Chapter 3

It wasn't until I got to the station that I found out my neighbors had called the police more than once.

Officers had come by twice to issue warnings, but the group hadn't toned it down at all.

"Who organized this party?"

After the question was asked, everyone looked at Grace.

But no one spoke.

Grace stepped forward, opened her arms wide, and shielded everyone behind her.

"It was me."

"Officer, none of them had anything to do with it. If you're going to come down on anyone, come down on me."

She said it like a hero, but her arms were trembling slightly.

Before the officer could respond, Luca had already pulled her behind him.

"Officer, Ava invited us over. She's the tenant."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Noah immediately backed him up.

"That's right. We were all invited by Ava."

With two Dons leading the charge, the rest quickly fell in line.

I looked at Luca and Noah and spoke slowly.

"You both know that repeated late-night disturbances, after multiple warnings, can result in detention. Don't you?"

Neither of them said a word.

Of course they knew.

That was precisely why they couldn't bear to let Grace take the fall.

So they were going to pin it on me, the one person who had nothing to do with it.

In that moment, I lost every last shred of desire to deal with them.

"Officer, I have evidence."

I produced my records showing I had been at the office all night, screenshots from the building's security cameras, and timestamped records of the documents I had been printing.

After leaving the station, I went online and submitted my paperwork on an expedited basis.

Then I booked a flight to Australia, departing in five days.

When I got back to the apartment, I listed the place on a rental agency's website, then started cleaning up the wreckage.

The room was littered with little things Noah had given me.

Apart from the engagement ring, I had never accepted anything expensive from him.

I used to think every one of those small gifts was proof that he loved me.

Now they felt like slap after slap across my face.

For all I knew, the moment Noah handed me a gift, he was opening their group chat to give a live play-by-play of my reaction.

Telling them how gullible I was. How good I was at playing innocent.

The thought of it made me shove everything into a garbage bag.

I was about to head downstairs to throw it all out when the police showed up at my door again.

"Ms. Ava Brooks, based on multiple noise complaints on record, you are suspected of repeated late-night disturbances. If the allegations are substantiated, you may face detention and fines."

Bewildered, I went with the officers.

It wasn't until I was in the back of the car that I found out this wasn't the first time they had used my apartment for a party.

Noah had a spare key to my place.

Every time my relationship with him hit a new milestone, they would sneak over to my apartment to "celebrate."

Luca's lawyers had even assembled an entire chain of evidence.

Proof that I had regularly invited them over for parties and had been a repeat noise offender.

When we pulled up to the station, I ran into a crowd of people surrounding Grace as she was on her way out.

Luca spotted me and walked over.

"Ava, I'm sorry you had to go through this. Once you're out, we'll get married."

"Grace is too headstrong. If she gets penalized, it'll affect her career and her future."

"But you're different. Once you're out, you'll be Mrs. Romano. Quit your job if you want. I'll take care of you."

Grace let out a low whistle.

"You have to hand it to Ava. Five days in detention, traded for a lifetime as Mrs. Romano. Worth it."

I didn't acknowledge any of them and walked straight into the station.

Following procedure, I called Mr. Clark and explained the situation.

He arrived at the station quickly and helped clear my name completely.