Unwanted Wife, Unbreakable Spirit

The heavy scent of alcohol was always the first sign. For five years, I' d been a ghost in my own marriage, a stand-in for a woman who vanished.

Then, my husband, Ethan, stumbled in, saw me, and murmured a name that wasn't mine. "Olivia."

His kiss, rough and demanding, tasted of whiskey and a longing not meant for me. I pushed him away. "I'm not Olivia." His brief warmth vanished, replaced by chilling disgust. "Ava," he spat, "It's always you." He shoved me hard, threatening to torment me until his "true love" returned, even forcing birth control to prevent our child.

I finally snapped. I lunged at him, a desperate, self-destructive challenge. "You want to torment me? Then do it. Fulfill your promise." An hour later, I lay bruised, my two decades of love for him turned to bitter ash.

With cold determination, I proposed a deal: I'd find Olivia, and he'd grant me a divorce, severing all ties.

A month later, a flimsy tip led me to a dive bar. There, I heard a voice – Olivia's. And Brenda's. Her mother. "He's still obsessed, Mom. He's been looking for me for five years." Olivia, who had supposedly been mute since childhood, was speaking. Perfectly. They were conning him, planning to claim his fortune. Rage surged through me. I had to warn Ethan.

But when I burst into his office, he slapped me, showing a text from Olivia: "Ethan, help me. Ava has me locked up. I'm scared." He believed her. He dragged me to the bar, where Olivia, now feigning a wheelchair, buried her face in his chest, making him angrier. Another brutal slap. "I'm going to make you pay."

Two men emerged, claiming I had held Olivia captive. "Shut her up," Ethan snarled, picking up a steel pipe. He broke my legs, then tossed the pipe aside, saying, "Crawl back to the mansion. The divorce papers will be waiting for you." I cursed him. I lost consciousness.

I woke to Dr. Liam Miller, my loyal friend. He revealed I was six weeks pregnant. With his child. The irony shattered me. I wanted an abortion, but my injuries made it too dangerous. I made Liam promise to never tell Ethan. He agreed.

The heavy scent of alcohol hit Ava Riley before the bedroom door even slammed shut. It was a familiar smell, one that always preceded the pain.

Ethan Hayes stumbled towards the bed, his usually sharp suit rumpled, his tie askew. His eyes, dark and unfocused, scanned the room until they landed on her. A slow, almost tender smile spread across his face, a smile she hadn't seen directed at her in years.

"Olivia," he breathed, his voice a low slur. He reached for her, his large hands gripping her shoulders. "You came back. I knew you'd come back to me."

His lips came down on hers, rough and demanding, tasting of whiskey and a longing that was not for her.

Ava remained still for a moment, a familiar ache spreading through her chest. This had been her life for five years. She was a ghost in her own marriage, a stand-in for a woman who had vanished.

She pushed against his chest, her voice cold and steady. "I'm not Olivia."

He froze, his drunken haze momentarily pierced by her words. He pulled back, his eyes narrowing as he finally focused on her face. The brief warmth vanished, replaced by a chilling disgust.

"Ava," he spat her name like a curse. "Of course. It's always you."

"Your wife," she corrected, her voice flat. "Olivia is the one who left you five years ago. She's not here."

The mention of Olivia sobered him instantly. He straightened up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over her. "Don't you dare say her name. You're the reason she left. You manipulated her, drove her away from me."

It was the same old accusation, the one he'd thrown at her a thousand times. She was tired of it, tired of defending herself against a ghost.

"When will you let me go, Ethan?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "Let you go? I'll keep tormenting you, Ava. Every single day. Until she comes back to me."

A bitter laugh escaped her own lips. "So you'll punish me for the rest of my life? For something I didn't do?" She looked up at him, her heart a shattered mess. "You say you love her, but you married me. We've been married for five years, Ethan. Haven't you felt anything for me? Not even a little?"

His face contorted with rage. "You dare compare yourself to her? Olivia is a thousand times better than you. You're nothing."

He shoved her away, and she stumbled back, hitting the edge of the bed.

"Remember to take your pill," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "No one deserves to have my child. No one but Olivia."

He turned to leave, his hand on the doorknob.

Something inside Ava snapped. Twenty years of devotion, five years of a torturous marriage-it all culminated in this moment of raw desperation.

