Chapter 2

Julian Mercer' s polite inquiry hung in the air.

Skip, ever the opportunist for mockery, drawled, "Well, well, looks like our Ava has an admirer from her... past endeavors."

He made "past endeavors" sound like something vaguely illicit.

"Probably from one of those community college debate clubs," Trip added, chuckling.

The implication was clear: anyone recognizing Ava must be from her "lowly" world.

Ava felt a flash of annoyance, but it was quickly overshadowed by the complexity of the moment.

Ethan, surprisingly, stepped forward slightly, a protective gesture that felt utterly false now.

"I think you might be mistaken," Ethan said to Julian, his voice smooth but with an edge. "Ava, are you ready to go?"

He placed a hand on her arm, a clear signal of ownership.

Julian' s gaze flickered to Ethan' s hand, then back to Ava, a question in his eyes.

Ava gave a small, almost imperceptible shake of her head to Julian, a silent "not now."

He nodded once, a subtle acknowledgment, and stepped back.

"My apologies if I was mistaken," Julian said, then melted back into the lounge's sophisticated crowd.

The ride back to Ethan' s Upper East Side apartment was tense and silent.

Ava stared out the window at the glittering Manhattan skyline, each light a pinprick in the dying illusion of her life with him.

Once inside his ridiculously large apartment, Ethan finally spoke.

"Who was that guy, Ava?"

His tone wasn't just curious; it was accusatory.

"He seemed to know you."

"I think he mistook me for someone else," Ava said, her voice carefully neutral. She needed to control this.

"He looked like he knew you pretty well," Ethan pressed, his eyes narrowed. "You should be more careful who you talk to. Some people can be... opportunistic."

Ava felt a bitter laugh rise. Opportunistic? He was lecturing her?

"Are you saying I shouldn't talk to people because they might want something from me?" she asked, keeping her tone even. "Or are you just worried I might meet someone who actually values me?"

The words were out before she could stop them, sharper than she intended.

Ethan' s face softened, a practiced maneuver.

"Of course not, darling. I just worry about you. You're so trusting."

He pulled her into a hug that felt like a cage.

"You know about the Parkers, right?" Ava asked quietly, her face against his expensive cashmere sweater. She needed to see his reaction, hear the lies.

"The merger, you mean?"

He sounded surprised she' d bring it up, or perhaps surprised she knew the term.

"It's just business, Ava. A strategic alliance. It doesn't mean anything for us."

He stroked her hair. "You and I, we're solid. This Parker thing... it' s just something my family needs. It won' t change how I feel about you."

His voice was a low, persuasive murmur, the kind that had always soothed her.

Tonight, it just made her feel sick. He was a phenomenal liar.

Ethan had to take a call in his study a little later. "Work stuff," he'd said, already halfway down the hall.

Ava was left alone in the cavernous living room.

The silence amplified her thoughts.

His "strategic alliance" was an engagement. He was going to marry Chloe Parker.

And he was planning to keep Ava on the side, his "simple" comfort, until he tired of her or Chloe found out.

The sheer audacity of it, the disrespect, was staggering.

Her five years of genuine affection, her belief in their future, all reduced to a "minor asset."

Her phone buzzed. An unknown number. A direct message.

It was a picture. Chloe Parker, arm in arm with Ethan at some gala Ava hadn't been invited to. They were laughing, champagne flutes raised.

The caption was simple: "Soon. ;) "

Ava' s stomach churned. This wasn't just Ethan's betrayal; Chloe was actively taunting her.

She scrolled. Another DM from the same account. A picture of an exquisite diamond ring on Chloe' s hand, Ethan' s smiling face blurred in the background. "Big news coming!"

This was a campaign.

Ava' s fingers tightened on her phone.

The last vestiges of her love for Ethan, already battered, began to crumble into dust.

Ethan emerged from his study, looking pleased.

"Good news," he announced, "The deal I was working on just came through."

He probably thought she'd be happy for him.

Ava looked at him, truly looked at him, perhaps for the first time in a long while.

The charming facade, the polished exterior – it was all a carefully constructed lie.

"That's nice," she said, her voice devoid of emotion.

He frowned slightly at her lack of enthusiasm but quickly brushed it off.

"I have to fly to Chicago for a couple of days. Meeting with some new investors for Hayes Consolidated."

He kissed her forehead. "Be good. I'll miss you."

Ava watched him walk towards his bedroom to pack, a cold detachment settling over her.

He wouldn't miss her. He'd be busy with Chloe, no doubt.

Her phone buzzed again. Chloe.

"Heard Ethan's going to Chicago. Guess who's meeting him there for a 'strategy session'? Some mergers require a personal touch. Enjoy your quiet week, sweetie."

Attached was a selfie of Chloe on a private jet, a knowing smirk on her face.

The DMs weren't just taunts; they were a deliberate, cruel game. Chloe was enjoying this.

Ava remembered the coded talk. "Hostile takeover." Chloe was living up to the description.

The cumulative effect of Chloe's DMs, Ethan's casual dismissal, his friends' mockery – it was a suffocating wave.

Any lingering warmth she felt for Ethan Hayes evaporated.

There was nothing left but a cold, hard anger and a burgeoning sense of resolve.

He thought she was simple. He thought she was weak.

He was about to find out how wrong he was.

The next morning, Ava walked into the small Brooklyn art gallery where she worked.

Her boss, a kind, perpetually flustered woman named Maria, looked up.

"Ava, you're early."

"Maria," Ava said, "I need to give you my two weeks' notice."

Maria's jaw dropped. "What? Why? Is everything okay?"

Her colleagues gathered, their faces etched with surprise.

"Did you win the lottery?" one of them, Leo, joked. "Or are you finally eloping with that secret millionaire boyfriend of yours?"

Ethan, a millionaire. If only they knew.

Ava smiled, a small, enigmatic smile.

"Something like that," she said. "Just decided it's time for a change."

Her true intentions, her real identity, remained her secret. For now.

That evening, when Ethan called from Chicago, his voice full of forced cheer, Ava was already packing a small bag.

Not for a trip. For a departure.

"Everything okay there, darling?" he asked.

"Just fine, Ethan," Ava replied, her voice cool. "Just decluttering a bit."

"Decluttering?" he sounded puzzled. "That's new. Find anything interesting?"

"You could say that," Ava said, looking at the printouts of Chloe's DMs and the hidden engagement invitation she'd found tucked away in his desk drawer. "Found a lot of things I didn't need anymore."

His flight back was tomorrow. She had work to do.