orary life I had built after Mark told me his "the woman he had always idealized," Sarah, was moving in. He didn't ask me to leave, he simply informed

I first heard the footsteps behind me, heavy and uneven. I quickened my pace, my heart starting to beat a little faster. The footsteps sped up too, punctua

d for the keys I no longer had. I knocked, then

It's me, Ava!

second. I saw the shadow of

! There's someone behind me!"

Ethan's voice came through th

You're sca

not kidding! There's a man followin

ily. Dad said we shoul

safety. The shuffling footsteps were right behind me now. I could smell the sour stench of cheap liquor. A heavy hand clamped down on m

lady. Where you goi

onto the manicured lawn. I fought, kicking and scratching, but he was strong. Through my panic, I heard the d

ow! Mom is making a scene on the f

crambling to his feet and stumbling away down the street. It was directed at me. Mark rushed past me, not even giving me a second glance as I lay shivering an

was full of a tenderness I hadn't heard in years. He wrapped

h a mixture of fear and a new, volcanic anger. "M

ok at you, Ava. Making a scene in the middle of the night. You could

arp and accusatory. "You woke

wer button, but the screen stayed black. The battery was dead. "My phone's dead,

t and have the whole neighborhood kno

around her slender waist. She looked me up and down, a flicker of triumph in her eyes before she arranged her face into

ispered, her voice deceptively sweet. "It's my fa

ation. Mark's expression softened towar

he said, turning back to me. "You see what you've done? You've

s crossed over his chest. "Yeah, M

family, my husband and my son, were standing in the warm light of my home, demanding I apologize to the woman who had replaced me

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