Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 188: Who Took Advantage Of Who?

Chapter 188: Who Took Advantage Of Who?

Avery’s head lifted slowly, and her eyes found his to see that they were clouded with guilt, disbelief, something dark and unbearable.

"You’re supposed to be strong," she said softly, her voice nearly cracking.

Archie blinked. "What?" His brow creased in confusion.

"If you’re strong," she continued, "then how did I overpower you and have my way with you, huh?"

His frown deepened, "What are we talking about here?"

Avery gestured weakly between them. "Isn’t it obvious?" Her tone turned bitter as she continued, "Something happened between us. And we both know we were never attracted to each other. That means... one of us must’ve been drunk. One of us took advantage of the other."

She laughed dryly, the sound brittle. "And it clearly wasn’t you. You hate me. You wouldn’t touch me unless... what am I saying? Even if you were attracted to me, you still wouldn’t have touched me without my permission."

Her eyes flicked to the angry red marks scoring his chest and arms. "And looking at the state of you... the more aggressive one had to be the one who started it. That means it was me. I took advantage of you."

Archie didn’t speak. He was staring at her, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Her logic was warped, twisted into a version of events that barely resembled the truth.

But maybe, he thought, if this was how she needed to understand it to understand what happened... or protect her conscience and pride... then maybe he should let her believe it. For now.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had been the one to instigate things. He hadn’t stopped her. Didn’t want to stop her. He had wholeheartedly allowed it.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it again.

"I’m so stupid, fuck," she whispered, her voice cracking as her eyes welled up. "I did that to you. It means that somewhere inside me, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ve been thinking about cheating on Brian without even realizing it. He’s only ever been good to me, and I—" Her breath hitched. "I’m fucking our plans up like I always do."

Her hands trembled, one of them clutching at the edge of the bed. "I mean, who does that? Who... who hurts someone they hate and cheats on someone they’re supposed to love? I don’t even recognize myself right now. I—"

"Stop," Archie said suddenly.

Her head jerked up at the sharpness in his voice. "What?"

But then her eyes flicked once more to his chest, taking in the darkened bruises and marks that hadn’t been there yesterday. Her stomach churned. "What now?" she said bitterly. "You’re going to sue me, aren’t you? I mean, I get it... we weren’t exactly on good terms before all this, but..." She sighed, rising shakily to her feet. "If it’s all the same, I’d prefer an out of court settlement. I admit my offense, alright?"

Archie blinked. "Will you just... stop?" he said, stunned at how ridiculous everything was sounding.

But Avery, ignoring him, rose to her feet and walked across the room, thinking his words were a rejection of her offer. She gripped his arm tightly, her expression pained. "I get it. I really do. You must feel awful. I would too, if someone I hated suddenly took advantage of me. Even if it were someone I liked, I’d still feel disgusted if they did it while I wasn’t fully aware."

Her voice cracked as she continued. "There’s a reason I don’t want you suing me. Not just because I want Brian to never find out without me telling him privately first, but because... there’s so much to lose if he and I break up now. Our employees, the partnership, the press—"

"Do I look like someone who was taken advantage of?" Archie interrupted coldly, stepping into her space, his gaze sharp.

Avery looked up, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. Trying to ease the sudden tension, she asked, "I get it. I must look terrible in your eyes right now, like some predator..."

"Shut up, Angel," he snapped, his voice low but intense. "You didn’t take advantage of me. I fucking enjoyed our night together. Probably even more than you did... seeing as it seems like you remembered nothing."

Avery’s breath caught.

She took a shaky step back, eyes wide, horror overtaking her expression. "Wait..." she whispered. "You mean you...? Archie, what the hell?! Did you... were you the one... did you take advantage of me?! I will fucking sue you!"

Archie’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he immediately stepped forward with hergrabbing her arms. "Of course not! Why the hell would you think that of me?" His voice was firm but earnest. "I’d die before I ever took advantage of you. You know that."

Avery’s mouth parted, but no words came out. Her thoughts spun chaotically, grasping at something solid. "Then... if I didn’t take advantage of you, and you didn’t take advantage of me, then what..." She trailed off, her eyes shifting to something on the bedside table. A stack of papers. Her brows furrowed.

She stepped toward them, hand reaching out only for Archie to suddenly snatch her wrist and grab the papers first.

Her eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that? Let me see."

Archie stared at her, caught off guard. But just when he opened his mouth, trying to piece together a believable excuse, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

Two massive dogs barreled into the room.

"Shit... boys!" he called instinctively, stepping aside.

But they were already charging past him.

Avery had barely turned her head when the dogs leaped. Her eyes widened. "Wait...!" she shrieked, but it was too late.

They descended on her, licking and pawing wildly. She let out another scream and crumpled into a heap on the floor as the dogs happily trampled her in affection.

"Off!" Archie snapped. "Lake, Thorne... fucking get off boys!"

The dogs obeyed reluctantly, backing away with tails wagging.

But Avery didn’t move.

Archie’s heart stopped for a second. "Ava?" he called, as he dropped to his knees, checking her wrist for a pulse. It was there, albeit barely. Weak.

He didn’t waste a second. Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her to the bed, gently laying her down. He immediately grabbed his phone, dialing the number of the doctor from last night.

"Get to the address I sent. Now. She’s passed out."

He hung up at the same time the sound of a phone ringing pierced the air. A second call. He looked around to see it was Avery’s phone idling in the middle of the bed.

Leaning forward to pick up the phone, he hesitated briefly when he saw the caller ID read ’Emma’, before answering.

"It’s Arch," he said, as soon as the call connected.

There was silence on the other end until, "Emma?" he called again, more firmly.

"Is Vee there?" Emma’s voice came fast, desperate. "We need her home. Now. Please tell her to come back immediately."

Archie paused, glancing down at Avery’s unconscious form. "She’s... not in a condition to return quickly," he said carefully.

"I don’t care what state she’s in," Emma snapped. "Bring her back like that if you must. This is a life-and-death matter. Grandpa’s barely breathing; he got some garbage news this morning that his youngest granddaughter was caught with a man who isn’t her fiancé, and he’s having a full-on breakdown. Even if the story isn’t true, he needs to see her in person. It’s the only way he’ll calm down."

Archie’s eyes remained on Avery, still faint, her breaths shallow and uneven.

If she woke now, he had no answers for her. No explanations. No comfort.

Maybe taking her home would be the best decision after all.

"Alright," he murmured, ending the call.

Without hesitation, he redialed the doctor. "Head over to the McCallum mansion instead. We’ll meet you there."

He stood and headed toward the closet of the room. Upon opening it and seeing the emptiness inside, his expression darkened.

"This needs to be filled," he muttered under his breath.

Then he turned and left the room.

Moments later, he returned with a clean, oversized black t-shirt in hand. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he gently dressed her in it, moving slowly, carefully, as if she might shatter in his grip.

Once done, he cradled her again, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.

He leaned down, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I’m sorry, Angel," he whispered.

Then he turned and walked out the door, carrying her toward whatever storm awaited them.