Chapter 2

The next morning, Ethan brought her coffee.

He placed it on her desk, a quick peck on her forehead.

"Don't work too hard, babe. The game's a masterpiece already."

His attention was already drifting, phone in hand.

Ava watched him, a hollow ache in her chest.

This was his version of care now, a checklist item.

She remembered when he'd sit with her for hours during crunch.

Rub her shoulders, bring her food, listen to her frustrations.

That Ethan was gone, replaced by this polished stranger.

The old back injury, a relic from a past game's brutal development, throbbed.

Stress always made it worse.

His thumb swiped across his phone screen.

A small, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.

Chloe, no doubt.

He was probably texting her right now, in front of Ava.

The audacity. The disrespect.

"Gotta run," Ethan said, already halfway to the door.

"Big meeting with Peterson. He's keen on NexusCorp, especially after seeing the buzz for 'Ephemeral Echoes'."

He was using her game, her creation, as leverage.

And he was too self-absorbed to notice the storm brewing in her eyes.

"Okay," Ava said.

Just okay.

He didn't even register her flat tone.

He talked about *their* future, *their* success.

She felt nothing. The future he envisioned was a cage.

Her own phone buzzed. A new message.

Unknown number.

It was a photo. Blurred, but unmistakable.

Ethan, asleep in bed. Chloe's hand, manicured nails painted bright red, resting on his bare chest.

The audio attached was Chloe's soft, taunting laugh.

"He's all mine, Ava. He always was."

Months. Chloe had been doing this for months.

Sending these little poison darts.

Ava had dismissed them as pranks, as fakes. Until now.

Ava's hands trembled.

She deleted the message, the photo, the audio.

Numbness was a shield.

Focus. She needed to focus.

Phoenix Solutions. She'd researched them months ago, a paranoid contingency.

Now, they were her only hope.

Later that evening, Ethan came home with flowers.

"Sorry I was distracted this morning," he said, all charm.

"Peterson loved the game pitch. This is going to be huge for us."

He tried to hug her.

She allowed it, a wooden doll in his arms.

"I booked that spa weekend you wanted," he added. "After the launch, we celebrate."

Material goods. Distractions.

She nodded, playing the part. The launch couldn't come soon enough.