If there’s one thing we’ve learned in Nina’s years on General Hospital, it’s that things never seem to go as she planned. Granted, much of the time that’s because she’s made some truly horrible choices, but her heart really was in the right place in giving up her share of the hotel! Sonny, though… did not see it that way.

And now, because of that blowing up in Nina’s face, she’s finally come to see Ava for who she is: manipulative, selfish and dangerous. Which, honestly, are all things we kind of love about Ava. Their unlikely friendship looks to have come to an end and Nina’s just left with questions. Chiefly among them are: How long has Ava been playing her for a fool and what does she get out of this?

And we think those two questions might be tied together more than Nina realizes. Because if the first answer is that Ava’s been playing her from the start, then the second answer is crystal clear: Ava finally gets her revenge on Nina. Because what if she never actually forgave Nina for ripping Avery from her womb and trying to run off with her? It’s been something of a running joke for some time among fans. If Nina and Ava can be friends, there’s nothing that can’t be forgiven!

But their whole friendship could have been a lie. Maybe Ava just got close to her nemesis, trying to find the perfect moment and the perfect way to take her down. Maybe her opening volley started with the SEC stuff, knowing how much it would blow up in Nina’s face. And then, perhaps, as fans have been speculating, Valentin approached her to help him out with Sonny. Get him off his meds, win his trust and confidence and then stab him in the back.

Sonny’s been a monster to Ava plenty over the years and he, too, once tried to keep Avery away from her. Plus, he was responsible for Julian’s death. Ava’s relationship with her brother was… complicated, but at the end of the day, there’s been a whole lot of bad blood between her and Sonny. But what might have truly convinced her to help Valentin out would have been the realization that she could kill two birds with one stone, and keep her hands relatively clean.

She’d lead Sonny right up to the edge of the cliff and then, just before he falls over, send him after Nina. Ava may have finally pushed things to the point that Nina no longer trusts her, but that doesn’t matter. She got Nina where she wants and now all that’s left is to convince an increasingly erratic Sonny that Nina needs to pay all that she’s done. She’s loaded the metaphorical gun now and can hand it to Sonny and point it at Nina.

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Except Sonny doesn’t deal with metaphors. As Ava put it, he’s a “violent mob boss.” And if he hates Nina enough and isn’t thinking clearly enough, Sonny could take out a hit on her — if he doesn’t end up taking her out himself in a heated confrontation at some point.

Kill Nina and, if Valentin and Pikeman don’t finally take out an erratic and weakened Sonny, she could turn on him, selling him out to the cops and putting him in prison for Nina’s murder. It would be a diabolical plan from a brilliant woman. This is General Hospital, though, and we have a feeling Sonny could find a way out of it. Nina, though? She may not be so lucky.