Chapter 2

Ava lay in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. She replayed Ethan' s history with Chloe in her mind.

Ethan' s parents were always busy with work when he was a kid, so he spent most of his childhood at the Davis house. Mrs. Davis had practically raised him. Chloe was his shadow, his closest friend.

When Chloe and her mother moved overseas years ago, Ethan had been lost. That was when he met Ava. Their love had been a slow, steady burn, a comfort after the storm of Chloe' s departure.

But two months ago, Chloe and Mrs. Davis had returned. Mrs. Davis had terminal pancreatic cancer.

At first, Ava supported Ethan completely. She encouraged him to spend time with them, to care for the woman who had been a second mother to him. She cooked meals and brought them to the Davis' s apartment, trying to help.

But soon, she felt like an outsider. Chloe would cling to Ethan' s arm, her eyes filling with tears, making Ava' s presence feel like an intrusion. Mrs. Davis would sigh and talk about how much Ethan meant to them, how he was the only son she ever had.

Ava' s efforts to help were gently but firmly rejected. "You have your own work, Ava. We don' t want to be a burden," Chloe would say, while pulling Ethan closer.

He started spending more and more nights away from home.

Now, lying in the hospital, the pieces clicked into place. It wasn't just about his sense of duty.

She picked up her phone and took a picture of the medical report on her bedside table. The words were clinical and brutal: "Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy. Emergency Salpingectomy."

She sent the picture to Ethan.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. It was a text from him.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

Ava' s heart sank. She imagined him showing the phone to Chloe, who was probably right beside him.

She could almost hear Chloe' s soft, tearful voice. "Oh, Ethan, it' s all my fault. I' m causing so much trouble between you two. Maybe she' s just doing this to get your attention."

Another text came through.

"Ava, I can' t believe you' d fabricate such a vicious lie to make me feel guilty. I' ll come home later and we can talk. I' ll compensate you for whatever you feel you' ve lost."

Compensate her. As if their baby was a business deal gone wrong.