Chapter 2 Anniversary Lie

"You followed me?" Ethan's voice wasn't guilty. It was sharp. Cold. Like he was the one being wronged. Ava stood in the hallway of the Golden Hotel, arms crossed, the keycard still warm in her hand. Behind her, Room 618's door hung open. She'd seen enough. Ethan had walked out buttoning his shirt, hair still damp, and the scent of Talia's perfume thick on his skin. "I wasn't invited," Ava said, voice steady. "But you left the key." Ethan's jaw clenched. "You shouldn't be here." "You shouldn't be sleeping with my ex best friend," she shot back.

"And yet, here we are." He dragged a hand through his hair. "I was going to tell you. Tonight." Ava almost laughed. "During our anniversary dinner? Right after the prawns, before the chocolate mousse?" He looked at her no guilt, no regret. Just... pity. That broke something in her. "Don't look at me like that," she hissed. "Like I'm some fragile wife you're sorry for. I built this life while you were sneaking around in hotel rooms." Ethan glanced down the hall. "You're making a scene." "Oh, I'm just getting started." He stepped closer. "You've always been dramatic, Ava. You twist things." That word. Dramatic. Like she'd heard it a thousand times. When she cried over the miscarriage. When she begged him to come home early for Noah's recital. When she questioned why he smelled like someone else's perfume. No. This wasn't drama. This was betrayal. "Tell me," she said, her voice low and tight. "How long?" Ethan sighed. "Five years." Ava froze. Five years. That was right after Noah's birth. Or maybe... even before. She gripped the wall to steady herself. "Why her?" Ethan's answer was like a knife. "Because she never made me feel like a failure." Ava blinked. Once. Twice. "So I was what? Your punishment?" He didn't reply. Instead, he shrugged. "Noah's happy. Isn't that what matters?" Her expression turned to ice. "Don't you dare bring my son into this," she whispered. "You made your choice. And now I'm making mine." She stepped past him, calm but furious. He reached for her arm, but she pulled away. "You can't take him from me," Ethan said. "The courts " "I'm not scared of the courts," Ava snapped. "I'm scared of what I'll become if I stay one more minute in this lie." Back in her car, she didn't cry. She opened her phone and scrolled to a folder she hadn't touched in years: Before. Photos of her and Talia. Laughing in their college dorm. Matching tattoos. Girls' trips. Real smiles. And then one photo Ava didn't remember. Talia, sitting on her couch. A hoodie over her belly... but there was a bump. Ava was in the background, holding up a baby onesie, smiling at the camera. She zoomed in. The date was two months before her due date. But Talia? Talia was already showing. Her hands went cold. Her chest pounded. No. No, it couldn't be. A message popped up on her screen. Mia. Mia: You might want to see this. Found something in Mom's old stuff. Birth records. Yours... and Noah's. Ava's thumb hovered over the file attachment. Click. But before the file opened, the screen went black. Battery dead. She stared at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her own eyes looked unfamiliar harder, sharper. This wasn't just cheating. This was something deeper. A trap. A lie. One that began before she ever said "I do."