Chapter 3

Ava's phone slipped from her hand, clattering onto the hardwood floor.

The sound echoed the shattering of her composure.

"He what?"

Leo's robotics camp. She'd spent months researching it, filling out applications, hyping Leo up.

He'd been ecstatic when he got in, dreaming of building robots.

It wasn't just a camp; it was his passion.

She had agreed to Mark's sham divorce, signed the papers, all to supposedly "protect" Chloe.

And this was how he repaid her? By snatching away something precious to their son?

The unfairness of it burned.

Why did he keep doing this? Did he think her compliance meant she'd tolerate anything?

Leo started to cry, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "I really wanted to build a robot, Mommy."

Ava knelt and pulled him into a hug. "I know, sweetie. I know."

Her heart ached for him.

She tried calling Mark. Straight to voicemail. Again and again.

He was ignoring her. Deliberately.

A few hours later, Chloe's Instagram lit up.

A picture of her, beaming, with a young girl Ava presumed was the niece, Lily.

They were at the robotics camp orientation.

Chloe's caption: "So proud of my brilliant niece Lily, acing her robotics camp orientation! Future innovator right here! Thanks to some generous friends for making this happen. #FamilyFirst #STEMgirl."

Comments flooded in: "You're such a great aunt, Chloe!" "So sweet!"

Humiliation washed over Ava. Anger. Injustice.

Leo was at home crying, and Chloe was publicly celebrating his stolen opportunity.

Ava grabbed her keys. "Come on, Leo. We're going to that camp."

Determination hardened her face.

They drove to the community center hosting the camp.

Mark's car was in the parking lot.

They found him near the entrance, laughing with Chloe and Lily.

"Mark!" Ava's voice was sharp.

He turned, his smile fading when he saw her and Leo.

"Ava? What are you doing here? You're making a scene." His tone was annoyed.

Leo, emboldened by Ava's presence, stepped forward.

"That's my spot, Daddy! I got in first!"

His small voice trembled but held a note of defiance.

Mark crouched down, his voice syrupy sweet, the kind he used when he was being most manipulative.

"Leo, buddy, Lily's mom is having a really tough time. She's a single mom. And Lily really, really wanted this. You're a generous boy, right? Can't you let Lily have this chance? Be a good big brother figure."

Unfair. So unfair. He was asking Leo to sacrifice his dreams for a stranger.

"No!" Leo said, stomping his foot. "It's my camp!"

He was rarely defiant. This meant the world to him.

Mark's face hardened. The gentle facade vanished.

"Leo Thompson, that's enough! Don't be selfish. Your mother needs to teach you better manners instead of filling your head with pettiness."

He glared at Ava. "This is your fault."

Leo burst into tears, loud, heartbroken sobs.

Ava pulled him close, shielding him.

She felt a rage so intense it was a physical pressure in her chest.

But she remembered her past life, her explosive anger that solved nothing.

She took a deep breath, pushed it down.

"Mark," she said, her voice surprisingly steady, "please. Give Leo back his spot. It means so much to him. I'm... I'm begging you. This is the first time I've ever begged you for anything."

Mark looked away, a flicker of something – guilt? – in his eyes.

It vanished as quickly as it came.

"It's too late, the spot is filled," he mumbled, then seemed to think better of it. "Look, I'll buy Leo that new Star Warrior Lego set he wanted. That's even cooler, right?"

He didn't understand. He would never understand.

A material toy for a shattered dream.

Ava felt a deep, profound despair.

He would always prioritize Chloe. Always. Her family, her whims, her needs.

Ava and Leo would always be secondary.

"Disappointment to the core" didn't even begin to cover it.

Ava tried to push past Mark, to talk to the camp director. Maybe there was a mistake, a waiting list.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to reach the registration table.

Mark grabbed her arm, his grip surprisingly strong.

Two of his architect firm's junior employees, who seemed to be there with him, moved to flank him, looking uncomfortable but obedient.

"Ava, don't cause a scene," Mark hissed. "You're embarrassing yourself. And Leo."

"Let go of me, Mark!" Ava shouted, trying to pull free. "Leo earned that spot!"

She stumbled, nearly falling. Her voice cracked with unheard anguish.

The camp director looked over, concerned, but Mark waved dismissively.

Mark watched her, his jaw tight.

He was probably thinking of Chloe's father, the "debt" he owed.

This "sacrifice" of Leo's happiness was, in his twisted mind, part of repaying that debt.

Protecting Chloe, even at his own son's expense.

The junior architects gently but firmly escorted Ava and a sobbing Leo towards the exit.

Ava, defeated, stopped by the registration table on her way out.

"My son, Leo Rodriguez-Thompson, he was accepted..."

The camp coordinator, a kind-faced woman, gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Rodriguez. Mr. Thompson called this morning. He said Leo was no longer able to attend and offered the spot to his... associate's niece. All the spots are filled now."

Polite. Final. Irreversible.

As Ava led a heartbroken Leo away, Chloe approached them, a smug smile on her face.

"Ava, thank you so much for understanding. Leo is such a sweet boy to let Lily have this. It means the world to her."

Her voice dripped with false gratitude. She was taunting her.

Mark walked up beside Chloe, putting an arm around her.

"See, Ava? Chloe is grateful. You should try to be more like her. More accommodating."

His words were another betrayal, another twist of the knife.

Ava felt a sharp pain in her chest, her breath catching.

The injustice, the blatant manipulation, it was suffocating.

She just wanted to get Leo out of there.

Mark wasn't done. "You're always making things difficult, Ava. Just like you always have. If you were just a little more understanding, none of this would be necessary."

The same old accusations. The same blame-shifting.

It was always her fault, in his eyes.