The taxi rolled quietly through the evening traffic as Ava stared out the window, her chin resting against her hand.
"Are you okay, miss?" the taxi driver suddenly asked.
Ava turned to him, startled. Hidden behind oversized sunglasses, she forced a smile while thinking.
Was she okay? she wondered. The answer came swiftly to her.
Probably not, and in more ways than one.
Her smile almost faltered at the thought.
But how else, Ava thought, could you categorize someone who attended the trial of the man she'd once believed was the love of her life but who now was a reputed criminal whose name alone struck terror into the hearts of most people in Havari City?
No, fine wasn't an apt description for her. Someone who couldn't move on from dating such a horrendous person.
Not that his notorious reputation was what personally irked Ava about Maxim Holloway.
No.
Her problem with Maxim was that five years ago, after promising he'd always love her forever, he'd disappeared from her life at a time when she needed him most.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Nothing.
All these years later, Ava hadn't even begun to heal from the whole thing. Her heart was still as broken as the day when he suddenly abandoned her, leaving Ava to rot in prison.
Maxim Holloway was a pig, Ava told herself. She knew it in both her brain and her heart.
But did knowing that and seeing him today make her get over him?
Not at all.
If anything, seeing him again had only reopened those old wounds and reminded her how hopelessly stuck in the past she still was.
Ava cleared her throat before replying to the driver.
"I'm completely fine, sir."
"Riiiight," the driver said slowly, sounding thoroughly unconvinced. His expression in the mirror also seemed dubious, but thankfully, he didn't push.
Ava sighed and turned back to the window again, ignoring him in favor of her own thoughts.
Get over him already, Ava, she told herself. Maxim Holloway is not worth a single one of your thoughts.
He is a douchebag.
Not to mention a dangerous criminal.
...Well, an alleged dangerous criminal, Ava corrected herself.
The man had just been acquitted of every charge against him.
Not that anyone in that courtroom—including her—believed he was innocent.
The Holloways had been linked to too many shady dealings over the years for her to believe that this case was any different.
And Maxim certainly hadn't behaved like a man who'd been falsely accused, glaring at everyone, including the jury, and radiating arrogance.
But somehow, he'd still walked free. Ava still shook her head in disbelief at the outcome. His lawyer had been good, but the evidence against Maxim had been overwhelming, to say the least.
The fact that he was acquitted could only mean that some kind of foul play was involved, Ava thought to herself.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Part of her was still unable to believe that the man she had loved was capable of such criminal acts. To think she'd once believed he was better than all of this, better than his family.
The taxi stopped at a red light, pulling Ava from her thoughts as she jostled in her seat.
When she looked up, she caught the driver watching her through the rear-view mirror.
When he didn't seem to have any intention of looking away, Ava immediately concluded that he was checking her out. She wasn't surprised by this. Throughout the course of her life, people had been telling her that she possessed a very beautiful face.
For that reason, Ava didn't normally mind being checked out ( who could blame them,really?)
But she drew the line at it being done by the person driving her car.
She raised an eyebrow at the taxi driver, who continued staring even after she caught him in the act.
"Eyes on the road, please," she said. "I'd rather not survive another giant emotional disaster in my life only to die in a traffic accident."
The driver chuckled softly before looking forward again with a sheepish expression.
"I'm sorry. You're right," he said quickly. "I was just wondering..."
Ava's expression became confused.
"Excuse me? Wondering what?"
He gestured toward her outfit.
"What's with the all-black look? Hoodie, scarf, boots, sunglasses... You look like a really bad spy."
Ava gasped at these words and glanced down at herself while considering his words.
She had dressed like this, hoping to blend into the crowd at the courthouse so that no one would recognize her, especially Maxim.
But according to this driver, her clothes may have had the exact opposite effect. Ava's cheeks immediately became red, feeling more foolish than she'd ever felt in her thirty years.
"I thought it looked stylish," she said to the driver, not meeting his eyes.
"Well, I don't know about that," he replied with a grin. "But it's certainly eye-catching..."
Ava looked away again and silently cursed at his words.
That was the very last thing she'd wanted to hear, given what she'd set out to achieve that day. Her only consolation was that no one at the courthouse had seemed interested in her.
Everyone's attention had been on Maxim Holloway and the trial.
Well, everyone except Maxim.
She could be wrong, but Ava could have sworn she'd caught him looking in her direction more than once.
Had he recognized her?
Probably not, she thought.
The hood, scarf, and sunglasses had hidden most of her face.
She had nothing to worry about, she told herself, playing with her fingers. Even after reassuring herself, Ava found that she was still nervous about the thought.
What if Maxim had recognized her? What would he have thought?
Had he laughed to himself about her, thinking how pathetic she was for showing up five years after they'd separated?
Or, worse, maybe he'd just been indifferent because she'd never meant anything to him at all.
Ava swallowed at the thought, her heart threatening to break all over again.
As despair started to wash over her, an entirely different thought occurred to her.
Wait, what if... what if seeing me had reminded Maxim of the amazing relationship we'd once had and how good a girlfriend I was to him? And maybe he'd finally realized what an idiot he'd been for letting me go.
Ava bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the thought.
As if that would happen.
After five years of silence, Maxim suddenly decides that he wanted her back?
The thought made no sense. It was completely impossible, even.
But if that did happen, Ava couldn't help thinking, fists clenching , she certainly wouldn't let that piece of trash back into her life.
Would she?
"We're here," the driver announced before Ava could answer herself.
She blinked and looked outside.
The familiar neighborhood café where she worked as a waitress came into view, along with the window of the small apartment she rented above it.
Home.
Ava reached into her purse, paid the fare, and reached for the door.
"Thank you, sir," she told the driver.
"My pleasure. Here, take this."
The driver had turned and was holding out a card to Ava.
"It's my number," he clarified when Ava looked momentarily confused.
She accepted it for the sake of politeness, frowning as she looked at him and the card.
"Why are you giving me your number... Jackson Parker?"
He shrugged innocently.
"In case you ever need a ride... or fashion advice."
Ava gaped at him for a moment before rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Very funny, Jackson," she told him before getting out of the car.
Jackson didn't reply to this. He just drove away, chuckling to himself.
As he went, Ava smiled, hoping the rest of her day would be as cordial as this moment.
The universe, however, didn't comply with her sincere request.