en she opened her eyes, the sharp, sterile smell of antiseptic filled her nose, and a dull, throbb

calm. "A few broken ribs, a severe concussion, and s

he fumbled for the nurse's call button, her hand shaking. "My p

nal effects. Ava' s fingers trembled as she dialed Mark' s number, a number

ce weak. "I... I was in an accident.

egan to claw at the edges of her drug-induced calm. Where was he? He wa

s hand, as Chloe Davis, a social media influencer with millions of followers, posed for a selfie. Her body was pressed against his, her lips painted

you know," Chloe said, a playful pout on he

and our son to care about what I do. She knows her place." He pulled Chloe closer, his mind com

e last idea. Their son, Liam. He was sixteen, practically glued to his phone. He would know

econd ring. "What?" Liam'

"I can' t reach your father. Can you please tell

Ava could hear the faint sound of music and laug

s that your new strategy to get Dad' s attention? He' s busy, Mom. He'

phone, seen the glossy photos online. She had told herself it was nothing, a business acq

ded, tears welling in her eyes. "

red. "Stop calling and bothering us.

later, a notification popped up on her cracked

er body was nothing compared to the profound, shattering agony in her heart. She had been betrayed. Not just by her husband, but by her

tead, she took a taxi to the office of the city' s most ruthless divorce attorney. With a calm, clear voice that surprised even herself, she laid out the facts and gave

the kitchen island. His name was scrawled on the front in Ava' s familiar handwriting. Inside were divorce papers. He stare

"Did you know about this?" h

e, barely glanced up. "About wha

orcing me!"

th Chloe without her nagging all the time. The house is a mess, by the way. There' s no food

g. The order she maintained, the meals she prepared, the thousand invisible things she did every day that made their lives run smoothly-he had taken them all for granted