Bound Together

Ava’s POV

I am more than ready to fight back if they want war. I have Mason now.

As I tried to concentrate on my food, I could feel the tension in the air before I even noticed him. It was like the universe had shifted, pulling me toward something I didn’t want to face. I forced myself to keep eating, eyes fixed on Mason’s easy smile, but my hands had gone cold.

“Hey, are you sure that you’re okay?” Mason asked, setting down his fork, his brow furrowing slightly. He always noticed when something was off.

I opened my mouth to say yes, to brush it off like I always did, but then it happened.

Orion’s gaze locked on mine from across the restaurant. It was brief, just a flicker of recognition before he fully registered who he was seeing, but it was enough. Enough to make my pulse race, enough to make me want to disappear.

For a second, I thought he might look away and pretend like he didn’t see me. But no. He didn’t. His eyes darkened, sharp and calculating, as if he were trying to read me, trying to figure out why I was there. Next to him, Chloe leaned in, murmuring something in his ear, but he didn’t react. He was too busy staring at me.

“Mason,” I said quietly, not taking my eyes off Orion. “We should go.”

Mason followed my line of sight, and his jaw tightened when he saw Orion. His expression shifted from casual to protective in an instant. “Do you want me to handle this?” he asked, his voice low but steady.

“No. There’s nothing to handle.” I forced myself to exhale, to keep my composure. I wasn’t about to let Orion or Chloe ruin this for me. “Let’s just leave before this turns into something it doesn’t need to be.”

But before we could move, Orion stood, his chair scraping against the floor with an ominous screech. Chloe grabbed his arm, trying to stop him, but he shook her off. He was heading straight for us.

Damn it.

I braced myself, sitting up straighter as he approached. Mason tensed beside me, his fingers drumming lightly against the table. I could feel the weight of Orion’s stare as he closed the distance between us.

“Ava,” he said, his voice low and controlled, but there was an edge to it. “Didn’t expect to see you here or anywhere as a matter of fact.”

“I could say the same,” I replied coolly, meeting his gaze with as much indifference as I could muster. “But I guess even this city isn’t big enough to avoid certain people forever.”

“Absolutely not. Haven’t I done enough? I respected your wish not to show up at the company or the suite. How long are you prepared to let things linger this way?” he asked, his tone heavy.

“How about forever?” I replied firmly without batting an eyelid.

A flicker of something crossed his face—regret, maybe? Anger? It was hard to tell. Orion was always good at hiding what he really felt. But I knew him well enough to sense the tension radiating from him. He didn’t approach me for a casual chat.

Mason leaned forward slightly, his presence a quiet but firm reminder that I wasn’t alone. “Is there something you need, or are you just here to ruin our lunch?” he asked, his tone polite but biting.

Orion’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he might snap. But then he smiled—a cold, empty smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Just being polite. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. Thought I’d say hello.”

“Hello,” I said flatly. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we were in the middle of something.”

“Oh, Ava,” Orion began, his voice deceptively calm. “Did you forget to mention something? Like maybe… the divorce papers you sent two days ago?”

I met his gaze head-on, refusing to let him see how much his presence rattled me. “Nope. Just thought I’d save you the trouble of pretending you didn’t get them.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he found my boldness amusing. “Oh, I got them. But I didn’t sign them.”

Mason leaned forward, his voice firm. “You can’t just ignore divorce papers. That’s not how this works.”

Orion turned his gaze to Mason, giving him a once-over like he was sizing him up. “Cute. But irrelevant.” His eyes shifted back to me, his expression shifting into something far too familiar.

“Ava, do you know about the red string theory?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. “What?”

“The red string theory,” he repeated, as if explaining something to a child.

“It’s an old belief that certain people are connected by an invisible red thread, bound together by fate. No matter how far apart they are, no matter what obstacles come between them, they’ll always find their way back to each other.”

His smirk deepened. “You and me, Ava? We’re bound. And nothing can separate us—not divorce papers, not lawyers, not even you.”

Mason opened his mouth to argue, but Orion wasn’t done.

“And before you say anything about legalities…” He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “Remember that little document you signed? The one that said you wouldn’t bring up divorce again?”

“That’s because you practically held her hostage!” Mason snapped, his patience wearing thin. “She signed it under duress. I’m sure the lawyers will agree with me on that.”

Orion’s eyes flashed dangerously, but his tone remained calm. “Go ahead. Hire as many lawyers as you want. Take me to court.

Make a spectacle out of it. But let me be clear about one thing—no one is taking Ava from me. Not even Ava herself. That’s final.”

I opened my mouth to fire back, but before I could, Chloe appeared beside Orion, sliding her arm through his in a possessive gesture.

Her eyes met mine, and that same dark smirk from earlier played on her lips.

“Oh, don’t mind us,” she said sweetly, her tone dripping with false innocence. “We were just leaving anyway.”

“Good,” Mason said, his voice like steel. “Then there’s no need for this conversation to continue.”

Orion’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he allowed Chloe to tug him back toward their table. I didn’t watch them go. I couldn’t.

Mason reached across the table, covering my hand with his. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied, my voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s just… finish and get out of here.”

We ate in silence after that, but the tension never left. Even after we left the restaurant, even after we got back into the car, I could still feel Orion’s gaze on me, haunting me.

As Mason drove, I stared out the window, trying to push the memories away. But it was no use. They kept coming, relentless and unforgiving. Memories of Orion, of what we’d had, or of what we’d almost had.

“I’m sorry that happened,” Mason said quietly, breaking the silence.

“It’s not your fault,” I replied, turning to look at him. “Orion’s just… Orion. He doesn’t know when to let go.”

“Do you?” Mason asked, his eyes flicking to mine for a brief second before returning to the road.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t know how to.