My Forced Husband Is A Billionaire

Chapter 8

Third Person's POV

Ava stood frozen in the garden, her heart racing as Liam walked in. Her heart was breaking for him; his face looked pale.

From the age of seven, after the horrible incident, Ava had been left on her own one too many times. She was used to doing things for herself and making her own choices, and it had always worked well enough for her.

Until today. Here she was, facing a future dictated by others.

“Natalia, you know this isn’t right!” Ava snapped, her voice trembling as she spoke, tears filling her eyes.

Liam, on the other hand, had a frown etched on his face. “You can’t just decide this for us.”

Natalia crossed her arms, a smirk forming on her face. “It’s not just a decision, Liam. It’s a necessity. Ava’s future depends on this.”

Ava's head snapped up towards Natalia, their gazes meeting. “What do you mean by my future? This is my life! I have plans. I have dreams!” she exclaimed.

Her mother interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Dreams won’t pay your dues, Ava. If you don’t comply, we will make sure everyone knows you’re a failure. The pictures... the rumors... they’ll ruin you.”

“Ruin me?” Ava's voice echoed, disbelief evident on her face. “You can’t be serious! You would do that to your own daughter? Your own sister?” she asked, turning to face Natalia.

“You have no idea what you’re up against, do you?” Natalia’s tone was firm, her lips set in a wide smile, as if this was her happiest moment.

“You think you can fight this? If you don’t marry Liam, we will release the images and make it look like you are a good-for-nothing sl*t. You’ll be branded a joke in the business world.”

Ava’s heart sank into her stomach. “What do you want from me? I've tried to be a good daughter. I've tried to prove that I'm not a bad person. Why do you still hate me so much?” Ava cried, tears freely falling down her reddened cheeks.

“It’s simple,” her mother replied. “You marry Liam, and everything will go back to normal. You will still have the Patel name and can continue your career without anyone knowing about your whorish nature.”

Liam, seeming to have had enough, cut in. "She's not a w***e, and you know it. You know we didn't have s*x. You must have photoshopped the pictures,” he emphasized.

“I’m not marrying Ava. That’s not right. I'll only marry the woman I love or will grow to love.”

“Right or wrong, it doesn’t matter,” Natalia shot back, her tone changing into one of pity. Fake pity. “You’ll do this, Liam. And I can't marry you. I don't love you.”

Ava looked between them, with tears threatening to spill, and declared, “You can’t force me into a marriage.”

“We’re not forcing you, Ava. We’re offering you a way out of being rejected at every company you ever apply to,” Natalia insisted, leaning closer, her expression intense. “But if you don’t take it, there will be consequences.”

Saying that, Natalia leaned down toward Ava’s ear. “You need to understand something, Ava. If you don’t comply, we'll let everyone know your other dirty little secret,” she whispered, making Ava freeze in her spot.

Natalia leaned back, a smirk playing on her lips as she smirked at Ava’s pain-filled face. “You see, you can never escape this, sister. Or else...” she trailed off, ending her sentence with a wink thrown at Ava.

Ava’s mind raced as she tried to protest, but she couldn't find the words to use. She looked into her sister’s eyes and saw a glimmer of something malicious—a look of evil that made her blood run cold. Natalia is the devil, she thought.

“The wedding will be in two weeks,” Natalia declared, her words and tone leaving no room for argument.

Tears streamed down Ava’s face as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, as she realized she couldn’t fight this. “No...” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

“Ava,” Liam said softly, his expression filled with concern. “Don't give in, it's your life. Say no.”

Ava glanced towards him and shook her head. Then, with tears in her eyes, she sprinted off in the direction of her room.

“Ava! Where are you going?” She heard Liam call out, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t face him, not now. The shame of not being able to fight for herself settled in.

Ava stumbled into her room, slamming the door behind her and flopping face down onto the bed.

She clutched her phone tightly, staring at the picture Natalia had taken and sent. How could they be so wicked to play her like this? It wasn't her fault that what happened on her 7th birthday had happened.

Heartbroken, Ava threw her phone onto the floor, her hands shaking as she buried her face in her palms. “God, what do I do?” she whispered the prayer into the silence, tears endlessly running down her face.

As she sat there, the sound of a soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

“Ava? It’s me, Liam,” he said, his voice soft. “Can I come in?”

Ava hesitated for a moment, torn between the desire to see him and the fear of what he might say. But realizing they were both involved, she nodded before realizing he couldn’t see her.

She moved to the door and opened it to let him in, turning away as soon as his face came into view.

His eyes were filled with concern as he approached her, sitting down on the bed beside her.

“You don’t have to do this, Ava. You know that, right?”

"What choice do I have?” she asked, her voice cracking. “If I don’t marry you, they’ll destroy everything I’ve worked for. I can’t let that happen.”

Liam sighed heavily, running a hand through his thick hair in frustration. “This isn’t just about them. It’s about you, Ava. You deserve to have a say in your own life.”

"How about you?" she whispered. "What happened after the call?"

Liam sighed, a lost look taking over his features.

"When I got to the room, Natalia sent me to the bathroom. When I got out with what she wanted, I didn't see her in the room. I went towards the door only to find it locked," he explained, running his hands through his hair, making a strand fall on his face.

"I called Natalia but only got a text in response. It was a live video. She was getting engaged to Jim Dallas downstairs. I thought it was a prank, but it wasn't. She played me."

Ava's face twisted into one of anger. That was cruel, she thought.

Seeing Liam's heartbroken look, she realized something. That was Natalia's plan—to break this man and ruin her life.

And she'd be damned before that ever happened.

"Liam," she called, making him look at her. "How about we make their plans fail?"

Liam's eyebrows furrowed, his mind wondering what she had in mind.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want us to make them regret this. I've had enough. They expect to break us because of this. But we'll be stronger and humiliate them."

Liam's expression softened as he looked at her with a mix of determination and concern. “Whatever you're planning, Ava, I'm with you. Just tell me."

Ava smiled. Natalia and her mother would soon get what's coming to them. With that, her lips spread into a wide smile as she clearly enunciated:

"I'll marry you, Liam."