Ava's POV
I sat elegantly in the backseat of a posh Mercedes-Benz as I adjusted the cuffs of my cream silk shirt. The fabric clung neatly to my skin, tucked into tailored pants that hugged my curves in just the right places. On the outside, I looked like a calm and put-together woman who had it all under control.
But the emotions swirling in my chest said otherwise.
You can do this, Ava, I whispered to myself.
"It's been ten years. It's time to let it go. Show them the naïve, timid, people-pleasing girl is gone."
With a deep breath, I reached for my Chanel handbag, my freshly manicured nails glinting against the black leather.
I stepped out of the car, I looked up at the mansion before me, the collins Mansion. My childhood home. The air felt heavy as I tried to suppress my bubbling emotions.
There was no one outside to welcome me. Somehow, that didn't surprise me.
In my mind, I saw the lonely little girl sitting at this same doorstep years ago, knees drawn to her chest, waiting for her parents to return home.
Oh, how foolish I was, I muttered with a scornful laugh.
Straightening my back, I lifted my chin high and walked toward the door with bold steps. Whatever awaited me inside, I was ready. Or so I thought.
The moment I stepped into the living room, vivid clips of my childhood assaulted me, the little girl with bangs and thick-rimmed glasses, wandering around this same room, lonely and invisible.
Another version of her stood by the window, staring out, hoping to see her parents' car drive in.
I turned toward the staircase, and another memory struck. The time I was down with a high fever and tried to make myself a warm drink. I had tumbled down those very stairs, bruising my knees and twisting my ankle. The memory made me wince.
"Ava, you're back?" A warm, soft voice echoed through the room.
Snapping out of my reverie, I turned to see my mother descending the stairs.
She called out for my father and brother as she walked toward me. "Honey! Blake! Come quickly, Ava's here!"
I stayed still, watching the woman who birthed me , the same woman whose warm embrace I once desperately craved. The thought made my lips curl in a self-deprecating smile.
"Hi, Mom," I drawled, watching her approach with open arms, acting as if this reunion was the most natural thing in the world, as if the bitter years of neglect didn't exist.
Her arms wrapped around me, and despite how much I wanted to feel nothing, I stiffened. No matter how strong I thought I'd become, her touch still managed to stir something deep in me.
"You're back," came a gruff voice that broke our uneasy embrace.
Father.
The man I once admired, looked up to, and tried to please endlessly.
I took a deep breath, forcing a polite smile. My eyes moved from Mother, still clinging to my arm lovingly, to Father, with his usual stern face, and then to Blake, the apple of their eyes, the heir to the collins Empire, my younger brother, who stood at the top of the stairs, his arms crossed, studying me like a rival.
This is my family, I thought bitterly.
After the 'warm' welcome, I went to my room. Nostalgia hit me instantly. Nothing had changed. My old teddy bear, worn out by the ears, still lay in the corner. My entire childhood seemed to swirl around me in that small, familiar space.
It was harder than I'd imagined. I thought nothing could affect me anymore. I thought I had outgrown the pain. I thought…
"Ava, come down for dinner!" Mom's voice echoed, breaking my thoughts.
At least they remembered to prepare a welcome-back dinner, I grumbled silently.
The dining room looked exactly the same, gold chandeliers, the long mahogany table that always felt too big for a family that never fit together.
Father sat at the far end, silent. Mother took her seat beside him, smiling like she wanted to convince herself she was happy to see me. Blake slouched in his chair, tapping away on his phone.
Hearing my footsteps, he drawled without lifting his head, "You took your sweet time, princessss."
"Blake!" Mom chided in what I supposed was meant to be a stern voice.
Oh, what a day.
"Your little company's doing well, I heard" Father said finally, breaking the silence, his tone casual, his eyes still fixed on his plate.
"Doing fine," I replied, cutting into my steak. "We just closed a major deal last month."
Blake chuckled. "Well, congratulations, sister. You've managed to survive without us. Impressive."
His voice,laced with sarcasm, but I only smiled. "Surviving was never the problem."
A heavy silence followed, Mother's eyes flickered between us as if afraid to breathe too loudly.
A flash of memory hits me at thirteen, sitting at this same table, listening to my parents praise Blake for a science prize I helped him win. The bitterness rose, but I swallowed it down with a sip of wine.
I wasn't that girl anymore. They wouldn't see me vulnerable again.
"So, why am I here, Dad?" I asked finally. The question had been bothering me since I got his call - asking me to return. For ten years, we'd barely spoken. They never even invited me home for the holidays. So why now?
He finally looked up to meet my gaze. "You'll find out on Saturday. We'll be meeting some people then, so dress well."
And that was it. No explanation, no warmth. Just business.
Clenching my fists under the table, I took a slow, deep breath.
Before I could ask further, Blake interrupted yet again. And this time I nearly shut him up with my fist.
"Ah, sister, are you going to the reunion?" he asked, mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Reunion?" My mind drifted to the email I'd gotten a few weeks back in Seattle, the one I'd moved to trash without a second thought.
"You don't plan on going? Come on! Aren't you all confident and beautiful now? At least you got rid of those glasses. I'm sure your classmates would love to see the new you." He chuckled.
"Oh, and I also heard…" He leaned forward, his eyes sharp and teasing. "Nathaniel will be attending."
That name. My eyes shook and my grip tightened on the cutlery unconsciously, the emotions I'd kept buried for years threatened to resurface right there.
"You should go. Who knows what'll happen?" he said, leaning back, satisfied with himself.
I bet my eyes betrayed the calm expression on my face, He'd gotten exactly what he wanted. My reaction to the one name that still haunted me.
Nathaniel.
The name I loathed.
Clenching my fists, I rose from my seat.
"I'm done. Thanks for dinner. If you'll excuse me, please."
I turned towards my room, but not before giving Blake a long, cold stare, which he returned with a mischievous smirk.
Guess my return won't be as peaceful as I hoped.