CHAPTER 008
AVA’S POV
I sank into the passenger seat, drained, as Sally drove me home from the hospital. The car was silent, just like I needed.
Sally understood I didn’t have the energy for conversation.
Every now and then, she’d put her hand over mine, her quit support saying more than words could.
She had helped me with the discharge papers, and while we hadn’t said much, just having her there with ms brought some comfort.
I felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and a painful realization about how alone I had been and felt in my marriage since Laura came into my life. It was as if I’d been living with a stranger.
Sally looked over at me, her eyes warm and soft. “Ava, you know I’m here if you need anything Just call, any time.”
I managed a weak smile, though it probably looked more like a grimace. “Thanks, Sal. I’ll be fine. You’ve done so much already. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
She nodded, though her eyes showed she wasn’t convinced
As we reached the gate, she pulled me in for a tight hug, as if she was holding me together for just a moment longer.
I whispered goodbye and got out. She drove off, and I stood alone by the gate..
When I walked inside, the villa felt cold and empty, the silence pressing down on me. I leaned against the door, my mind racing through the past few days.
Everything felt like a blur–the hospital, Jason’s absence, his lies.
I took a deep breath and reached for my phone. I needed answers. Why had he chosen to be with “her” instead of being by my side?
With shaky fingers, I dialed his number. He picked up after a few rings.
“Ava?” His voice sounded distracted as if I had interrupted something or someone. I was sure the latter was the
reasor
I pushed down the bitterness rising in my throat. “Jason, can you come home early tonight? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
There was a pause.“I’ll try, but I’m a bit busy with work. I’ll see what I can do.”
I swallowed my anger. “Work.” The same excuse he’d used when he couldn’t come to the hospital. But I’d seen him with “her.”
Of course, his work was probably Laura again.
“Okay,” I replied quietly and hung up.
Hours passed slowly. I paced the living room, glancing at the clock, replaying every moment he’d chosen Laura
over me.
The ache in my chest grew, a storm building that I couldn’t hold back much longer.
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Finally, I heard the lock click, and Jason walked in, it was late–too late. He looked tired, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care anymore. Not after today.
“Ava,” he said, taking off his coat. “Sorry, I’m late. Things look longer than I thought.”
“Longer than you thought?? I felt my voice tremble. “Were you even planning to come home if I hadn’t called?”
He looked at me, his eyebrows raised as if I was being unreasonable. “I told you I was busy with work, Ava. I can’t just drop everything.
Π
“Work?” I could barely keep my voice steady. “Is that why you didn’t come to the hospital when I needed you?”
“Yes, Ava,” he replied, no guilt, nothing. “I had important things to handle.”
A surge of anger rose in me. “Why are you still lying, Jason I saw you–1 saw you at the hospital with Laura.”
His face went pale. He looked like he’d been caught off guard, then he quickly masked it with a sigh. “Ava, that wasn’t…. what you think,” he stammered.
“Laura needed me–she was going through something.”
“She was “going through something“?” I echoed. “I was in the hospital, Jason. I needed you, and you were with her.
He looked away, rubbing his temples. “It was an emergency. She called at the last minute, and I didn’t have time to explain.”
“And you couldn’t have told me the truth?” My voice broke “You chose to lie instead?”
He sighed, frustrated. “I didn’t think you’d understand. It’s complicated Laura’s dealing with things, and 1 was just trying to help.”
I felt empty like I was looking at a stranger. This was the person I’d trusted, but now everything between us felt like it had been built on lies.
“What about us?” I whispered. “Do you care about us, Jason? Or am I just…. here?”
He didn’t answer his silence, cutting deeper than any words ever could. He looked at the floor unable to meet my gaze, and I knew. I’d been holding on to something that was already gone.
I took a deep breath, holding back the tears that were brimming in my eyes from falling, my fingers curling up into fists as I forced myself to stay calm.
“Maybe…. maybe it’s time we stopped pretending.”
I paused, the words catching in my throat as I forced them out. “Maybe we should end this. I can’t keep doing this
-to myself, to us.” 1
Jason’s head shot up, his eyes widened, alarm flashing across his face. “What are you saying, Ava?”
I looked him in the eyes, steadying my voice. “I’m saying.. want a divorce.”
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CHAPTER 009
