Chapter 4

The encounter at Chloe' s party left a ripple, not in my life, but clearly in Ethan' s. A few days later, I received a call from a mutual acquaintance, someone still tangentially connected to the Prescott circle.

"Ava? It's Penelope. Listen, things are... strange over here. Ethan is asking a lot of questions about you. About this Julian Vance."

"Let him ask, Penelope," I said, busy sketching a design for a new craft feature on my vlog.

"Well, there's a rumor going around," Penelope continued, her voice conspiratorial. "Someone said you told them you were... nesting?"

I paused, a small, mischievous smile playing on my lips. I vaguely remembered saying something to Chloe about enjoying setting up our home, using the word "nesting" playfully. It was an innocent comment, twisted by the gossip mill.

"Did I?" I said lightly. "Well, one does tend to nest when they're happy and settled."

Penelope gasped. "So, it's true? You're... pregnant?"

I decided to let them stew in their assumptions. "I'm not confirming or denying anything, Penelope. People will believe what they want to believe."

It didn't take long for the distorted news to reach Ethan. That evening, my phone rang. It was an unknown number, but I had a feeling.

"Ava!" Ethan' s voice was raw, furious. "What the hell is this I hear? You' re pregnant? With some local nobody' s child?"

I sighed. "Ethan, my personal life is none of your concern."

"None of my concern?" he yelled. "You were my fiancée! You think you can just run off, get knocked up by some hick, and I wouldn' t care?" His arrogance was astounding. "You need to terminate it, Ava. Immediately. You can' t bring that kind of shame into the world, thinking it has any connection to me or my family."

His words were so outrageous, so cruel, that for a moment, I was speechless. The sheer audacity of his demand, his continued belief that he had any say in my life, in my body.

Before I could unleash the torrent of anger building inside me, a calm hand gently took the phone from me. It was Julian. He' d been reading in the armchair nearby, and his expression was now one of cold displeasure.

"Ethan," Julian' s voice was low, controlled, but with an unmistakable undercurrent of steel. "This is Julian Vance. Ava' s husband." A slight emphasis on 'husband' . "I believe you are addressing my wife inappropriately. And you are making demands that are, frankly, insane."

There was a stunned silence on the other end. Ethan clearly hadn't expected this.

"Who the hell are you?" Ethan finally spluttered.

"I am the man Ava chose," Julian said calmly. "The man who loves her and will protect her from baseless accusations and unwelcome intrusions. You will not speak to Ava in that tone again. In fact, you will not speak to her at all unless she wishes it. Is that understood?"

More silence, then a choked sound from Ethan.

Julian didn' t wait for a response. "Good evening, Ethan." He ended the call and placed the phone on the table.

He turned to me, his eyes soft with concern. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, a shaky laugh escaping me. "He actually demanded I terminate a non-existent pregnancy." The absurdity of it was almost comical, if not for the malice behind it.

Julian pulled me into his arms, holding me close. "He' s losing his grip, Ava. His world is built on control and entitlement. You' ve defied that, and he can' t handle it." He kissed my hair. "Don' t let him get to you. He' s a relic of a past you' ve outgrown."

"I know," I whispered, leaning into his strength. "It' s just... the nerve of him."

"He' s a desperate man, clinging to an illusion," Julian said. "And desperate men do foolish things." He smiled down at me. "Besides, if we were to have a child, it would be a child of love, not shame. And it would be none of his damn business."

His words were a comfort, a shield against Ethan' s poison. With Julian, I felt safe, cherished. The contrast between him and Ethan was a constant reminder of how far I' d come, and how much I had to be thankful for.