Chapter 2

Ethan picked up the grocery bags from the floor where Ava had dropped them.

"And get my favorite ice cream. The double chocolate chip. Julian likes it too."

Her voice, sharp and demanding, followed him as he walked out the door. He complied, his face a stoic mask. Inside, every command was a fresh twist of the knife. He was her errand boy, a constant, visible reminder of her power over him, of what she believed he had become.

He bought the groceries, the ice cream, even a bottle of expensive wine he knew Julian preferred. He returned to the apartment. The sounds started almost immediately.

Ava' s laughter, Julian' s deeper tones, then the unmistakable rhythm from the bedroom.

He went to his small room, the one that used to be his office, now little more than a closet. He closed the door, but the sounds seeped through the thin walls, an auditory torment.

He lay on the narrow cot, staring at the ceiling. The night stretched on, each muffled sound from the other room a fresh wave of pain. He hadn' t cried in years, not since his father' s death. But that night, silent tears tracked down his temples, soaking into the cheap pillow. The psychological toll was immense.

The next evening, Ava hosted a lavish party in their apartment. For Julian. A birthday celebration, she announced to the guests who filled their living room.

She was radiant, dressed in a stunning red dress, showering Julian with affection, laughing at his jokes. She presented him with an expensive watch, its gold gleaming under the lights.

Ethan watched from the periphery, a shadow in his own home. He served drinks, cleared empty plates, invisible to most, an object of pity to others.

The contrast was stark. This opulence, this public display of affection, it was everything he and Ava once dreamed of, now played out with another man.

"Poor Ethan," he heard a woman whisper to her friend, her eyes flicking towards him. "He used to be so promising. Now look at him. Ava' s little pet."

"She' s really rubbing it in, isn' t she?" the friend replied, not bothering to lower her voice.

The words were like tiny barbs, adding an external layer to his humiliation. His isolation was complete.

Later, when the party thinned, Julian found him in the kitchen.

"Can we talk?" Julian asked, his usual smugness tempered with something else.

Ethan just nodded, wary.

They stepped out onto the small balcony.

"I know about your father, Ethan," Julian began, his voice low. "I know what the Blanchards did. And I know... I know you didn' t just leave Ava for money."

Ethan tensed. "What do you want, Julian?"

"I' ve loved Ava since college," Julian confessed, looking out at the city lights. "I always have. When you... left, she was a wreck. You have no idea."

Ethan remained silent, his heart clenching.

"She tried to kill herself, Ethan. Twice."

The words hit Ethan like a physical blow. He hadn' t known. He' d thought he was protecting her, but his protection had caused a different kind of devastation.

"She drank herself into oblivion for months," Julian continued, his voice heavy with remembered pain. "She hated you, yes, but underneath it all... she still loved you. She was destroyed because she thought the man she loved, the man who was her whole world, was a monster."

A tragic irony. Her outward hatred masked a love that still burned, a love he had to deny.

Julian turned to face him. "When she had the accident, the hit-and-run... and needed that kidney transplant..."

Ethan' s breath hitched.

"I knew you' d want to help. I knew you' d try to be the donor. But I also knew you had to stay hidden. So, I made sure the doctors knew about a... a 'generous anonymous donor' who also covered all the costs. I let Ava believe it was my family' s connections, or a stroke of luck with insurance. I told her I moved mountains to find that kidney for her."

Ethan stared at him, the pieces clicking into place. Julian had known about his anonymous donation. He hadn't exposed Ethan, but he had twisted the narrative for his own gain.

"You let her believe you saved her life?" Ethan' s voice was dangerously soft.

"She needed someone, Ethan. And I was there. I' ve always been there for her." Julian' s eyes held a flicker of defiance. "She thinks I' m her savior."

The depth of Julian' s manipulation was astounding. He had built his relationship with Ava on a foundation of lies, feeding her a narrative that painted Ethan as the villain and Julian as the hero.

"It' s my birthday today, Ethan," Julian said, a strange smile playing on his lips. "And I only have one wish."

He stepped closer. "Give her up. Completely. Let her go. Let her be happy with me. You owe her that much. You owe me that much for keeping your secret, for picking up the pieces you left behind."

The demand hung in the air, heavy and absolute. It was a direct challenge, forcing Ethan to confront the reality of the situation Julian had engineered.

Ethan looked at Julian, then back at the city that held so many ghosts. Ava' s safety was paramount. His mission was paramount. If Julian could give her some semblance of happiness, even a false one, while Ethan walked his dark path...

A long silence stretched between them.

Finally, Ethan nodded, a single, almost imperceptible movement. "Alright, Julian."

His voice was devoid of emotion, a resigned acceptance. His relationship with Ava was already dead, a casualty of his war. This was just the formal burial.

The moment Ethan agreed, Julian' s eyes flashed with triumph. He took a step back, a strange, theatrical expression on his face.

Then, with a sudden, shocking movement, Julian stumbled backwards, his arms flailing. He let out a cry and tumbled down the short flight of iron stairs leading from the balcony to the small garden below.

He lay at the bottom, groaning, clutching his leg.

The sound of the fall, Julian' s cries, brought Ava running out, her face a mask of alarm.