n his threat. He drove me back to the luxury apartment in silence, the tension in the car so thick I c

nched. "You did this, didn't you? You made sure no one else would hire

and poured himself a drink, his movements slow and de

ou destroyed me! You stood in court and you lied. Y

. What I did, testifying, it was the only way to contain the damage. A few years in a low-security facility was better than a decade in a federal prison." He was trying to sell me

my tragedy. "You never believed in me," I whispered, the realization hitting me with the force of a physical b

me. "I believe you need me. You're brilliant, Ava, bu

h my face, and I recoi

. "Fine. Have it your way." He strode out onto the balcony, leaving t

I know. You were right. She's more broken than I thought." He was listening intently, nodding. "Okay. I'll handl

again a mask of confident control. He was a pupp