Chapter 3

Ava stared at the message, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Finally, she typed a single word.

"Okay."

Then she turned off her phone.

For the next three days, there were no more messages. No calls. Ethan didn' t come.

On the day she was discharged, a kind nursing aide helped her with her bag. "Your husband must be busy. Make sure you rest up at home. No heavy lifting for a few weeks."

Ava just nodded, a hollow ache in her chest.

As she was walking out of the hospital entrance, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Ava! Oh my god, what happened to you?"

It was her best friend, Sophia Chen, her own belly swollen with her advanced pregnancy. Sophia rushed over, her face etched with concern.

"You look terrible. Where' s Ethan? Why didn' t you call me?"

Ava' s composure finally broke. She explained everything-the ectopic pregnancy, the surgery, Ethan' s absence, Chloe.

Sophia' s face hardened. "That son of a bitch. I' m going to kill him."

Just as she said it, Ava saw them. Across the hospital driveway, Chloe was wrapped in Ethan' s arms, sobbing against his chest. Ethan was stroking her hair, whispering words of comfort.

He looked up and saw Ava. His expression immediately turned to anger.

He pushed Chloe gently behind him and strode toward Ava.

"What are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?" he hissed, his voice low and furious.

Before Ava could respond, Chloe rushed forward and dramatically fell to her knees in front of her.

"Ava, I' m begging you! Please, have mercy! My mother is dying. Just lend me Ethan for a little while. Once she' s gone, I' ll give him back to you, I promise!"

Tears streamed down her face, her body shaking with sobs. A small crowd was starting to gather.

Ethan pulled Chloe to her feet, his eyes flashing with disgust as he looked at Ava.

"Look what you' ve done. You are the most disgusting, heartless woman I have ever met."