Chapter 3

Ethan was due back the next afternoon.

When he' d called that morning, full of his usual breezy charm, he' d offered, "Want me to wire you some money, babe? Go buy yourself something pretty while I'm gone."

It was his standard guilt offering.

Ava felt a cold smile touch her lips. "No, thank you, Ethan. I have everything I need."

Her own net worth could buy and sell Hayes Consolidated several times over. The irony was almost too much.

She was asserting her independence, rejecting the role of a kept woman, though he was too oblivious to see it.

"So, what are your plans for today?" he' d pressed, trying to sound interested.

"Just some spring cleaning," Ava had replied, her voice light.

"Great. When I get back, let's have a quiet dinner in. Just us. I'll pick up some good wine."

He was trying to salvage things, to smooth over any potential ripples his "business trip" – or Chloe's taunts, if he suspected Ava knew – might have caused.

Ava thought of the engraved invitation to his engagement party with Chloe Parker, now sitting on her modest dresser.

His hypocrisy was a suffocating blanket.

She wouldn't confront him directly. Not yet.

There was a more satisfying, more permanent way to handle this.

Ava began to purge.

Not just clutter, but memories.

Photos of them together – deleted from her phone, from the cloud.

The few small gifts he' d given her over the years – a delicate silver bracelet, a first edition of a book she loved – were placed in a small box.

She moved through her tiny apartment, a ghost exorcising her own past.

This wasn't just cleaning; it was a symbolic dismantling of their five years.

She then went to Ethan' s apartment, using the key he thought made her feel secure.

She cleared out the few belongings she kept there: a change of clothes, her favorite tea, a book.

It didn't take long. She' d never truly moved in, never truly been allowed to.

As she gathered her things, she found the engraved invitation to "Ethan Hayes & Chloe Parker's Engagement Soirée" hidden under a stack of financial reports in his desk drawer.

She' d suspected, Chloe' s DMs had hinted, but seeing it, feeling the thick, expensive cardstock, made it brutally real.

She placed it on top of his otherwise immaculate desk.

Next to it, she laid out the printouts of Chloe' s taunting DMs.

The evidence of his duplicity, clear and undeniable.

He would see it. He would know she knew.

Ethan called again as she was leaving his building, her small bag in hand.

"Hey, just landed. Traffic is a beast. I'll be home in an hour or so. Did you miss me?"

His voice was light, expectant.

Ava paused on the sidewalk, the city's noise a dull roar around her.

"Ethan," she said, her voice calm, almost detached. "We need to talk when you get back."

"Uh oh, sounds serious," he said, a nervous laugh in his voice. "Everything okay?"

He still had no idea. He couldn't confess, couldn't bring himself to admit the truth.

He resorted to his usual vague declarations. "You know I love you, Ava, right? Whatever it is, we can work it out."

Ava remained silent, her resolve a shield.

Ethan, true to his word, wanted to take her out that night, a "welcome home" dinner for himself, a way to reassert normalcy.

He insisted on a new, trendy restaurant, a place to be seen.

Ava agreed, a strange calmness settling over her. This was the final act.

The restaurant was buzzing.

And there, at a prominent table, was Chloe Parker.

Ethan saw her at the same moment Ava did. His smile faltered.

"Chloe," he said, his voice tight. "What a surprise."

Chloe rose, all predatory grace. "Ethan, darling! And... Ava, is it?"

She extended a perfectly manicured hand towards Ava.

Ethan, flustered, made the introductions. "Chloe Parker, this is my... friend, Ava Chen. Ava, this is Chloe, a... business associate."

Friend. Business associate. The labels stung, but Ava kept her expression neutral. His priorities laid bare.

Chloe' s smile was pure venom, thinly veiled by social niceties.

"So lovely to finally meet you, Ava. Ethan talks so much about... his work at the gallery."

It was a deliberate dig, a reminder of Ava' s perceived insignificance.

Ethan' s friends, Skip and Trip, materialized beside Chloe, like vultures to a kill.

"Well, well, if it isn't the happy couple and... the intern," Skip drawled, loud enough for nearby tables to hear.

Trip smirked. "Didn't expect to see you slumming it with the common folk tonight, Ethan."

It was clear this wasn't a coincidence. Chloe had orchestrated this. It was a setup.

Ethan' s face flushed with anger, but he quickly suppressed it. He was trapped.

Chloe, meanwhile, monopolized Ethan's attention, her hand possessively on his arm, laughing too loudly at his strained jokes.

Ava sat in silence, an observer at her own execution.

At one point, Ava subtly cleared her throat.

Ethan, startled, turned to her, feigning concern. "You okay, Ava? Need some water?"

His affection was so performative it was almost comical.

Skip and Trip, emboldened by Chloe' s presence, continued their mockery.

"So, Ava," Trip leaned in, his breath smelling of expensive whiskey. "Still think Picasso was a plumber before he got famous?"

They laughed, a harsh, braying sound.

They were reinforcing the class divide, hammering home her supposed lack of sophistication.

Ava met their gaze, her own calm and steady.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.