Ava has certainly been through the ringer on Days of Our Lives. From losing Jake just as she realized he was the love of her life to her mental breakdown and her release being coopted by Clyde forcing her back into a life of crime, it’s just been one struggle after another.

Sure, she isn’t exactly an angel (Rafe and Steve could tell a few stories) but she’s been wanting to turn over a new leaf for some time now. And then yesterday, on the Monday, November 20th episode, that scum Gil just pushed things from bad to worse.

Though he tried to downplay it once Ava dropped the “R” word, as she made crystal clear, there was no doubt about the fact that he was a rapist and he was about to do the unthinkable when she pulled his own gun on him. It was a harrowing scene not just to watch, but to film.

When Tamara Braun spoke with Soap Opera Digest about it, she admitted that, “It was a very uncomfortable scene to shoot. There was no ambiguity while shooting it. That’s for sure.”

And while we didn’t see the moment when Ava pulled the trigger and put Gil down, it’s doubtful there’s a person who watched the scene unfold who would question what she did. “If you watch the episode,” Braun told Digest, “there should be no question that he tries to sexually assault her.”

Still, Ava’s life is going to get a whole lot more difficult now. The audience may be perfectly fine with her shooting Gil, especially after she warned him to stay away from her after his assault, but will anyone besides Harris believe Ava? She’s a former mobster who’s already had one major break with reality that almost cost Susan her life.

On top of that, as Braun acknowledges, “A lot of women worry that people won’t believe their story when they have been sexually assaulted. Our culture has a way of blaming the victim, especially if that victim is a woman. It’s sad and infuriating but it’s a reality.”

Then there’s her secret job with Gil and her worry over keeping Tripp safe. As Braun noted, Ava isn’t willing to tell folks what’s really going on out of fear for her son’s life. And that’s just going to make her story about Gil’s attack even shakier, even though it is the truth!

Ava just earned her freedom. As if the attack wasn’t bad enough, could this be the thing to push Ava over the edge, cause all her secrets to come spilling out and send her right back behind bars?