what felt like hours, listening to the silence of the house, a silence that was now filled with the ghost

ut I could make out the shapes on the screen. I found the contact for my brother, Ethan,

his voice warm and familiar, a

okay? It's the middl

single word carrying the fu

rn in his voice was immediate, a stark contrast t

g out. "I'm leaving him. I should have listene

. "Just come home. The guest house is ready for you.

too humiliating, too insane to say out loud just yet. I just told him that I finally understood that Liam didn't love me and never had. That was eno

ght, as I researched divorce lawyers in New York. I found the most ruthless one I could and sent an email, outlining my situation in broad, but firm, strokes. I started drafting a list of Liam's asset

thing had happened. He came into my r

h Dr. Harrison today, Ava. Th

odded, my face a blank canvas. I would play his game, just for a little while longer. The ride to the clinic w

o had always treated me with gentle pity. He went thro

ve you and Liam discussed starting a family yet? No pre

rom his chair in the corner of the

f having children. It's

lt a strange sense of vindication. It was another piece of the puzzle clicking into place. Of course he didn't wa

nged. His face darkened with a possessive fury. I followed his gaze across the lobby. Sophia was there,

ed the lobby in a few long strides, grabbing S

" he hissed, his voi

aid, trying to pull her arm away,

ed look on the young doctor's face and the curious stares of people in the waiting room. He was completely oblivious to the scene he was causing, his en

h to fight for me. Watching him manhandle his sister out of the clinic, I felt no jealousy myself. All I felt was a cold, hard certaint