n

n

nAvery supposed she could. She needed to think of good age-appropriate games that she didn't already have back at her place.

n

"I guess that works. Or I could just ask their mom what they like.

"

n

"Who are these kids, anyway?

" Christian asked as he loosened his tie.

"I thought the only kids you knew were Angelo's cousins. Do they belong to some new friend of yours?

"

n

"She's not exactly my friend…she's someone Angelo and I are helping out. It's what he called me about last night. This person we know is hiding from her abusive husband while she's trying to get a divorce.

"

nIt was close enough to the truth. Having a feasible excuse for why she was coming and going to drop off food randomly would be better than just disappearing on him for no reason.

n

"That's terrible!

" he exclaimed.

n

"Yeah. Her kids are probably stressed, which is why I wanted to get something for them,

" Avery sighed.

"It's a bad situation all around.

"

n

"You have a big heart, Avery. I'm sure you'll find the right present for them.

"

nDid she though? Did she really? Because she felt like if she did have a big heart she never would have gotten involved with him knowing it was a bad idea in the first place. She could never regret being with him but she had dealt with an awful lot of headaches since coming up with the bright idea to date her archnemesis.

nAvery's heart was so conflicted and confused that she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She was in this deep…all she could do was keep moving forward as best she could and pray Christian never found out the truth.

n

"Does the mom have a lawyer?

" he asked suddenly.

n

"Probably but I doubt it will make much difference. Her husband is a big shot and has access to the best lawyers money can buy.

"

nChristian grimaced.

"That always makes things difficult. I'll never understand the lawyers who defend people they know are scum but don't care because of the money.

"

nDespite Avery's frustration she wanted to smile. He really did care about justice even if they went about it in very different ways. He might work within a corrupt system but at least he didn't support all of it.

n

"Neither will I. This woman's husband is a real piece of work. We're concerned about her safety while the divorce proceedings go through so we're helping her hide.

"

nShe didn't know if the divorce would even be able to go through. Hunsacher wouldn't want that to happen so they might have to get Leah and the kids out of the country without getting it finalized. It would prevent her from being able to have a legal marriage again but that was a small issue in the grand scheme of things.

n

"I hate people like that,

" Christian muttered.

"Is she going to be okay? Is there anything I can do?

"

nAngelo would kill Avery if he knew she had mentioned this even in generics. It was better to keep him uninvolved.

n

"Angelo has things covered. I appreciate the offer though. I might be kind of busy lately since I'll need to bring things to the safe house a few times a week but I thought I should let you know.

"

n

"Thanks for keeping me in the loop,

" he said as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

nChristian went to go change out of his work clothes and Avery heaved a sigh of relief. Another half-truth successfully danced around. How much longer was she going to have to pull stuff like this off? It was getting harder and harder to deal with.

nAvery didn't want to think about it anymore. She wanted to savor being with her boyfriend while she had the chance. Who knew how much longer this happiness would last?

nEach day she had with Christian was more than she ever thought she would get. She had to take full advantage of every one.

nShe wished she had cherished her time with her dad more. It was too late for that now. One day he was here and the next he was gone. At least he knew how much she loved him. She didn't have regrets about that.

nLosing someone to death and losing them because of her own stupidity were two very different things. Her dad would still be with her if not for Nolan Hunsacher. If Christian found out the truth he would leave her and never come back even though he would still be out there somehow. And she would have no one to blame but herself.

nThe truth hung over her head like an anvil in a cartoon. Every day she felt more secure in her act because she had managed to get away with it for this long but what about when it inevitably fell? What would she do then?

nSuch thoughts wouldn't stop plaguing her throughout the week as she went about her day to day activities. She found a board game for Zack and Sydney and brought it over when it was her turn to deliver food. It didn't look suspicious to be bringing groceries to her own apartment so no one would ever guess.

nLeah was appreciative of both the food and the game. Avery hadn't interacted with her much but it was hard to imagine a woman like that being married to a monster like Nolan Hunsacher. She had said it was a mistake but still…

nPeople could get in over their heads. She knew that better than anybody. She was in over her head right now with stupid daydreams of a future that would be impossible as long as a secret tyrant was in charge of this country. Thinking about it was depressing her, honestly.

nBy the end of work Saturday she was so worn out that all she wanted to do was watch cake decorating videos. There was a new one from one of her favorite pages that dropped less than an hour ago and as she began watching it she couldn't help but sigh. It was a cake shaped like a ring box with a gorgeous amethyst engagement ring in side of it.

nCould she do something like that? The sugar work on the stone was incredible. She would have to experiment with candy making. Liam would likely storm the apartment the moment she did.

nAvery had experience with making chocolates but not much with making melted sugar decorations. Maybe giving that a try would help her destress with everything that was going on lately. Goodness knows she could use it.

nAs the video continued she saw the cake take full shape and the artist piped the words

"Will you marry me, Avery?

" on it. It was as if the universe was mocking her! What were the odds that someone would propose to a person who shared her name using one of her favorite cake artists when she desperately wished she could marry Christian but knew it was a terrible idea?

nShe nearly dropped her phone from shock when she looked away and saw her boyfriend kneeling in front of her with a ring box and ring identical to the one from the cake video. He smiled at her a bit nervously.

nIt was him! He was proposing to her! All she could do was stare at him helplessly as tears filled her eyes. How was she supposed to say no?

nAvery wanted to marry him more than anything. She had already come this far…

nGetting married wasn't really that different than moving in with him had been, was it? She would have to hide the same things. And with Leah involved she might not have to be Nox for too much longer. But if she did say yes Angelo was going to kill her.

nShe couldn't think about that right now. All of the reasons to say no were right at the forefront of her mind but she couldn't make herself do it. Not when Christian was looking at her like that.

nUnable to say either yes or no Avery could only nod and hold out her hand for him to slide the ring on her finger. Then she hugged him tightly before he could even get up and sobbed into his neck because of how overwhelmed she was.

nShe wanted to marry him. She wanted to marry him so much! What was she supposed to do in that situation? How could she turn him down even if this was the worst idea she ever had?

nWith so much potential to backfire on her she really should have said no. She shouldn't have let herself get swept along. She never should have decided to pursue him knowing he was Mercury in the first place!

nDating anyone as a villain would have been a bad idea but her archnemesis? Even if he was retired he still held a grudge. He specifically said he hoped they never saw each other again when they last parted as their alter egos. The irony wasn't lost on her.

n