NICHOLAS’S POV

My phone rang on the desk as I was shutting a file. Ava’s name popped up on my screen, and I couldn’t help but smile. I answered on the first ring.

Her voice was tense, almost trembling. “Nicholas… your mother is here.”

For a moment, I froze, her words cutting through me.

Fuck. Not now. Not like this. That’s so fast.

“I’m coming home,” I muttered, already grabbing my keys.

My heart raced, not from joy, not from longing, but from unease. That woman was no one ...