Chapter 3

I stood outside Ethan's office door for a moment, steadying my breath. I had to do this now, while he was distracted and off-balance.

I pushed the door open without knocking. The scene inside was exactly what I expected. Chloe was perched on the edge of his desk, leaning in close as she pointed to something on his computer screen. Her hand was resting on his shoulder.

He was laughing at something she said, his head tilted towards hers. They looked intimate, comfortable, like two people who belonged together.

They both jumped when they saw me. Ethan's smile vanished, replaced by a flicker of panic.

"Ava," he said, quickly straightening up. "I, uh, didn't hear you come in."

"I need you to sign these," I said, my voice flat. I placed a folder on the corner of his desk, far away from where Chloe was sitting.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes darting from me to Chloe.

"Just some project approvals," I lied.

As he reached for the folder, Chloe let out a small, sharp cry. "Oh! My ankle!"

She dramatically twisted on the desk, clutching her ankle as if in terrible pain. It was a pathetic, transparent act.

Ethan was on his feet in a second, all thoughts of me and the folder gone. "Chloe! Are you okay? What happened?"

He knelt beside her, his hands hovering over her ankle with absurd concern. "Did you twist it? Let me see."

"Ethan, I need you to sign this now," I said, my voice cutting through his panicked fussing.

"Ava, can't you see she's hurt?" he snapped, his head whipping around to glare at me. "This can wait."

"No, it can't," I insisted. "It's urgent."

He let out an exasperated sigh. Without even looking at the papers, he grabbed a pen, scrawled his signature on the top page, and practically threw the folder back at me.

"There. Happy?" he said, his attention already back on Chloe's "injured" ankle.

I took the folder. "Very."

Inside was not a project approval. It was my official resignation and a transfer of my shares, all legally prepared by my lawyer yesterday. He had just signed away his co-founder.

I watched him for a moment longer as he carefully examined Chloe's ankle, his voice soft and soothing. "Does it hurt here? Maybe we should go to the hospital."

The sight was so ridiculous it was almost funny. I turned and walked out of the office, my steps steady and sure.

"Ava, wait!" Ethan called out, suddenly appearing behind me in the hallway.

I kept walking.

"Ava, I'm sorry," he said, catching up to me. "I was just worried about her. You know how she is."

I stopped and turned to face him. "Do I?"

"Come on, don't be like this," he said, reaching for my arm. "Let's talk about this tonight."

I looked at him, at the man I had loved for six years. I felt nothing. The space where my love for him used to be was just a quiet, empty void.

"There's nothing to talk about," I said, my voice as cold as I felt.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course there is. You were upset yesterday, I get it."

"Were you worried about Chloe?" I asked, a small, bitter smile on my lips.

"Yes, of course, she's..."

"Then go back to her," I said, cutting him off. I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there looking bewildered.

Back at the house, I continued my purge. I packed up the photos of us, the books he'd given me, the stupid little trinkets we'd collected over the years. I was erasing him from my life, one object at a time.

My phone buzzed. It was another message from Chloe, this time a direct message.

"I hope you're not too mad at Ethan. He's just a really caring person. He's taking me to get my ankle checked out now. He's so sweet."

Attached was a picture of her foot, propped up on the passenger seat of Ethan's car. There was nothing wrong with her ankle.