At nine o’clock in the evening, the two left the Sinclair Manor. As Ethan fastened his seat-belt, he casually asked, “What were you talking about with Damien earlier? You seemed to be having a good chat.”
Ava let out a soft “Hmm”: “Yes, we talked about your lover.”
Ethan: …
After a moment, Ethan gently took Ava’s hand, his voice carrying a rare hint of tenderness: “I haven’t slept with her.”
Ava leaned back in her seat, a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. She knew well that Ethan’s tenderness was only because she was in her fertile period, and he wanted to plant his seed in her womb. It had nothing to do with love, and even less to do with her, Ava. She wondered, if Ethan knew she couldn’t have children, would he still try to keep her, or would he rush to sign the divorce papers and find the next woman suitable to be Margret?
That night, Ethan was very aggressive, leaning close to Ava, trying to arouse his wife’s desire.
Ava felt utterly sad. Her husband didn’t love her, treating her as a work machine and a breeding vessel. He didn’t like having sex with her, yet every month he did it just to have a child. What was the difference between this and animals mating? Ava avoided Ethan’s kiss, her voice hoarse with an indescribable sorrow: “Ethan, I’m serious about the divorce. If you think I’m asking for too much, we can talk more.”
The car was dim. Ethan stared intently at his wife’s face, as if trying to see through her very skin. After a moment of silence, his voice turned cold, “I’ve also said, we can’t get a divorce. Ava, having a child will stop you from overthinking!”
Ava closed her eyes gently, speaking weakly: “Ethan, what if I can’t have children?”
Ethan frowned, dismissing the idea: “How could that be? We both had premarital checks when we got married.”
Ava smiled bitterly. The premarital check report from four years ago was long outdated. Just like Ethan’s marriage vows back then, which had long vanished in the man’s conscience, long faded in the tenderness of that young girl…
They returned to Imperial Vista around ten o’clock.
Ethan took a shower in the guest room. He had planned to persuade Ava to share the room, but he received a call and left in a hurry. Ava guessed he was going to meet his lover. She didn’t care. At least that night, she didn’t have to deal with Ethan. All night, Ethan didn’t come back. The lights in Imperial Vista stayed on all night, but the master of the house never returned…
In the following week, Ethan didn’t come home at night either. The divorce matter made no progress.
What did Ava do during those cold autumn nights? She often stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the bedroom, watching the gradually yellowing sycamore leaves outside, thinking faintly: If she hadn’t given up painting back then, hadn’t married so early, hadn’t entered the business world, would she be much happier? As for Ethan, she didn’t call him once. She treated the man fooling around outside as if he were dead.
They hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Their next meeting was at a business reception.
[The Hermitage Club]
The most extravagant business club in Newglory City.
As soon as Ava entered the private room, she saw Lily sitting tightly beside Ethan, looking delicate and dependent. When she saw Ava coming, she simply bowed her head to play with her phone, showing no respect for Ava at all. Annie was about to speak. Ava stopped her, her voice calm: “She’s Ethan’s favorite now. Let’s indulge her for a while.”
There was no seat next to Ethan, and Ava certainly wouldn’t sit with the opposite camp. She excused herself to go to the restroom, giving Ethan enough time to deal with his little lover.
Inside the restroom, the crystal lights were bright. Ava stood washing her hands when, suddenly, the sound of a woman’s footsteps came from behind…
Ava looked up and saw Lily in the mirror.
Lily walked to Ava’s side, abandoning her usual deference, with a sharp provocation in her tone: “I’ve moved back to that villa. Ethan said I can stay as long as I want.”
Ava turned off the faucet. In the mirror, she looked at that pure little face. Truly innocent, full of collagen. Unlike her, who had been immersed in the business world for years, her face always carried a faint tiredness. Youth was really good. She then casually remembered that she was only 26 years old.
Ava lowered her head, gently twisting the 6 carat wedding ring on her finger, speaking calmly: “Miss Garcia, if I were you, I’d be a canary frankly by Ethan’s side. Don’t make trouble, just hook your arms around his neck and ask for money. And don’t go around talking about your little bedroom matters. Besides, why make a scene here? This kind of occasion isn’t for you.”
Lily curved her lips: “Ethan will protect me. He can’t bear to see me drink.”
“Is that so?” Ava still smiled faintly: “Miss Garcia, you might not know that in Ethan’s heart, money comes first. He clearly distinguishes between business and women. Later, let alone a glass of weak wine, even poison, he’d probably tell you to swallow it.”
Lily’s little face turned pale: “I don’t believe it.”
Ava’s smile faded a little. After Lily left, Ava stared at her reflection in the mirror, lost in thought: The bluff just now seemed ridiculous even to herself. She knew that with a little effort and tricks, she could always remain Margret. But that kind of life and marriage wasn’t what she wanted. She was tired and wanted to flip the table.
