some instructions and to arrange a lunch meeting with a client for tomorrow. We were saying our goodbyes when the front door slammed open.

Ava stood there, frozen like she’d seen a ghost.

Her body jerked slightly as I stepped toward her, my hand brushing against her waist. The reaction was subtle, but it was there. Something wasn’t adding up.

Her supposed friendship with Peter… it wasn’t just ordinary, was it? The way he looked at her, the way she avoided eye contact with him—it was all too suspicious.

I told Ava to go upstairs, keeping my tone calm but firm. “You have something to do,” I said, watching her closely.

She didn’t argue, just turned and walked away after bidding Peter farewell.

Once she was out of earshot, I pulled Peter aside. “What’s your relationship with Ava?” I asked, keeping my voice low but sharp.

Peter hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. He bit his lip like he was holding back.

“Answer me,” I demanded.

Peter finally looked up. “I don’t want to disrespect you, especially since Ava is your wife now, but… we were close. Very close.”

I stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

He sighed and continued, “Ava wasn’t exactly innocent back in the day. She… she was the class whore. Almost every guy had their hands on her.”

Chloe, who had been lingering nearby, let out a sharp laugh. “I knew it! Ava’s always acted all high and mighty, but she’s just a cheap whore.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but not for the reasons they thought. Peter was lying. I knew he was because I was the one who took Ava’s virginity in Venice.

What really happened between him and Ava? I’ll need to dig deeper to find out. She seemed…scared.

I dismissed Peter with a wave. “Get back to work,” I said coldly, turning away from both of them.

Upstairs, I stood outside our room—but hesitated when I heard soft sobs coming from inside.

Why was Ava crying?

Part of me wanted to barge in and demand answers, but I held back. After what felt like an hour, I stepped inside, gently closing the door behind me.

She was sitting on the bed, an old box in her lap. The second she saw me, she slammed the box shut, clutching it like it held her deepest secrets.

I crouched in front of her, studying her swollen face. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“What’s in the box?” I asked softly, reaching out to touch her face.

“Don’t,” she snapped, jerking away. She stood up, trying to leave, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

“Let me go, Orion,” she said, her voice trembling.

I pinned her to the bed gently, leaning over her, but careful not to put my weight on her. “Why were you crying?” I asked, my voice low.

She glared at me, her rage and pain cutting deep.

Instead of stepping away, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling away. She got up immediately, like my touch burned her.

For some weird reason, I felt like comforting her in any way possible and that was the first thing that came to my mind.

“I spoke to the maid,” I said, trying to keep my tone neutral, brushing off her obvious indifference towards me. “She bought the juice and I made her drink it herself. I watched and nothing happened to her. Whatever affected Holly must’ve been added to the glass, not the juice. I think we should…”

Ava cut me off, her voice cold and sharp, slicing through me like a blade.

“I want a divorce.”