AVA'S POV
The road back felt different.
Not because the trees had changed or the buildings had shifted, but because I had. I no longer sat in the passenger seat as someone pretending to belong.
I was no longer hiding behind a name I was forced to bear. For once, I was driving back into the city as me, Ava Monroe Kingsley, without shame, secrets, or silence.
Ethan glanced over occasionally as he drove, as if checking to see if I was still okay. Still grounded.
"I'm not going to shatter," I finally told him, a faint smile on my lips. "I'm tired, sure. But I'm not afraid anymore."
"Good," he said, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. "Because we still have a lot to do."
That was an understatement.
