Chapter 4

The pain was a physical thing, a crushing weight in my chest that made it hard to breathe. I lay there for what felt like hours, listening to the silence of the house, a silence that was now filled with the ghosts of my shattered illusions. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't spend another second in this museum of lies.

My hands, shaking, fumbled for my phone on the nightstand. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out the shapes on the screen. I found the contact for my brother, Ethan, my finger hovering over the call button. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I pressed it.

He answered on the second ring, his voice warm and familiar, a lifeline in my sea of despair.

"Ava? Is everything okay? It's the middle of the night there."

"Ethan," I choked out, the single word carrying the full weight of my heartbreak.

"What is it? What's wrong? Is it Liam?" The concern in his voice was immediate, a stark contrast to the cold indifference I had lived with for years.

"I'm coming home," I sobbed, the words tumbling out. "I'm leaving him. I should have listened to you. I'm so sorry, I should have listened."

"Don't be sorry," he said, his voice firm and steady. "Just come home. The guest house is ready for you. I'll book your flight right now. Just tell me when."

We talked for an hour, the first honest conversation I'd had in years. I didn't tell him everything, not the part about the robot or the doll. It was too humiliating, too insane to say out loud just yet. I just told him that I finally understood that Liam didn't love me and never had. That was enough. I felt a sliver of strength return with his unwavering support. I wasn't just Liam's blind wife, I was Ava Riley, and I had a family who loved me.

After the call, a cold resolve settled over me. I wasn't just going to run away, I was going to fight back. I spent the rest of the night on my laptop, my newly functional eyes straining in the dim light, as I researched divorce lawyers in New York. I found the most ruthless one I could and sent an email, outlining my situation in broad, but firm, strokes. I started drafting a list of Liam's assets, his patents, his shell corporations. My father hadn't just left me with a family name, he had taught me about business, about protecting oneself. I was not going to walk away from this with nothing.

The next morning, Liam acted as if nothing had happened. He came into my room, his face a mask of polite concern.

"We have your appointment with Dr. Harrison today, Ava. The car will be here in an hour."

It was my regular six-month check-up with the OB/GYN. A pointless, routine exercise he insisted on. I simply nodded, my face a blank canvas. I would play his game, just for a little while longer. The ride to the clinic was silent. I stared out the window, the vibrant, chaotic life of New York City a blur to my unaccustomed eyes.

Dr. Ben Harrison was a friend of Liam's, a kind man who had always treated me with gentle pity. He went through the usual questions, his tone soft and professional.

"Everything looks good, Ava," he said, smiling. "So, have you and Liam discussed starting a family yet? No pressure, of course, but your biological clock is ticking."

Before I could answer, Liam spoke from his chair in the corner of the room, his voice sharp and dismissive.

"We have no intention of having children. It's not part of the plan."

His words were cold, final. He spoke as if I wasn't even in the room. Dr. Harrison looked uncomfortable, but I felt a strange sense of vindication. It was another piece of the puzzle clicking into place. Of course he didn't want a child with me. A child would be a real, human connection, a bond he couldn't control or fake with a machine.

As we were leaving the clinic, Liam's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and his entire demeanor changed. His face darkened with a possessive fury. I followed his gaze across the lobby. Sophia was there, talking to a young, handsome doctor, laughing at something he had said. She looked beautiful and carefree.

Liam moved so fast I almost stumbled. He crossed the lobby in a few long strides, grabbing Sophia's arm in a grip that was far from gentle.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, his voice low and menacing.

"I'm just talking, Liam," Sophia said, trying to pull her arm away, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.

"You're here for your own appointment, not to flirt with the staff," he snarled, his knuckles white. He dragged her towards the exit, ignoring the stunned look on the young doctor's face and the curious stares of people in the waiting room. He was completely oblivious to the scene he was causing, his entire focus narrowed down to the woman on his arm. He was consumed by his jealousy, a raw, ugly emotion that he was displaying for the whole world to see.

He had never, not once, shown that kind of powerful emotion for me. He had never been jealous, never been possessive, never cared enough to fight for me. Watching him manhandle his sister out of the clinic, I felt no jealousy myself. All I felt was a cold, hard certainty. I was doing the right thing. I had to get away from this sickness, from this twisted, obsessive love that had nothing to do with me.