Autumn. Fallen leaves piled like a river. At a villa in the suburbs of Newglory, a line of black cars drove in one after another—seven or eight in total, an impressive sight. The villa’s servants tried to stop them, but how could they stand against twenty-odd men in black? An old servant was dragged over to Ava, trembling with fear.
Ava’s eyes were cold: “Is Lily here?”
The old servant played dumb, rambling about other things. Ava didn’t care. She walked past the old servant toward the villa’s main hall, followed by Annie and the security guards.
Lily was lying on the sofa, happily applying a face mask, when suddenly she was surrounded by people. She jumped in shock, then tried to bluff: “What are you doing? I’m telling you, breaking into a private house is illegal!”
“Illegal?” Ava stepped out of the crowd. She looked at Lily and sneered: “I remember I haven’t divorced Ethan yet. I’m still Margret. And this house is our marital property.” Ava pointed at Lily and the lavish hall: “Everything on you, even your underwear—if it was bought with Ethan’s card, I have the right to take it back. Those designer bags in your closet? All marital property. This villa? I own half of it. Now I’m legally asking you to leave. Is that too much?”
Lily stamped her foot in anger: “Ethan won’t let you get away with this.”
Ava’s expression turned cold: “He won’t get the chance before I’m done with you.” With that, she picked up a glass vase. It was a work by a Czech master, worth over 300,000 yuan—not to mention the total value of the luxurious villa. She’d worked hard with Ethan to build his success, only for someone else to enjoy it. How ironic.
Crash! The vase shattered. 300,000 yuan gone in an instant.
Ava stared at Lily’s face, her voice calm as she ordered the men in black: “Smash everything! I don’t want to see a single trace of how it was.”
Lily screamed: “You can’t do this! This is my home!”
Ava slapped her across the face. Lily was stunned, too shocked to react. When she finally came to her senses, she mumbled: “This is my home—mine and Ethan’s. You can’t smash it.”
Every time she said it, Ava slapped her harder. Ava used all her strength.
Lily’s face quickly swelled up. Her hair came loose, making her look a complete mess. But she kept up her defiance, yelling that this was her home and stopping the men from destroying it. But the men were rough, and within half an hour, the villa was in ruins. Lily nearly went hysterical.
But Ava still had scores to settle—She walked over to Lily, looking at her innocent-looking face. After discovering Ethan’s infidelity, Ava had tried to be tolerant. She’d only talked about divorce with Ethan, never touching Lily. But this girl had pushed her luck, hurting someone dear to Ava. Ava reached out, gently touching Lily’s stomach—her movements eerily soft.
Lily froze in fear, trembling all over! She hadn’t forgotten what she’d done at the hospital that day. She didn’t know if that old woman was dead, but even if she was, she’d never admit it. She had something Ethan wanted; he’d definitely protect her.
Ava looked up: “Heard you’re pregnant? Ethan’s child?”
Lily stubbornly insisted: “Yes. I’m carrying Ethan’s child. If you don’t believe me, we can do a DNA test when it’s born. See if it’s his.”
Ava sneered: “No need for that. Technology’s advanced now. We can get DNA from amniotic fluid. Doctors will use a long, steel-like needle, pierce through the abdomen to where the baby is, draw fluid, then match it with Ethan’s hair.”
Lily froze. A steel needle? Piercing the abdomen? Drawing amniotic fluid! Every word made her teeth chatter. But she refused to back down, refusing to say she wasn’t pregnant.
Ava’s heart was like iron: “Take her to the hospital!”
The guards dragged Lily away, no hint of mercy. Soon, her fair, delicate arms and legs were covered in bruises—shocking to see. The villa echoed with her frantic screams and insults—“You old hag! Can’t have kids yourself, so you’re jealous I’m pregnant! Ethan will find out! He’ll never let you go. He’ll pity me, treat me even better!”
Those words were like tiny needles, piercing Ava’s heart with a dull, lingering pain. Ava walked up to Lily, raising her hand to slap her hard—But she couldn’t bring it down.
Ethan had arrived. The evening twilight cast a dark shadow over his face, making him look intimidating.
He took in the mess of the villa, Lily’s swollen face, the bruises on her arms and legs, and the girl’s weak sobs. A storm brewed in his dark eyes. In that moment, Ethan’s anger peaked, clouding his reason. He made a mistake he’d regret for life.
Slap! A crisp sound echoed through the empty villa, lingering…
Ava’s face turned to the side. She stayed that way for a long time, not turning back. She felt utterly humiliated. Not because of the stinging cheek, the physical pain, or the shock to her heart—but because of her life. Ava’s life had become a complete mess. And all that overwhelming brokenness surged toward her. A kind of brokenness that would never heal.
Ava laughed. She gently touched the cheek Ethan had slapped, slowly turning to face him. She looked up at her enraged husband. As if she didn’t recognize him. As if he weren’t Ethan. As if he weren’t the man she’d once loved deeply.
Ethan put his arm around Lily. The girl leaned into his chest, casting a provocative glance at Ava—a silent mockery.
Ava remembered Gwendolyn’s words: The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel. What did four years of marriage matter? What did being the legal Margret matter? Her husband had seen this scene and slapped her. Ava murmured: “The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel. It’s true.”
Ethan didn’t catch her words. Still furious, he snapped at his wife: “Ava, what do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know she’s unwell? She…”
Tears suddenly spilled from Ava’s eyes. But she barely felt them. She just spoke softly: “You can cherish the woman you’re keeping. Ethan, do you expect me to cherish her too? Won’t you even ask why I came, why I wanted to take her, what she did?”
Ethan looked at Lily. Lily sobbed, her tears making her look fragile and pitiful: “I didn’t do anything! Really, I was just doing a face mask at home, and she came to drag me to the hospital, saying she’d stick a steel needle in my abdomen.”
Ethan’s black eyes blazed with anger: “Ava, you’re really crazy!”
“Yes! I am crazy. Ethan, I was crazy to have loved you.” Ava even smiled as she said it. Her heart was dead. From this moment on, she’d never feel the slightest love for Ethan again. Otherwise, her love would burn her up, with no end. She didn’t explain. She just turned and left. Let it end. In the end, love and hate, obsession and entanglement, all boil down to one word: enough.
“Ava.” Who was calling her from behind? Was it the young Ethan? But that Ethan was long dead. All that stood behind her was an empty shell—one Ava no longer wanted…
Annie stayed close, supporting Ava as they walked out, both silent.
Outside, the sky was already dusk. Ava looked up at the phoenix tree. The wind blew, and the few remaining leaves rustled, like a girl’s quiet sobs. Ava stared at it for a long time, then whispered: “The leaves have fallen.”
Annie’s nose twitched, and she burst into tears. She couldn’t hold back anymore. Letting go of Ava, she ran back to the villa and shouted at Ethan: “You don’t know anything!”
