Chapter 4

The next morning, I went downstairs for breakfast. The air was thick with a tension only I seemed to notice.

Lisa, the housekeeper, placed a bowl of plain oatmeal in front of me. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Where is my nutritional soup, Lisa?" I asked, keeping my voice even.

Before Lisa could answer, Chloe glided into the dining room, wearing one of Liam's expensive silk robes. She sat down at the head of the table, in the chair that was always mine.

"Oh, the ginseng soup?" Chloe said with a triumphant little smile. "Liam said I should have it. My baby needs the best of everything, you know."

She picked up her spoon and took a delicate sip, her eyes daring me to challenge her.

I felt a surge of nausea. I pushed the oatmeal away, my appetite gone.

"I'm not hungry," I said, standing up to leave.

Chloe's chair scraped against the floor as she shot up, blocking my path. "Where do you think you're going? Liam said you have to eat to keep your strength up."

"Get out of my way, Chloe," I said, my voice dangerously low.

She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "Don't you use that tone with me. You're nothing but a blind charity case. You should be grateful Liam hasn't kicked you out on the street yet."

I tried to pull my arm away. In the struggle, my hand knocked against a vase on a nearby table. It teetered for a moment before crashing to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

Just then, Liam walked in.

"What is going on?" he demanded, his eyes immediately landing on the broken vase and then on me.

"Liam, darling!" Chloe cried, her face instantly crumbling into a mask of distress. "I was just trying to convince Ava to eat, and she got so angry! She pushed me and broke the vase."

"I did not push you!" I said, my voice shaking with rage.

Liam didn't even look at me. He rushed to Chloe's side, checking her over for injuries she didn't have. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Chloe sniffled, leaning against him. "I'm just scared. She's so unstable."

"Ava," Liam said, his voice dripping with disappointment and anger. "That was your mother's favorite vase. Why would you do that?"

"It was an accident! She grabbed me!" I tried to explain, but it was useless.

"She can't see, Liam," Chloe murmured, as if that explained everything. "Maybe she didn't realize what she was doing. Let's not be too hard on her."

Her fake magnanimity was more insulting than any accusation.

Liam let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Just... sit down and eat, Ava. Both of you. I don't have time for this drama."

I was forced to sit back down, a prisoner at my own table, and watch as my husband soothed his mistress, feeding her bites of the soup that was meant for me and our child.

The humiliation was a physical thing, a bitter taste in my mouth. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and walked out of the room, ignoring Liam's command to come back.

He followed me into the study.

"Ava, we need to talk," he said, closing the door behind us. He was holding a document. "I need you to sign this."

"What is it?" I asked, my voice devoid of emotion.

"It's just a standard corporate document," he said smoothly. "Some shares I'm moving into a trust for... for the baby."

He placed the papers in front of me and put a pen in my hand. He guided my fingers to the signature line, assuming I couldn't see the bold letters at the top of the page.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

My hand trembled, but I steadied it. I saw the clauses. I was to give up all rights to our shared assets, our home, and any claim to the Stone family fortune. In return, he would provide a "generous" one-time settlement. It also included a clause about my shares in my own family's company, Wilson Holdings, which I had naively put into a joint account with him years ago. Signing this would transfer them entirely to him.

He was not just divorcing me. He was trying to rob me.

I looked up in the direction of his face, my eyes unfocused, playing the part of the blind wife one last time.

"Okay, Liam," I said softly. "If you say it's for the baby."

I signed my name.

He let out a small, relieved breath. "Thank you, Ava. You're doing the right thing."

He took the papers, a triumphant gleam in his eyes that he thought I couldn't see. His phone rang, and he answered it, turning away from me to speak in a low voice.

"It's done," he said. "She signed everything. The Wilson Holdings shares are mine now. Once the divorce is final, we'll have controlling interest... Yes, I know... I love you too, Chloe."

He hung up and turned back to me, his face a mask of false concern.

I met his gaze, my newly opened eyes as cold and hard as diamonds. A slow, chilling smile spread across my face.

He didn't notice. He was too busy celebrating his victory.

He had no idea he had just lost everything.