Chapter 2

"Come in, Ava," Mark said, his voice carefully neutral, like he was inviting a distant acquaintance.

I stumbled inside, my legs numb.

The house was opulent, impersonal. Nothing of me, of us, was here.

Tiffany herded the children, their names a blur – MJ, Brianna, Caleb, Destiny, Ethan, Faith.

Mark' s parents, Harold and Eleanor Bishop, emerged from a large living room.

Eleanor rushed, not to me, but to Tiffany, fussing over one of the younger children.

Harold looked at me, his expression stern. "Ava. So, you're finally out."

My own parents, Maria and Carlos Rodriguez, were there too.

My mother wrung her hands. "Ava, mija. It' s... good to see you."

My father just nodded, his eyes darting towards Mark.

They all knew. They all knew and let me walk into this.

"What is this, Mark?" I finally managed, my voice hoarse.

"This is my family, Ava," he said, gesturing to Tiffany and the children.

"Our family," Tiffany corrected, stepping closer to him.

"We needed to secure the Bishop legacy," Harold stated, his voice booming. "Mark needed heirs. Grandchildren for us."

Eleanor nodded. "Tiffany has been a blessing."

"And you, Ava," Mark said, turning to me, his eyes cold. "You have a criminal record. It was... complicated."

"Complicated?" I choked out. "You told me to wait. You said you' d protect our dream."

"And I have," he said smoothly. "Bishop Developments is more successful than ever. I even took care of your parents while you were... away. Leo, your brother, has a good job with the company."

My mother spoke then, her voice pleading. "Ava, Mark has been very generous. We... we need his support."

My father added, "Don' t make trouble, Ava. Accept things. It' s for the best."

Even Leo, my younger brother, who I' d practically raised, stood silently by Mark' s side when he entered the room, a look of discomfort mixed with defiance on his face. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

The betrayal was a suffocating blanket. Not just Mark. All of them.

Mark then delivered the final, crushing blow.

"You can stay, Ava. Legally, you' re still my wife. There' s a guest wing."

My head snapped up.

"But," he continued, his gaze unwavering, "Tiffany is the mother of my children. They will inherit everything. She will remain here, as my partner."

He was offering me crumbs. A cage with a slightly better view than the one I' d just left.

To be the unwanted ghost in his new, perfect life.

The air left my lungs.

The shock was gone, replaced by a cold, hard knot in my stomach.

Disillusionment. Utter and complete.

These people, my family, his family, they weren' t just complicit. They were architects of this new hell.

"No," I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

"No?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"I want a divorce."