Chapter 4

Liam insisted that we all go on a "family trip" to their lakeside cabin. It was a transparent attempt to force a reconciliation, a stage play for his own benefit. He claimed the fresh air would be good for Chloe's "nerves" and would give us a chance to "talk things through." My lawyer advised against it, but I agreed. I wanted to see just how far his delusion went.

The trip was a nightmare from the moment we arrived. The cabin, once a place of happy memories for Liam and me, was now a shrine to Chloe and her pregnancy. Liam had stocked the pantry with all of her favorite snacks and weird cravings. He installed a new, softer mattress in the master bedroom for her, relegating me to the small, dusty guest room.

At the local town market, people who had known Liam and me for years stared. They saw Liam's arm around Chloe's shoulders, her swollen belly, and my quiet presence trailing behind them. The whispers were loud enough for me to hear.

"I guess he finally got what he wanted."

"Poor Ava. After all those years."

Liam was oblivious, or perhaps he just didn't care. He paraded Chloe around, a proud father-to-be, introducing her to everyone. "This is Chloe," he'd say. "She's carrying my son." He never introduced me. I was just a ghost from his past, haunting the edges of his new life.

"Liam, this is humiliating," I told him that night as he was setting up a special ergonomic pillow for Chloe on the sofa.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I'm just trying to make sure she's comfortable. The baby is the priority right now, Ava. You have to understand that."

"I understand that I am still your wife," I said, my voice dangerously low.

He sighed, a long, weary sound. "And I'm trying to fix that. But you're making it so difficult. Why can't you just be happy for me? For us?"

Chloe, who had been watching us with wide, innocent eyes, chose that moment to make her move. She let out a small whimper and pressed a hand to her stomach.

"Is everything okay?" Liam rushed to her side, his anger at me forgotten.

"It's just a little cramp," she said weakly. "I think... I think the baby is kicking. He must be excited to be at the lake." She took Liam's hand and placed it on her belly. "Feel."

A slow smile spread across Liam's face as he felt the faint flutter. It was a look of pure, unadulterated joy. I remembered a time when he had looked at me that way. It was years ago, on this very porch. We had been dreaming about our future, about the children we would have. He had held my hand and said, "I can't wait to see you as a mother, Ava."

The memory was a sharp, painful jab. The man who had shared that dream with me was gone, replaced by this stranger who was building a new future with another woman, right in front of my eyes.

Chloe seemed to thrive on the attention. She was constantly demanding things in a soft, helpless voice. A special tea, a foot rub, a different pillow. And Liam, my capable, often impatient husband, catered to her every whim like a devoted servant.

"I think I want some of that peach ice cream from the creamery in town," she would murmur. And Liam would immediately grab his keys.

"I feel a chill, Liam," she would say. And he would wrap her in the softest blanket, the one that used to be my favorite.

One evening, as we sat by the fire, Chloe began talking about the nursery. "I was thinking of a celestial theme," she said, looking at Liam with shining eyes. "Little moons and stars. And we can paint one wall like a night sky. For our little star."

She was talking about the room in our house, the one I had kept empty for years, the one I had secretly designed in my head a hundred times over. She was stealing my dreams, one by one, and Liam was letting her.

I felt that wave of nausea again, stronger this time. I stood up abruptly. The room tilted.

"Ava, are you okay?" Liam asked, his voice laced with annoyance at the interruption.

Before I could answer, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled, knocking over a small table. A vase of flowers crashed to the floor, shattering into a dozen pieces.

"For God's sake, Ava!" Liam shouted, jumping to his feet. "What is wrong with you? You could have scared Chloe! You could have hurt the baby!"

He didn't even ask if I was all right. He just stood there, glaring at me, his only concern the woman and the child that had destroyed my life.