Chapter 3

Ethan didn't come home that night.

Ava wasn't surprised. He was likely by Chloe's side, tending to her feigned illness.

The apartment they once shared felt cold, alien.

Methodically, Ava began to pack.

Not her things. His.

Every shirt, every book, every stupid gadget.

She found a tiny Stanford Cardinal onesie tucked away in a drawer, a relic from a past she now knew was a lie.

She' d saved it, dreaming of a future that Ethan and Chloe had casually destroyed.

With a pang, she added it to the boxes.

She arranged for everything to be put into storage.

His life, expunged from hers.

Then, she opened her laptop and typed her resignation.

To: Ethan Reed, CEO, AuraSynch.

Cc: Liam Hayes, Head of Operations; HR Department.

Subject: Resignation - Ava Miller.

She was a linchpin developer, crucial to their flagship AI.

Her departure would create chaos. Good.

Her colleagues, when the email circulated, would be shocked.

They' d try to change her mind.

She wouldn't answer their calls.

Her phone rang. Ethan.

"Ava? What's this email about resigning?" he sounded annoyed, distracted. "Are you already stressed about wedding planning? We can hire someone, you know."

He assumed the proposal stood. Assumed she was planning their wedding.

The delusion was breathtaking.

In the background, Ava heard Chloe's distinct, tinkling laugh.

"Ethan, darling, come back to bed."

Ava hung up.

Later, Chloe posted an Instagram story.

A boomerang video: Ethan, smiling, hand-feeding Chloe organic berries in a plush hospital bed.

Caption: "Feeling cherished. ❤️"

The public taunt was like a twist of the knife Chloe had already embedded in her back.

Days later, Ava was in her small, temporary rental, sorting through the remnants of her old life, when Liam called.

His voice was tight with panic.

"Ava... it's Ethan. He's been hurt. Badly."

A mugging gone wrong, Liam explained, or maybe a car accident. Details were hazy. Ethan had been distracted, Chloe in the car with him.

"He needs blood, Ava. A rare type. Your type."

Chloe, Liam added, was also a match. But she refused.

"She says she's too weak from her... recent illness," Liam said, his voice laced with disgust.

Ava hesitated.

Her body still ached from the surgery Ethan had forced on her.

Her heart was a shattered mess.

Why should she help him?

But a sliver of the old Ava, the loyal, caring Ava, remained.

Or perhaps it was a desire to see this through, to witness the full extent of his depravity.

She went to the hospital.

She donated blood, the needle a familiar sting.

The effort, on top of her recent trauma, was too much. She nearly fainted.

As she lay recovering in a small room, the curtain slightly ajar, she overheard Ethan.

He was conscious, his voice weak but clear, talking to Liam.

"Chloe... she couldn't donate. Too fragile, you know."

A pause.

"It's fine... Ava will always be there. She always donates. She loves me too much to ever leave me."

Another pause, then, with chilling arrogance: "It' s like how I am with Chloe. Unconditional."

Ava' s breath hitched.

The last vestiges of her old affection turned to ash.

He learned nothing. He understood nothing.

His delusion wasn't just about Chloe; it was about his own twisted perception of love and loyalty.

Her love was not a safety net for his cruelty. Not anymore.

Her heart didn't just break. It turned to ice.

She would leave. And she would never, ever look back.