Page 26 of Fractured Faceoff

“So, he deserves this?” My tone sharpened, disbelief edging my words.

“Look,” Jared started, his grip tightening on the wheel again. “I’ve always wanted Ava. From the first time we met. And I told him, I told Kash how I felt about her. Do you remember that Heart Dance?”

“The Valentine’s Day one?” I asked. “When Kash and Ava first got together?”

“I told him I was going to ask her,” he said. “I was going to buy her daisies, her favorite flowers. I even spent fifteen dollars on the fancy chocolates she liked in that heart box. I told him everything.”

“But Kash did that.”

“He did,” he growled. “He stole her from me.”

“She didn’t choose you,” I countered, my voice firm. “She chose Kash.”

He looked away; the silence stretching between us.

“She did,” I repeated softly but firmly. “She’s stayed with Kash. Want to know why? Kash is safe. Ava likes the thrill, but she’s not willing to risk anything real. She wants to be wanted. She wants power over men who cross a line. It’s her thing. It makes her feel desired. And the men fall for it until she gets over it.”

“She told me?—”

“She’s a liar,” I cut him off, shaking my head.

“You don’t know that,” he insisted, his voice rising slightly.

“You probably freaked her out by moving here,” I said, trying to keep my tone even.

“She told me—” he began again.

“She’s a liar,” I repeated firmly, my eyes locking onto his.

He flinched again. The silence that followed was thick with unspoken truths and bitter realities neither of us wanted to face.

Jared's shoulders slumped further as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, refusing to meet my gaze again. The hum of the truck's engine filled the space between us as we drove on intense silence.

I leaned back in my seat. He wanted so desperately to believe in something that was never real—a fantasy spun by Ava's manipulative charm.

"Why not just tell me?" Jared finally asked, breaking the silence. His voice sounded strained, almost desperate. "Why not just break things off then? Why tell me to move here? Why string me along like this? Why not just… stop?"

I sighed, leaning back in my seat and closing my eyes for a moment. I didn't want to have this conversation, but it was clear we weren't getting anywhere otherwise. "You want my honest answer?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice firm. "I do."

"Because Ava likes to know you would," I said flatly, opening my eyes and turning to look at him. I twisted my seatbelt in my hands.

He frowned, confusion etched across his face. "What does that mean?"

"Ava throws out things," I explained, my voice steady but tired. "She wants to push her limits, wanting to see what you would actually do for her."

"Shouldn't that show her what I'm willing to do for her?" he asked, his frustration evident.

"No," I said slowly, shaking my head. "If anything, it repels her. It's not fun for her anymore. Knowing you're eating out of her hand bores her."

Jared made a face.

"It's true," I continued, meeting his gaze. "She gets off on the chase. The minute she knows she's got you completely, she loses interest."

"But that doesn't make sense," he protested weakly.

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Jared, have you ever heard of intermittent reinforcement?"

---