Chapter 4

A few days later, I was sitting in a cafe downtown, trying to finalize my travel itinerary on my laptop. The place was quiet, a welcome respite from the chaos of my life. I was supposed to be leaving the country in less than a week.

Then the bell above the door chimed, and my blood ran cold.

It was them. Ethan, his mother, and Chloe, who was holding baby Leo in a carrier. They hadn't seen me, tucked away in a corner booth.

Chloe didn't look like a woman battling a terminal illness. She was laughing, her cheeks flushed with color, her movements energetic as she adjusted the baby's blanket. She looked healthier than I had ever seen her. The dying damsel act was clearly just for show.

I tried to shrink into my seat, hoping they would just get their coffee and leave. No such luck. Mrs. Hayes spotted me.

Her face soured. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

They walked over to my table, their presence casting a shadow over me.

"Ava," Chloe said, her voice syrupy sweet. "What a coincidence. We were just taking little Leo for his first outing." She looked down at me, her eyes filled with a pity that was really just contempt. "You look tired. Are you not sleeping well?"

I didn't answer, just stared at the screen of my laptop.

"Don't be rude, Ava," Mrs. Hayes snapped. "Chloe is trying to be nice to you, after you assaulted her."

"I see her cheek has recovered," I said dryly, my eyes flicking to Chloe's perfectly unblemished face.

Chloe's smile tightened. "You know, Ethan told me you were always so career-focused. I guess you just don't have that maternal instinct. It's a shame. You're missing out on so much."

Her words were meant to cut, to remind me of what I had lost, of what she now had. I remained silent, my fingers frozen on the keyboard. My silence seemed to infuriate Ethan more than any outburst would have.

"Can't you just be civil, Ava?" he said, his voice low and angry. "Chloe is sick. The least you can do is show her some respect. Is that too much to ask?"

Respect. He wanted me to respect the woman who conspired with him to destroy our marriage. I remembered a time when he was my fiercest defender. When a colleague had made a dismissive comment about female surgeons, Ethan had been so angry on my behalf, his voice shaking with indignation as he told me I was the most brilliant person he knew. Where was that man now? He was gone, replaced by this weak, resentful stranger.

"A brilliant surgeon who can't even give her husband a child," Mrs. Hayes sneered, as if reading my mind. "What's the point of all that success if your personal life is a failure? Chloe, at least, knows what's truly important."

My hands clenched into fists under the table, my nails digging into my palms. I focused on the pain, using it to anchor myself, to keep from screaming at them in the middle of this quiet cafe.

Chloe adjusted the baby carrier on the table, pushing it slightly closer to me. "We're having Leo's naming ceremony on Saturday. You should come, Ava. It's important for Leo to know his... aunt."

The word 'aunt' was a calculated insult. She was cementing my place as a peripheral figure in the family she now controlled.

Ethan put a protective arm around Chloe's shoulders. "Yes, Ava. You should be there. For the family."

"And stop being so selfish," he added, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper so only I could hear. "This isn't all about you."

I looked at his face, at the anger and impatience there, and I felt nothing. The love I had for him had curdled into a strange, detached pity. He had made his choice. He had built this new family out of lies and betrayal.

They finally left, leaving me in the sudden silence of their wake. I watched them walk down the street, Ethan pushing the stroller, his mother chattering happily beside him. A perfect little family.

Fine, I thought, a cold resolve settling over me. You want me at the naming ceremony? I'll be there. And I'll give you a celebration you'll never forget.