She quietly hummed to herself as she pulled out all of the snacks she'd gotten for the sleepover. It was still a full day away but she was too excited to not prepare already.
Lauren had warned her not to get too much food of her tummy would hurt but Ava couldn't help herself. She wasn't sure what Everly liked so she got a bit of everything. Most of it would probably go unopened, but she could put the rest in the cupboard for someone else to take.
She couldn't quite decide in what room to hold the sleepover. Should it be in the bedroom? Or central living room? Practically every room on the upper floors had a TV, including one with a very large one and comfortable seats in front of it.
Maybe she could ask Everly what she preferred, that'd be a good idea. But that left Ava with nothing more to do for the sleepover. She could do some more chores, even if she was already done with them for the day.
She knew the garden path hadn't been swept in a while. It was Mr. Olson's job to do so but maybe he'd forgotten. The sun hadn't appeared yet today and a cool breeze swept over the garden as she set to work.
It wasn't a hard task, and she made good progress until she'd almost reached the end of the main path and a pair of feet came into sight.
"What are you doing?"
The man's snarky voice was enough to make all hairs on her neck stand up and she couldn't help but take a step back. "Sweeping the path, sir."
"Why did it take you so long to do so? Look at it! It's full of dirt and leaves! It never should've gotten to this point at all."
"But..." she stammered before stopping herself. She was sure the man wouldn't take well to being talked back to but the fire in his eyes already told her it was too late.
"But?" he snarled.
"It's actually your task to maintain the garden, path included," she said barely above a whisper, knowing this was headed in the wrong direction.
"You are telling me how to do my job now? Just because you're Mr. Chastain's whore you think you can boss around the staff that outranks you? Is that it?"
"N-No, I—" she stammered, tears already prickling at the corner of her eyes. She had no idea how this conversation had suddenly gone this way.
"Because you do realize that's what you are, right? I've seen it before. Young maids wanting to make a quick fortune. Fucking the master of the estate when his wife isn't looking. Now, Mr. Chastain doesn't have a wife, but you can bet he's got another one of you with him right now," he spat, voice full of contempt.
"Please stop."
Tears now ran freely down her face as the words hit her like knives. She wished he'd just stop and leave her alone, but he continued.
"Can't handle the truth, little brat? How about I give him a call, huh? Let's see how much he cares about you when he hears how you're acting bratty in his absence."
A sob escaped Ava's mouth as he turned on his heel to head back to the estate. How dare he say things like that to her? Sébastien had told her he loved her, she didn't have anything to worry about.
Right?
She hadn't heard from him for a few days now but that was because he was busy.
Right?
No, she thought, Sébastien will tell him. He will.
She threw the broom into the grass out of frustration. Why didn't she say anything back? Why did she just stand there and take it all?
The old Ava would've stood there and done nothing, not the new one. She should've spoken up and tell him to shut up.
But the truth of the matter was that he surfaced some deep-rooted insecurities she's had. She thought she had gotten over them with Sébastien always there to help her overcome them but she now saw they were still there.
What if she was just his whore?
Stop it, she willed herself. This train of thought was going in all the wrong directions just because of some bitter old man.
A bitter old man who had no right to hate her the way he did.
She stomped back to the estate, fully set on taking a shower and then calling Sébastien when she passed the kitchens an arm reached out and yanked her back roughly. "Where do you think you're going?"
Mr. Olson's poison-filled eyes glared down at her as she pulled her arm free from his grasp. "None of your business," she spat back
She was glad she got that out, but the crooked smile he showed her in response scared her. "Oh? But I think it is. You see, Mr. Chastain wasn't all too pleased to have his little maid running around pretending to be the boss of this estate," he smiled. Her stomach sank, Sébastien was mad at her?
"So pack your things, little birdy. It's time to fly out."
"What?" she asked, her voice cracking. She didn't understand. This couldn't be happening. Sébastien had promised her this wouldn't happen.
"He's bringing another girl back with him when he returns, so make sure to leave your uniform for her. On that note, you have to leave everything that doesn't belong to you or he'll file a police report for theft."
