Chapter 3

The world tilted. My breath caught in my throat.

When they finally left, Tiffany giggling, Ethan already on a business call, I moved.

Like an automaton, I knelt by the shredder.

The bin was full of multicolored strips. My life, reduced to garbage.

My fingers trembled as I reached in, pulling out handfuls of shredded paper, slivers of wood.

A piece of a photo – Ethan' s smile. A word from my journal – 'hope' . A splinter of dark, polished wood.

Tears streamed down my face, silent, hot.

I couldn't salvage much. It was mostly confetti.

But I gathered what I could, stuffing the painful fragments into my handbag.

Back in the small, sterile office that had been my cage for a decade, I took out my phone.

My fingers were steady now.

I called the university. "Yes, this is Ava Miller. I' m calling to confirm my acceptance of the design fellowship. I' ll be there as planned."

Then, I called my lawyer. "Mr. Henderson, it's Ava Cole. Please proceed with the divorce. Yes, immediately."

Ethan' s parents had orchestrated the marriage, hoping I' d be a grounding influence. They were fond of me. They would understand.

I finished clearing my personal items. There weren' t many.

An hour later, Ethan stormed into my office. His usual impeccable suit was slightly rumpled.

"Ava! Where' s my afternoon briefing? And my coffee? It' s three p.m.!"

He stopped when he saw the empty desk, the single box of my belongings by the door.

I stood up, calm. "I' m leaving, Ethan."

He frowned. "Leaving? For the day? Don' t be ridiculous, I need the quarterly reports finalized."

"No. I' m leaving Cole Innovations. And I' m leaving you. My lawyer has initiated divorce proceedings."

He stared, then scoffed, a harsh, disbelieving sound. "Divorce? Are you insane? What is this, some play for attention because I' m busy?"

His obliviousness was a physical blow.

"There' s nothing left to say, Mr. Cole," I said, using the formal address he preferred from staff.

He just couldn't understand. He never did.