Beyond Betrayal: A Wife Reborn
img img Beyond Betrayal: A Wife Reborn img Chapter 2
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Chapter 4 img
Chapter 5 img
Chapter 6 img
Chapter 7 img
Chapter 8 img
Chapter 9 img
Chapter 10 img
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Chapter 2

Ethan sat by my bedside, peeling an apple with a small, precise knife. The motion was slow, deliberate. He was the image of a devoted husband, his brow furrowed with concern.

"You need to eat, Ava. Keep your strength up," he said, his voice soft and soothing.

I watched him, my heart a block of ice in my chest. He was a monster wearing the face of the man I loved.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He glanced at the screen and a flicker of annoyance crossed his face before he smoothed it back into a mask of care. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

He must have accidentally hit the speakerphone button. A rough, unfamiliar voice filled the quiet room.

"Is it done? Did the bitch fall like she was supposed to?"

My blood ran cold. I forced my breathing to remain even, my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.

Ethan's reaction was instantaneous. He snatched the phone, his fingers fumbling to turn off the speaker. "I'll call you back," he hissed into the receiver before ending the call.

Silence stretched in the room, thick with his panic and my feigned unconsciousness. I could feel his eyes on me, trying to see if I had heard. I didn't move a muscle. My body trembled slightly, a tremor I hoped he would mistake for a post-surgical chill.

After a long moment, he let out a slow breath. He must have decided I was still out of it.

He stood up and walked to the door, speaking softly to a nurse outside. He came back a few minutes later holding a glass of milk.

"The doctor said this is fortified with nutrients. It will help you recover faster," he said, bringing the glass to my lips. "Come on, Ava. Just a few sips."

His voice was a sweet poison. I knew, with absolute certainty, that this milk was not for my recovery. It was part of his plan. The plan to keep me "safe and quiet."

I wanted to spit it in his face, to scream, to claw at his eyes. But I was weak, trapped in this bed. I had to play the part. I opened my mouth and let him pour the liquid down my throat. It tasted chalky, with a bitter undertone.

I swallowed, the act a surrender and a declaration of war all at once.

As the drug in the milk began to take hold, a heavy fog rolled into my mind. My limbs grew heavy, my thoughts slow and sticky. Through the haze, I heard him on the phone again, his voice a low murmur.

"She's sedated. You can proceed with the surgery. The hysterectomy first. And make sure the nerve block is permanent. I don't want any surprises."

The words reached me from a great distance. Hysterectomy. Permanent.

You bastard, Ethan, I thought, as the darkness pulled me under. You're not just taking my children. You're taking my future. You're taking my body.

But you haven't taken my mind. And it will be the instrument of your destruction.

            
            

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