Chapter 2

Ethan finally showed up, all smiles, oblivious.

"Sorry I'm late, babe. Traffic was insane."

He didn't notice the flowers clutched too tightly in her hand, or the way her smile didn't reach her eyes.

The dinner party was a blur. Ava couldn't taste the food, couldn't hear the congratulations she'd dreamed of.

The next day, Ethan was insistent.

"Chloe' s having a welcome-back thing tonight. You have to come."

"Ethan, I don't feel well," Ava lied. The thought of facing Chloe, of seeing Ethan with her, made her sick.

"Don't be like that, Ava. It' ll be fun. It' s important to me."

His words, 'important to me,' echoed with a new, bitter meaning.

She went.

The party was at a trendy downtown bar, packed.

Ethan kept Ava glued to his side, his arm possessively around her waist.

He introduced her to everyone, a little too loudly. "This is Ava, my girlfriend."

Ava saw Chloe across the room. Beautiful, blonde, radiating an effortless charm.

Ethan steered Ava right towards her.

"Chloe, so good to see you! You remember Ava, right?"

Chloe' s smile was dazzling. "Of course! Ava, lovely to see you again."

Then, Chloe stumbled, a tiny gasp. "Oh, clumsy me!"

Her drink, a bright red concoction, splashed down the front of her white dress.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry," Chloe said, looking genuinely distressed, her eyes darting to Ethan.

"It's nothing," Ava started to say, but Ethan was already detaching himself.

"Chloe, are you okay? Let me help you with that."

He grabbed a handful of napkins, dabbing at Chloe' s dress, his voice full of concern.

He led Chloe towards the restrooms, completely forgetting Ava standing alone in the middle of the crowd.

The music pulsed. People laughed.

Ava felt a thousand eyes on her.

Humiliation burned her cheeks.

She turned and walked out.

Later that night, unable to sleep, Ava found herself outside Ethan' s apartment.

She still had a key.

She let herself in. The apartment was dark, quiet.

Driven by a terrible need, she started searching.

In his study, tucked away in a bottom drawer of his desk, she found it.

A box.

Not just a box. A shrine.

Old movie ticket stubs – Ethan + Chloe.

Dried flowers, a faded corsage.

Dozens of photos. Ethan and Chloe laughing, kissing, holding hands. At prom, on vacations, simple candid shots.

Years of memories.

Ava sank to the floor, the photos spilling around her.

This wasn't just a past relationship. This was an ongoing obsession.

She was the placeholder. The comfortable stand-in.

Tears streamed down her face, silent and hot.

She pulled out her phone, her hands shaking.

She dialed her brother, Noah, in Los Angeles.

"Noah?" her voice was a choked whisper.

"Ava? What's wrong? You sound awful."

"That guy... the one you mentioned a while back. For me."

A sob escaped her.

"Is he... is he still an option?"