3


    19%1 +5


    Ava had no idea who sent that photo. Maybe it was just someone trying to push her away from Bud.


    Seeing her friend like this, Mona pulled Ava in for a hug. "Ava, if you need to cry, then go ahead. Let it out. Once you''re done, we can forget all about Bud. Seriously, you''re incredible-you''ve got a good family, you''re beautiful, and there''s a great guy out there waiting for you."


    This life wasn''t what Mona had pictured. Aftering back to life, she had saved Ava from dying on the operating table, but it had brought its own heartaches.


    Still, being alive was a win. The pain would fade, and eventually, someone woulde along to bring light back into her heart.


    "But will there really be someone who makes me feel the way Bud does?" Ava asked quietly, doubt heavy in her voice.


    She had spent years of her life waiting, and Bud was the only guy who ever made her heart race and her cheeks flush.


    "Absolutely! There will be," Mona said firmly.


    16


    Meanwhile, in a hotel room, Bud groaned as he woke up with a pounding headache. He looked around in confusion, thinking, ''Where the heck am I? What happened?''


    When he moved his hand, he touched something warm and immediately pulled back, ncing at the woman next to him. His heart raced.


    "Who-Who are you?" Bud blurted out, panic setting in.


    Last night, he''d been at a ball, toasting with a few too many drinks. Everything got blurry after that, and now he was here with a woman. He really wished someone could tell him what had happened.


    Then it hit him-he waspletely naked. He scrambled for the nket on the bed, covering himself as fast as he could. But when he did, he realized the woman beside him was in the same state. It was definitely a sight he didn''t want to dwell on, so he quickly let the nket fall back.


    He bent down, scooping up his clothes from the floor and throwing them on. As he got dressed, he noticed the the bed was wrapped up in the nket, crying her eyes out, lookingpletely devastated.


    Bud''s eyes flicked to the smear of red on the sheets and then back to the woman. Panic set inst night must have lot further than he remembered


    Once he was dressed, the woman finally stopped crying and looked at him, confusion written all over her face.


    gone


    "What happened between usst night?" Bud asked, trying to sound calm as he tossed the rest of her clothes onto the bed.


    "We did what we did. Don''t you want to take responsibility?" she replied, her voice a bit shaky. Those big, almond-shaped eyes of hers were locked on him, almost pleading.


    For some reason, her stare made him a little uneasy. "Look, if you want me to take responsibility, I''m not the type to run away, Bud said, trying to sound nonchnt.


    He had always flown solo, but if he really did sleep with her, he wasn''t about to bail on her. Still, the details were fuzzyst night was a total blur.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I-I want you to take responsibility. This was my first time," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, looking super shy.


    a


    BR


    Her words hit him hard. With the blood stain right there on the sheets and both of them naked, something definitely happened. He just couldn''t recall any of it because he had been so out of itst night. +5


    "Okay, let''s start with introductions. I''m Bud Ray. I work at Carter Group. What about you? What''s your name? And can you fill me in on what exactly went downst night?" he asked, eager to understand the whole situation.


    "I, um, my name is Chelly Sterling. I just graduated and teach at the elementary school next door.


    "Last night, I was working part-time as a waiter at that ball. You came up to me all tipsy, asking for the exit. I figured you needed a hand, so I helped you out. I asked where you lived, but you didn''t tell me.


    "I couldn''t just leave you on the street, you know? So I took you to the hotel, but once we got to the room, you got, well, a little wild. I couldn''t really handle it. So, um, the two of us-" By the end of her story, Chelly was crying, burying her face under the nket. Bud listened, trying to piece together what had happened. He vaguely remembered Chelly supporting him.


    Seeing her cry, he felt lost. This sweet girl had been hurt because of him, and he had no clue how tofort her.


    Then, he patted her back, trying to sound gentle. "Chelly Sterling, right? I''ll just call you Chelly. I''m not a bad guy. What happened yesterday was on me, and I honestly can''t remember it all. But how do you want me to make it right? Whatever it is, I''ll do my best." Chelly sniffled softly, and after a long pause, she said, "Can I, um, can I ask you to be my boyfriend? My mom''s been pushing me to find someely, and since we''re in this situation, maybe we could give it a shot? Is that cool?" Bud nodded without a second thought. "Sure."


    He had already been thinking about settling down, so this didn''t seem like such a stretch after all. Just like that, Bud and Chelly''s rtionship got off to an unexpected start.


    At this point, Ava and Mona had been hanging out for a while, enjoying their lunch. By the afternoon, Ava was starting to ept that Bud was with someone else.


    Still, Ava couldn''t shake the need to get some closure on her feelings. She wanted to ask Bud about everything, even if she wasn''t sure where it would lead. Hearing it straight from him was all she needed.


    Mona could see that Ava was going to be restless until she got her answers, so she didn''t try to change her mind.


    Before long, Ava found herself parked outside Bud''s ce. She was practically a regr there, and the staff all knew her well. Some even treated her like she was part of the family.


    Ava sat on the sofa in the living room, her nerves kicking in. When a servant came by to offer her something to eat or drink, she waved it off. Her eyes were glued to the door, just waiting for Bud to walk in.


    Watching her, the servants exchanged curious nces. They wondered if something had happened between the two of them and even debated whether they should call Bud to let him know.


    But in the end, they didn''t have the guts. Instead, one of the servants just shot Bud a quick message.