My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back

Ava arrived at her father's house and found him in the study, her heart pounding as she laid eyes on him. The sight of her father, alive and well, sitting at his desk with a file in hand, overwhelmed her with emotions. She couldn't stop her tears from falling.

Hearing the creak of the door, Thomas glanced up. He was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter.

"Ava! Is that really you?" The delight was evident in his tone.

"Papa!" Ava choked, rushing across the room and throwing herself into his arms like she had when she was a child.

Thomas's heart sank as he heard her sob. "Why are you crying, Ava? Did anyone say something to you? Did Dylan make you sad?"

The mention of Dylan made her mood even more bitter. Ava instantly stopped sobbing. She didn't want to think about that man, let alone talk about him.

"I just missed you a lot." She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, trying to steady herself. "I haven't been the daughter you deserved all these years. I neglected you. I didn't take care of you like I should have. But I want to rectify my mistakes."

Her voice regained steadiness as she met his gaze. "You've always wanted me to support you in the business. Well, I'm ready now. I'll join the company and work alongside you."

In her past life, she had foolishly handed over her shares of Williams Holdings to Dylan, trusting him blindly. But not this time. This time, she would fight to protect her father, their company, and their legacy. Dylan wouldn't get a second chance to ruin everything.

Thomas blinked, clearly moved by her words, but he could see the change in Ava that had been missing in the past year. It was as if she had resumed the confidence she used to have before marrying Dylan.

He smiled, appreciating the change in her. "That's awesome. I'm proud of you. But before you make any decisions, you'll need to talk with Dylan."

"Why? This is my decision," she protested, frustration evident on her furrowed brow. "Why should I need his permission?"

Thomas sighed, his expression turning bleak. "Things have been difficult over the past year," he admitted, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. "The company's struggling. We've been running at a loss, losing clients, and facing project cancellations," he explained grimly.

"Dylan has been helping us, investing in our projects. In other words, we are dependent on him. If you want to work at our company, you need to convince him first."

Ava's heart sank as she processed his words. It was the same as before. At the time, she hadn't suspected Dylan's intention, believing that he was genuinely trying to help her father. But now, with the knowledge of her past life, she saw the clear picture.

This was just Dylan's plan to gain control over Williams Holdings.

'No, I won't let him destroy us this time,' she resolved.

Nodding firmly, she said, "Alright, Papa. "I'll talk to Dylan when he gets back from his trip. But until then, I want to stay here with you." Her smile resumed as she hugged him again.

"This is your home. You can stay here as long as you want." Thomas patted her head lovingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long meeting, Dylan finally arrived at the hotel. Loosening his tie, he pulled out his phone, expecting a barrage of missed calls or messages from Ava.

But there was nothing. No missed calls, no texts.

The screen was empty, and it made him frown with disbelief.

Last night, Ava had called him like a hundred times, her texts flooding his phone. Dylan had ignored every single one of them intending to hurt her. He wanted her to feel neglected. But today, there was nothing from her.

It was unusual.

'What is this woman up to?' he wondered. Suddenly, his mood turned sour, and he tossed his phone away.

"Did you receive Ava's calls?" he asked his assistant. He pinched his nose bridge in an attempt to ward off the uneasiness that started creeping in.

"No, sir," Justin, his assistant, replied. "But I did receive a call from the guard. Madam was rushed to the hospital last night."

Dylan's head shot up, feeling his stomach dropping suddenly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he yelled.

"I-I am sorry, sir," Justin stuttered. "You told me not to inform you about anything related to her, so I—"

Before Justin could finish, Dylan felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him. His chest tightened painfully. He had the impression that an invisible hand was squeezing his breath away.

As he struggled to breathe, some scenes crossed his mind, disorienting him further. He saw Ava in pain, her tear-streaked face, her fragile form lying on the floor.

He blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, but those scenes only grew more vivid as if he had been living those moments. The guilt hit him like a punch to the gut, and he stumbled, gripping the back of the sofa to steady himself.

The room around him blurred at that moment.

Flashback…

Dylan saw himself entering his family mansion, his steps heavy. He stood in front of his parents' photograph mounted on the wall, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Mom, Dad…I finally avenged you," he mumbled.

He had finally achieved the victory he had been waiting for. It was the moment of celebration. Instead, a gnawing emptiness consumed him. He had spent years plotting and scheming, ensuring that Thomas Williams and his family would suffer the same way he had after his parents' death. And yet, his heart felt heavier than ever.

"But…why am I not happy? Everything went according to plan… so why do I feel like this?"

Finally, his revenge was completed. Shouldn't he be happy? But why was he sad? It was as if his heart was tearing apart."

He blinked his tears away. "I wanted to see her in pain. "But every time I saw Ava cry, it hurt me. Every time…" After a moment of pause, he added, "I think I love Ava."

"Mr. Brooks…" The door swung open with a loud creak. Justin hurried in, his face pale and alarmed. "There is something wrong with the findings."

Dylan hastily wiped his tears away and frowned at him.

"Mr. Williams was innocent," Justin said with a grim face. "He didn't kill your parents." He handed him a folder.

The thunder clapped loudly, but Dylan felt the lightning strike him. He snatched the folder from Justin's hands. His fingers trembled as he opened it, flipping through the documents. The truth, glaring back at him in black and white.

"What have I done?" he mumbled in a daze, his breathing catching in his throat. His mind struggled to process the reality. "I was accusing them wrongly for all those years."

He had never smiled at Ava warmly in the past five years. His sole motive was to make her suffer to get back to Thomas Williams. But in the end, he found out that he had been wrongly accusing them. He had even killed Thomas.

How was he going to face Ava?

The folder slipped from his hands and scattered across the floor, but Dylan didn't even notice. He was lost in the whirlwind of his own guilt.

"Ava! Can you forgive me?"

He needed to see her, to apologize, to beg for her forgiveness. But how could he face her after all he had done? How could he ever make this right?

"I-I have to go to her," he stammered and dashed out of the house, not caring about the heavy downpour.

Half an hour later, Dylan burst into the villa. "Ava!" he called out.

His eyes scanned the room, but the sight that met him stopped him dead in his tracks. There, lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, was Ava.

His heart sank like a stone.

"No, Ava, no…" In a frantic daze, Dylan rushed to her side and fell to his knees. For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at her lifeless body. His hands shook as he gently cradled her limp form into his arms, pulling her close to him.

She was cold. The warmth of her body was gone. Ava was already dead.

"Why didn't you give me a chance to apologize? You want me to regret it for the rest of my life. Please come back to me."

He held her close to his chest and cried.

"Mr. Brooks – sir, open your eyes."

Suddenly, he felt a cold splash of water hit his face, snapping him out of the nightmarish vision.

Dylan gasped, his eyes flying open.

"Are you okay?"

"Ava! I-I need to find her," Dylan stammered, still struggling to breathe. "Get the jet ready. Now. I have to go to her."