When Ava returned to the private room, the seat next to Ethan had been cleared. Ava sat down calmly, playing the role of a loving couple with Ethan as before. Lily sat far away, looking wronged, on the verge of tears. Ethan was slightly displeased: “Why bother a little girl?”
Ava didn’t answer. He didn’t know that every word he said to defend Lily was like a knife stabbing into her heart. He pitied Lily, so what did her years of going through life and death with him count for?
Yes, what did it count for?
Ava’s heart was bleeding, but her face was abnormally calm. She smiled and asked Lily to accompany a man from the other company for a drink. That man was clearly interested in innocent girls like Lily.
Lily, relying on being Ethan’s child friend, refused repeatedly. Under the crystal lights, Ethan’s elegant face showed signs of an approaching storm. How could he not know that Ava was doing it on purpose?
Ethan gently held his wine glass, looking at Ava but speaking to Lily: “The Amerasia Initiative is a cooperation involving hundreds of billions. No matter what, Assistant Lily, you should agree with Richard.”
Lily didn’t dare to make trouble anymore, her lips trembling as she agreed. While Lily humbled herself to accompany Richard for a drink, Ava sat side by side with Ethan. Ethan’s face showed no expression, while Ava felt like a vicious queen, personally burying Ethan’s great love. At this moment, they forgot that they were once a young couple.
Night fell in the underground parking lot. Secretary Annie supported Ava, opening the back seat door with one hand: “Ms. Sinclair, be careful not to hit your head. You drank a bit too much tonight.”
Ava held her forehead and murmured: “I’m in a bad mood.”
Annie understood completely. Master Ethan had gone too far today.
The [Amerasia Initiative] had been Ava’s painstaking effort from the start—everything from the initial proposal to the networking resources had been arranged by her. But Ethan had brought Lily along tonight; even if she were Ava, she’d be angry. Still, it was satisfying that Lily had ended up in the hospital from drinking too much.
Just as Ava was about to get into the car, her wrist was grabbed by a man’s arm. Thud—her body slammed against the black limousine. The cold, expensive car body only made the woman look more fragile and helpless. It took a while for Ava to recover from the pain. She looked up at her husband’s stormy handsome face and said softly: “Annie, please step aside.”
Annie was really worried, but seeing Ethan’s expression, she didn’t dare stay. She only whispered: “Ava, you’re not feeling well either.” Ava’s eyes turned slightly red.
After Annie left, Ethan finally lost his temper. He pressed closer, grabbed Ava’s chin, and asked coldly, “Why did you deliberately pick on her? She’s in the hospital now, getting her stomach pumped and an IV. Ava, I told you she’s just an elder’s daughter. I’m just taking a bit more care of her…”
A slap landed on Ethan’s face. Ava’s palm went numb, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably. She looked at Ethan and laughed coldly: “Taking care of her in the villa’s bed? Ethan, are you just being unashamedly affectionate, or do you really think I’m a fool?” Ethan’s handsome face was knocked to the side.
He slowly turned back, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He stared at Ava as if he wanted to kill her, but his tone was calm and controlled: “You want my love that badly? Willing to do anything for it?”
Ava mimicked his tone, sarcastic: “Don’t flatter yourself—you’re not that important!” Ethan seemed to calm down.
After a moment, he gently touched her face: “Ava, you’re not as obedient as you used to be. Isn’t it good to play the role of Margret well? Have a child, hold on the position of Margret—isn’t that good? Why care so much? Why must you go against me?”
The night was cold. Ava’s face was covered in tears, but she didn’t notice. “The past? You remember that was the past? Ethan, are we still the same as before? The Ethan of the past didn’t have a young girl by his side. The Ethan of the past didn’t stay out all night. The Ethan of the past didn’t calculate my ovulation every month just to have a child!”
“Ethan, have you changed… or have I?”
After four years of sharing a bed, they finally tore off the pretense.
Ethan stared silently at Ava—this wife who had accompanied him through four years in the vanity fair. After a long time, his gaze turned icy, as if he’d made a certain decision in that instant.
The night was quiet, like a silent mourning for love.
Ethan let go of Ava, stepping back: “Starting tomorrow, you no longer need to be in charge of the Amerasia Initiative. As for your position, I’ll hold a shareholders’ meeting to decide appropriately.”
Ava smiled faintly. Having gained everything he wanted, he first gets rid of the biggest contributor. In fact, both she and Ethan knew well that their rift wasn’t just because of Lily. Ethan wanted to force her back home as Margret, to be sole duty in bearing his children, to trap her for life in the name of love.
Love, children…
In that moment, Ava’s grief and anger reached their peak. She suddenly felt completely disheartened. She suddenly felt that everything in the past had been her own wishful thinking. Meeting Ethan wasn’t her fate—it was her disaster!
She didn’t want to hide it anymore! She was going to tell him the truth now. She was going to tell Ethan that she couldn’t have children!