"No, he wouldn't do that, he—"
"Are you stupid? He just did. Now get your things and get out of here!" he boomed, making her step away in fear.
Her mind couldn't comprehend how everything had gone to shit so suddenly. She barely registered walking back to the bedroom until she looked around. Nothing belonged to her. All these things he'd given her but she wasn't sure if they were hers. She'd have to leave it all for the next girl, she thought emptily.
Even as tears streamed down her face she only felt numb. She was sure the emotions would come later but for now numb was good. Numb meant it didn't hurt yet. She'd take numb.
She opened the door to her old bedroom in the servant's quarters. She remembered how happy she was with her own room. How she appreciated having a lock and her own shower.
Now, the bed was full of old things as it hadn't been slept in for months. From the corner of the room, she grabbed her old backpack. The thing had no structure left in it and when filled with clothes it would just become a large blob she could wear on her back.
First, she took off the clothes she was wearing before putting on her old t-shirt and jeans. Then, she gathered the few things she'd arrived with before coming to a halt at the dresser. The box the phone had come in was still there and with trembling hands, she unlocked the device one last time.
No new messages.
He wasn't even going to say goodbye himself, she thought gloomily. It meant that Mr. Olson was right. She was nothing to him.
She put the phone back in the box and left it on top of the drawer. There was nothing left for her here now. She took one last look at the room and already felt homesick. Because that's what this place had become for her, a home.
A home she'd never had.
And losing that now would hurt more than she could've imagined before coming here. How she'd changed as a person and the things she'd gotten to see.
She was grateful he showed her all that. That there was a world out there that was meant to be experienced.
She also knew it wasn't in the stars for it to be experienced by her. She'd always live the same routine. Looking for a job, having a job, losing the job. Repeat.
At least she had managed to save up enough to pay for a roof above her head, at least for a while. She just had to find a new place to work before that ran out or she'd be homeless again.
With a sigh, she hoisted the bag on her back and left. Lauren's shift had already ended for the day, so she couldn't say goodbye to her. It hurt because it would've helped get her some closure. But maybe she didn't deserve closure for how foolish she'd been this whole time.
She used the sleeve of her ragged old jacket to wipe the tears off her face as she reached the road back to town. She hoped the buses still drove during the evening or she'd have to find a motel of some sort to spend the night.
The cars sped past her but she barely registered it all. Her thoughts went a million miles per hour trying to analyze what signs she'd missed. In what ways she'd screwed up. She should've known someone like her wasn't ever going to be anything to him.
He was so handsome and kind and she knew any woman would be lucky to have him.
And that was exactly what she wasn't. Lucky.
Ava had been born unlucky, and was destined to die unlucky.
*HONK*
The honking of a car startled her and she jumped aside. The car was slowly driving behind her, an old beater car with one of its headlights not working. She didn't recognize it and wasn't sure if she should stop or run. Being murdered on the side of the road didn't even sound too bad at the moment.
A man with curly brown hair just above his eyes got out and she vaguely remembered him through her tears.
"Ava, right?" he asked as he carefully approached her.
"Yes," she replied, quickly wiping her face with her sleeves again. With her vision free of tears she saw why she vaguely recognized him. It was Thom, Everly's older brother.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked softly while stopping to stand a few feet away from her. She was glad for the space but didn't really know how to answer.
"I--, I..." she got out before her sobs started again. She couldn't stop it and she hated herself for not even being able to answer one question.
"Okay, so things aren't going so well," he answered for her while scratching his head. "How about I take you to my place and then you can talk to Everly or something?"
"N-No, that's fine. I just have to... Catch the bus."
"There are no busses after 7," he countered. When she didn't have an answer to give, he went on, "Everly will kill me knowing I left you here like this."
She noticed how he hadn't mentioned Sébastien once, probably feeling it had something to do with him. And she was grateful for it.
"Come on," he coaxed, walking backward to his car and opening the passenger door. Without thinking, she stepped forward. The very least she could do was say goodbye to her only friend.