Bad Husband novel Chapter 177

Blake’s POV

Once they were alone, I immediately moved to Ava’s side. She was still standing where she’d been during the whole mess, blood drying under her nose, looking somehow smaller than usual.

“Let me see,” I said softly, grabbing a cloth from the side table. My fingers were gentle as I tilted her chin up, checking the damage.

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The sight of her blood made my wolf snarl. Seeing my daughter hurt someone I cared about… fuck, what a mess. But right now, Ava needed care.

rage.

“Does it hurt?” I asked, dabbing at the dried blond with careful touches.

Her eyes were distant, unfocused. “I’m fine. Just…” She trailed off, unable to finish.

Through our bond, I could feel her emotional exhaustion. The fight with Sophia, Jackson’s sudden appearance, the public accusations—it was too much all at

once.

“You’re not fine,” I said quietly, continuing to clean her face. And that’s okay.”

Something flickered in her expression at my gentle tone. I could sense her surprise through our connection, like she hadn’t expected me to still be here, still taking care of her after everything.

“Maybe,” I said after making sure she wasn’t seriously hurt, ‘you should go back to the northern villa for a few days.*

I felt her distress spike through our bond immediately. Shit. That came out wrong.

“Not because I want you gone,” I added quickly. “Because you need space. Peace. This place is way too chaotic right now.”

My thumb brushed across her cheek. “I’ll have Tyler bring Lucas up for training. You two can have some quiet time together, away from all this drama.

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. She got it–this wasn’t banishment.

“I understand,” she said quietly. “Maybe some space would be good.”

“Just for a few days,” I promised, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Until things/settle down here.”

I pulled back to meet her eyes. “This doesn’t change anything between us. You know that, right?”

Our golden bond pulsed warm, and I pushed all my sincerity through it. Despite everything–the accusations, the chaos, the family drama–my feelings for her hadn’t budged an inch.

“I know,” she whispered.

*I’ll come see you in a couple days,” I said, squeezing her hands. “We’ll talk everything through properly then.”

As she gathered her stuff to leave, I watched with a heavy heart. I got why she needed space, but letting her go–even temporarily–felt all kinds of wrong. Every instinct screamed at me to keep her close, protect her from whatever storm was brewing.

Once she was gone, I retreated to my study, needing some quiet to process everything that had just gone down.

Jackson’s words kept bouncing around in my head. That comment about Ava finding “better opportunities” in Silverpeak. There’d been something underneath it, some implication I couldn’t quite grab onto. The way he’d said it, with that slight emphasis…

What the hell had he meant by that?

One thing was crystal clear–Jackson Hayes was way more dangerous than I’d initially thought. The smooth way he’d handled Sophia’s breakdown, keeping his explanations vague but sympathetic… I’d seen enough political maneuvering to recognize a master manipulator when I met one

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