She lunged forward, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. Before he could react, she pressed her lips against his, a kiss born not of love, but of a desperate, self-destructive challenge.

"You want to torment me?" she whispered against his mouth. "Then do it. Fulfill your promise."

Ethan was stunned by her sudden aggression. But the surprise quickly melted into his usual, brutal anger. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back as his mouth crushed hers again, this time with all the pent-up hatred he felt for her.

An hour later, he finally pulled away, leaving her bruised and exhausted on the bed. The room was silent except for their ragged breathing.

Ava lay there, feeling nothing but a vast, cold emptiness. The love she had held for him for two decades had finally turned to ash.

She sat up, her movements calm and deliberate. She looked at him, her eyes clear and devoid of any emotion.

"Let's make a deal," she said, her voice steady.

Ethan, still breathing heavily, looked at her with suspicion.

"I'll find Olivia for you," she continued. "I'll bring her back. And in return, you give me a divorce. We sever all ties. You get your love, and I get my freedom."

He stared at her, intrigued by her sudden, unnerving calm. He had expected tears, pleading, anything but this cold proposal. A smirk played on his lips.

"You think you can find her when I couldn't?" he scoffed.

"I'll find her," Ava repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument.

He considered it for a moment, the prospect of seeing Olivia again overriding his skepticism. He believed it was an empty promise, a desperate ploy. He would let her try and fail.

"Fine," he agreed, his voice cold. "You find Olivia, and I'll sign the papers."

Ethan left the room without another word, slamming the door behind him. He was confident she would fail. Olivia had vanished without a trace, and his own extensive resources had turned up nothing for five years. What could Ava possibly do?

Ava sank back onto the bed, the exhaustion hitting her like a physical blow. She wrapped her arms around herself, a single, silent tear escaping her eye. In the aftermath, she forgot to take the birth control pill he kept on her nightstand.

The next day, Ava began her search. She started with Olivia's old friends, her last known addresses, anything that might provide a clue. But every lead was a dead end. It was like Olivia had simply ceased to exist.

A month passed. Hope was dwindling. Ava found herself in a seedy, dive bar on the outskirts of the city, following a flimsy tip. The air was thick with smoke and desperation. As she was about to leave, she heard a voice from a dark corner booth.

A voice she knew, but had never heard speak.

"He's still obsessed, Mom. He's been looking for me for five years."

It was Olivia.

Ava froze, hiding in the shadows. Olivia was sitting with her mother, Brenda Hayes. And she was speaking. Perfectly. The muteness she had feigned for twenty years was a lie.

"Of course, he is," Brenda said, a greedy glint in her eyes. "That boy has been wrapped around your little finger since you were kids. Once we get our hands on the Hayes family fortune, we can finally live the life we deserve. You just need to play the part a little longer."

"I'm tired of pretending to be a helpless little mute," Olivia complained, taking a long drag from her cigarette. "And I'm tired of hiding in this dump."

"Patience, my dear," Brenda soothed. "Soon, you'll be Mrs. Hayes, and Ava will be out on the street where she belongs."

Rage, pure and blinding, surged through Ava. She had been played for a fool her entire life. She turned and slipped out of the bar, her mind racing. She had to warn Ethan. He had to know the truth.

She drove straight to the Hayes Corporation headquarters. She didn't have an appointment, but she was still Mrs. Hayes. The receptionist tried to stop her, but Ava pushed past, her only thought to get to Ethan's office.

She burst through the doors of his top-floor office. "Ethan, you have to listen to me! It's Olivia–"

A sharp slap cut her off, the force of it sending her stumbling sideways.

Ethan stood before her, his face a mask of fury. He held his phone in his hand, the screen glowing.

"You bitch," he snarled. "You knew where she was all this time. You've been hiding her from me!"

"What are you talking about?" Ava cried, her cheek stinging.

He shoved the phone in her face. It was a text message, supposedly from Olivia. "Ethan, help me. Ava has me locked up. I'm scared."

"That's a lie!" Ava insisted, her heart sinking. "I just saw her. She's not a mute, Ethan! She's been faking it! She and her mother are trying to con you!"

But Ethan wasn't listening. His eyes were wild with a mix of rage and relief. He believed Olivia was in danger, and he was going to be her hero.

He grabbed Ava's arm in a bruising grip. "You're coming with me," he growled. "You're going to take me to her. And then you're going to pay for what you've done."