**Chapter 52: A Girl Named Nora** Ava A guttural shout slices through the haze of my thoughts, forcing my eyes open. Ethan stands before me, clutching his shoulder, crimson blood seeping between his fingers. “Drop the fucking gun, Ethan! I swear I’ll blow your brains out!” Rowan’s furious voice cuts through the fog like a knife. Rowan—of all people—was the last person I wanted to see right now. The shame washed over me in waves. He had tried to caution me, but I had chosen to ignore him. I had chosen poorly. “I have the whole building surrounded,” Rowan threatens, his tone unwavering. “You’re outnumbered.” Just then, police sirens wail like banshees in the distance, relief quickly flooding my system. Ethan reluctantly lowers his gun, placing it on the ground. His eyes, dark and stormy, lock onto mine, pinning me to the spot. I want to look away, to escape from the reality of our shattered dreams, but I can’t. I need to bear witness to the fool’s errand I’ve embarked upon. “Ava, darling, look at me,” his voice calls out, pulling me from the icy grip of Ethan’s gaze. Only then do I fully register that Rowan stands protectively before me. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I confront his familiar face—his last words a haunting echo in my mind from two months ago. I focus on him, allowing his presence to be my anchor in this turbulent sea of despair. “I got you,” he whispers gently, his voice laced with kindness. Rowan wraps me in his embrace, and I fight against the urge to let the tears fall freely. My heart aches as my gaze shifts back to Ethan, now on the ground, the police cuffing him in a methodical manner. His wound seeps, but no one seems to notice or care. I watch in misery as they lead him away, each step he takes punctuating the death of a future I so desperately believed we shared. “Are you hurt?” Rowan’s voice pulls me back to reality, momentarily breaking the fog encasing my mind. I shake my head, my mouth a stubborn prison that refuses to utter a single word. What was there to say? Maybe if I played pretend, I could wake up and find this was all an elaborate nightmare. None of it registers. I notice Rowan’s lips moving, but his words are drowned out in the tumult of my disarray. I see Travis, shock written all over his face, accompanying Letty. Gabe walks in with a couple of officers, but it’s like watching a play from behind a veil. I am beyond numb; I might as well be shattered into a million pieces. Why? Why did he do this to me? Why go through the charade just to end up trying to kill me? Nothing made any sense. The anguish festered inside me as I continued to replay the moments we shared. I felt us moving, Rowan’s steady hand around my waist, guiding me. I was so lost in my head, in the depth of my anguish, that I didn’t even register the bumpy ride until we jolted into a parking lot outside the police station. Brian was waiting, leading us inside to take our statements. I floated through the motions, words escaping me like grains of sand through my fingers. The timeline blurred beyond recognition. “Ava…” Rowan’s gentle shake beckoned me back to reality. I blinked and found myself in a sterile white room, surrounded by familiar faces—Travis, Gabe, Letty, and even Emma, who loomed there like an unwanted specter. Letty’s head was bandaged, and instinctively, I reached up to touch my own. I didn’t even realize they had tended to me. “There was an ambulance at the warehouse,” Rowan explained, softly brushing my hair back from my face. “They checked you over and put the bandage on to stop the bleeding. Other than that, you’re fine.” I nodded, but then a wave of distress crashed over me. “What is she doing here?” I spat, pointing icily at Emma. The last thing I needed was for her to witness this unraveling of my very being. Silence hung in the air, thick and uncomfortable, as they glanced at me with sympathy I couldn't bear. Just as I considered ejecting everyone from the room, the door swung open, slamming against the wall. Ethan entered, still shackled, his shoulder wrapped and bandaged—at least it wasn’t bleeding anymore. “So, you requested to hear from Ethan, and here he is,” Brian said tiredly. “Maybe he can explain why he deceived everyone, including our entire department.” “He hasn’t said anything?” Travis questioned, pulling Letty closer to him as tears glimmered in her eyes. I understood the betrayal she must feel; I had introduced her to Ethan, forged connections we had all shared in laughter and warmth. Her anguish mirrored my own. “No, he refuses to say a word.” Brian’s tone was steady but weary. I faced Ethan, and his expression bore a cold intensity that drew me in against my better judgment. "Why? Why did you do this to me, Ethan?" I managed to voice, my tone tremulous. His impassive gaze bore into me, chilling and unyielding. What had happened to the warmth we once shared? Did he possess a switch for his emotions, easily flipping it between warmth and ice? Or was that warmth merely an illusion? If so, he was a masterful actor. “I wanted the company,” he replied, his tone so devoid of feeling it shocked me. The gravity of his words settled over me, and confusion clouded my thoughts. “What company?” I shot back. I didn’t own a company. I invested in them, but I held no claim to one—unlike Rowan. The only entity I dared to call mine was the Hope Foundation, an unlikely target for Ethan’s ambitions. “What company are you talking about, Ethan?” I pressed, desperation creeping into my voice. I needed to understand why he had played this cruel game with my heart. “I wanted your grandparents' company. I worked hard for it; it was only fair it was given to me,” he declared, his words deepening my confusion. “You’re not making any sense,” I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping me. “You did that for a company that I have no right to? If you wanted it so badly, you should have gone after Travis, considering it was left in