Chapter 3

The words hammered at Ava: "Sophia's mother is alive." "That organ was meant for Sarah Williams." "Marrying Ava... a penance."

Ethan' s own voice, confirming the unimaginable.

He had orchestrated her mother' s death to save Sophia Bellweather' s mother.

The kindness, the support, the marriage – all a meticulously crafted lie.

A cover for his true obsession.

Ava stumbled back from the door, her heart pounding, a cold fury mixing with profound nausea.

She felt utterly dehumanized. Her grief, her life, her very existence in this marriage, had been a prop in Ethan' s twisted drama.

He hadn't just betrayed her; he had destroyed the most precious thing she had – her mother. And he had done it with a chilling indifference to her pain.

The realization was a crushing weight. She had been so naive, so desperate that she had walked right into his trap.

Her entire reality crumbled. The stability she thought she had found was a mirage.

A few minutes later, Ethan emerged from the study, Marcus having already left through a side door.

He saw Ava on the sofa, her book fallen to the floor.

"Ava? You're still up?" he asked, his voice returning to its usual calm, affectionate tone.

He walked over, intending to kiss her forehead.

She flinched, almost imperceptibly.

"Just tired," she managed, her voice a stranger's. Inside, she was numb, a storm of emotions raging beneath a frozen surface.

He frowned slightly. "You look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine," she lied, forcing a weak smile. "Just a long day."

He accepted her answer, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was still her husband, playing his part.

And now, she had to play hers, until she knew what to do.

The thought of spending another night under the same roof as him, in the same bed, was sickening. But she had to maintain the facade.

She was alone in this, surrounded by his deception.