Chapter 2

The next morning, Ava acted like nothing happened.

She made Ethan his favorite pancakes, the ones with blueberries.

"These are good," he said, still the polite stranger. "Did I... like these before?"

"Loved them," Ava said, her voice carefully neutral.

Inside, she was a storm.

Later that day, she called a lawyer Maya knew. Discretely.

"I want to inquire about a legal name change," Ava said, her voice low.

Olivia Carter. Her maternal grandmother's maiden name. A strong name. A new name.

She opened a new bank account under Ava Miller, but it was a temporary holding place. Soon, it would all be Olivia's.

She started taking small freelance graphic design gigs, cash-only or paid to a new, untraceable account. Tiny jobs, logos for bakeries, flyers for yoga studios. She worked late into the night, after Ethan was asleep, the click of her mouse a quiet rebellion.

Portland, Oregon.

The name came to her as she scrolled through articles about cities for creatives, for fresh starts. Far from New York. Far from Ethan. Green, rainy, anonymous.

It sounded like a place someone could disappear.

It sounded like a place Olivia Carter could be born.

She gathered every photo of them together.

Every love note he'd ever written, full of promises that now felt like ash in her mouth.

The silly stuffed bear he'd won for her at Coney Island.

She didn't burn them. That felt too dramatic, too much of a reaction he might notice if he ever truly looked.

Instead, she packed them into a single, plain cardboard box.

She shoved the box into the back of her closet, under old sweaters she never wore.

Out of sight. Not yet out of mind, but a start.

She was detaching, piece by piece.

A week later, Ava was at their usual coffee shop, waiting for Maya.

Ethan walked in.

With Chloe Vance.

Chloe was all long legs, blonde hair, and a bright pink dress that screamed 'look at me.' She was laughing, her hand on Ethan's arm.

Ethan saw Ava. He hesitated for a split second, then gave her a small, awkward wave, as if she were a distant acquaintance.

Chloe's eyes flicked to Ava, a flicker of something – triumph? – in them.

Ava just sipped her latte, her expression carefully blank.

She felt a strange, cold calm.

Ethan looked... surprised. He probably expected tears, a scene.

He didn't know this Ava. This Ava was already gone.

Chloe detached herself from Ethan and sauntered over to Ava's table.

"Ava, right?" Chloe's voice was syrupy sweet. "Ethan talks about... well, he doesn't remember much, but he mentioned a friend was helping him."

Ava kept her face smooth. "Yes, that's me."

"It must be so hard for you," Chloe cooed, flipping her hair. "He's such a great guy. I'm just trying to be there for him, you know? Support him through this awful time. He told me you knew him best before... well, before. Any tips?"

The audacity.

Ava looked directly into Chloe's perfectly made-up eyes.

"No tips," Ava said, her voice even. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Chloe's smile faltered for a microsecond.

She clearly expected Ava to be a weeping mess.

"Well," Chloe recovered quickly, "if you think of anything..." She turned and glided back to Ethan, linking her arm through his again.

Ava watched them leave, Ethan's arm now around Chloe's waist.

The new Ava, the one who was becoming Olivia, felt nothing but a distant, cold resolve.