his name!” Travis shot me a look of shock, but I didn’t care. Everyone knew that my grandparents and father hadn’t bequeathed me a dime. I didn’t even have shares in the family business like Emma did. Ethan sighed heavily, gathering the chaos within him before unearthing a bombshell. “I’m not talking about the Sharps. I’m talking about your real grandparents.” “What the hell are you talking about?” Travis boomed, his voice laced with disbelief. “Don’t listen to him, Ava. It’s probably bullshit.” I remained silent, unwilling to side with him. “It’s not bullshit. I am telling the fucking truth,” Ethan spat, turning to face me with renewed intensity. “Tell me you’ve never felt that they aren’t your real family. Tell me you’ve never doubted that you are truly a Sharp.” A lump formed in my throat, and panic coursed through me. I wanted to deny his claims, but the truth lay buried too deep—I had questioned my identity more than once. The way my family treated me in stark contrast to how they lavished love upon Travis and Emma gnawed at my core. I had envisioned taking a DNA test, desperate for confirmation that I belonged somewhere. “Deep down, you know the truth,” Ethan accused. “You know the Sharps aren’t your family. That’s why you never felt at home among them.” I turned my gaze away, unwilling to let them see the insecurity dancing in my eyes. I couldn’t allow them to unravel me further. “Did you really not see us as family?” Travis questioned quietly, hurt lacing his voice. “Does that surprise you?” I retorted, fire igniting within me. “I was never treated as one of your own! I’ve always been the outcast, watching from the edges while you all existed within your happy family.” “Oh please, spare us the pity party you throw for yourself,” Emma injected venomously. “What the hell is she doing here?” Ethan and I demanded in unison, casting incredulous glances at each other. “She’s your family, Mrs. Sharp,” Brian stated as if that explanation sufficed. “I don’t know what drugs you’re smoking, but no one in this room, except for Letty, is my family. I’d prefer if they all left, especially Emma.” The air grew thick with tension, but I stood firm; it was the truth. Family is one that cares, and no one here—except Letty—took a moment to care for me. “Can we just get back to Ethan?” Gabe interjected, seemingly desperate to steer the conversation. Ethan shrugged, his demeanor growing detached. “I’m going to tell you a story about a girl named Nora.” “Nora came from a middle-class family. Her father was a preacher, and both he and her mother were devout Christians. She was raised to follow God and the teachings of the Bible, rigidly adhering to them, until one day she met a boy—Theodore, though he preferred to be called Theo.” As he spoke, we became entranced. I had no idea where this tale was leading, but the suspense wrapped around us like thick fog. “They met at eleven years old, and despite her attempts to steer clear of him, inexorably, they drew closer. Their friendship blossomed into a relationship when they were thirteen. Nora knew it defied her parents’ teachings, and if they found out, dire consequences awaited her. But love held her captive, and she could not let go—neither could he.” “She thought it would be simple: hide their relationship until high school graduation and then escape to a distant college where they could finally be together unencumbered. But life has a way of disrupting the best-laid plans.” He took a deep breath, preparing us for the next turn. “Nora got pregnant at only fourteen. Theo pledged to shoulder the responsibilities because he loved her, yet their families learned of their plight. Nora’s father was especially outraged, demanding she terminate the pregnancy. When she refused, they cast her out.” With each word, my heart sank heavier, sensing the turbulence that the tale would bring. “Theo’s parents, on the other hand, were affluent, even owning a small city. When Theo explained the situation to them, they were initially upset but ultimately took Nora in.” “Though still young, they decided to keep the baby. As the pregnancy advanced, Nora’s parents began to realize they could benefit from the situation, especially once they recognized who had knocked their daughter up.” Disgust curled in my stomach at the thought of such parents, but I could hardly comprehend what was coming next. “After a few months, their true colors bled through. They demanded to retain custody of the baby, hoping to extract a fortune from their grandchild’s existence. Nora, Theo, and his parents fought against it, but to make the threat go away, Theo’s parents proposed a significant donation to their struggling church.” Ethan’s narration was devoid of warmth, almost robotic, and I couldn’t quite figure out what he aimed to achieve. “In an unexpected turn of events, Nora went into labor much too soon, despite her baby not being due for another month. Theo couldn't reach the hospital in time, his parents were away, and the labor proved laborious and long. When Nora finally delivered, silence reigned. There was no cry. Instinctively, she felt something was gravely amiss. Exhausted and weak from blood loss, she lost consciousness.” “When she woke, she was plunged into despair. Her baby had not survived. It was a stillbirth—an immeasurable agony for them both, knowing they had lost something they had eagerly anticipated holding.” I swallowed hard, dread curling through my veins. “Why are you telling us this?” I managed to choke out as fear enveloped me. “I’m telling you this because Nora and Theo are my parents,” he stated, leaving a beat of silence that felt like an eternity. “And more importantly, they are your parents too. You’re the child Nora carried when she was fourteen. You’re the baby that supposedly perished during childbirth.” As his words struck me like a crushing weight, the world around me grew dim. Everything shifted, and in that moment, my very existence unraveled.