General Hospital spoilers tease that Ava Jerome may have fled town, and Windermere seems to be where Ava will be hiding. But what Ava doesn’t expect is that Valentin Cassadine knows of a secret tunnel from the mainland that leads to Windermere. Valentin may be the one to carry out Ava’s murder after he learns that Ava blamed him for all of Sunny Corinthos’s fake bipolar medication.
Jason Morgan’s discovery of pharmacist Clement Moore first has set off a chain reaction that threatens to disrupt the carefully laid plans of Ava Jerome, Jon, Kate, and Scott Baldwin. They had meticulously concocted a plan to get Clement’s mouth shut. Their fear is clear: if Clement falls into Sunny’s hands, the truth about Ava being the one who replaced Sunny’s medication with a placebo will surely come to light.
For Ava, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Luckily for Ava, Clement doesn’t completely expose her; he only admits that she had a minor part in the scheme, carefully avoiding telling the full truth. Instead, Clement blames Valentin Cassadine, claiming he was the mastermind behind the entire operation. This revelation sends Sunny on a dark path of revenge, determined to track down Valentin and get the truth out of him by any means necessary. Valentin’s capture is only a matter of time. Once Sunny has Valentin in his grasp, it won’t be long before Valentin learns that Ava played a key role in the plot against him.
As the news tightens around Ava, she realizes that her time is running out. As soon as she hears of Valentin’s capture, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before Sunny connects the dots and comes after her. Fear of Sunny’s wrath drives Ava to a desperate decision to flee for her life. But where can she go that Sunny won’t find her? Ava’s thoughts turn to Windermere, a place that holds as many secrets as it does dark corners. She decides to escape the mansion using the mansion’s hidden tunnels, a maze known only to a select few. Her hope is that by hiding in this nearly abandoned fortress, she can stay one step ahead of Sunny and the law enforcement. She sneaks into the tunnels under the cover of darkness, disappearing from sight.
To the outside world, it appears that Ava has disappeared without a trace. Valentin, however, is not so easily fooled. Even in the throes of torture, he knows Ava too well to believe that she would just disappear. He understands her mind, her habits, and most importantly, her desperation. Windermere, with its isolation and familiarity, seems like the perfect hiding place for Ava. Valentin is certain that this is where she will go. Desperate to redeem himself in Sunny’s eyes and perhaps hoping to negotiate a way to survive, Valentin suggests tracking down Ava and delivering her to Sunny. It is a risky proposition, but Valentin is determined to redeem himself, knowing that his fate depends on it. Surprisingly, Sunny agrees. Sunny sees the potential benefit in letting Valentin do the dirty work. Valentin is released, albeit with the understanding that his life depends on his success.
Valentin arrives at Windermere in the middle of the night, the eerie silence of the mansion heightening the tension. He finds Ava, as suspected, lurking in the shadows of the once magnificent mansion. Ava is cornered and frightened, knowing that she has little chance of escaping Valentin. In a panic, she prepares to fight back, but Valentin, driven by anger and betrayal, attacks Ava in a fit of rage, leaving her severely injured and possibly dead.
