Chapter Eleven
Ava’s POV
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
Phoenix cursed loudly somewhere behind me, but I didn’t look back. No, I couldn’t. My eyes were painfully glued to the television screen, where none other than Kyle, my ex–husband of just forty–eight hours stood in a wedding suit, his new bride clinging to his side like she had been there all along
My heart hammered painfully in my chest, twisting in a way that brought tears to my eyes, yet I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the screen
Although we had signed our divorce papers just forty–eight hours ago, this wasn’t the kind of news I had expected so soon. I mean, I knew he was going to marry her; wasn’t that the reason he asked for a divorce? But I never imagined he would have an actual wedding this quickly, let alone flaunt it so publicly.
It felt like something he had been planning for years.
What am I saying?
Of course, it had been in his plans for months, while I remained oblivious to everything.
My breath came in shallow, uneven bursts as the news anchor chatter on about the “romantic surprise ceremony” and how “Kyle Anderson wasted no time in making things official with his new bride.” Then came the question: What had happened to me? Who was the new bride?
My stomach twisted violently.
A surprise? Maybe to the world. But it sure as hell wasn’t a surprise to him.
No, Kyle had planned this down to the last detail, like the calculated man he was. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had that suit tailored before we even signed the divorce papers.
“Turn it off,” Phoenix barked.
I heard sharp movement behind me, and then, the TV clicked off, plunging the room into a chilly stillness. Only the sound of my own ragged breathing remained.
“Vee,” Phoenix’s voice was softer now, a warm hand pressing against my shoulder. “You don’t need to watch
that garbage.”
I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down, but it did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest or the cry threatening to spill from my lips.
“I’m fine,” I lied, even though my stomach trembled with the weight of an impending sob.
All I wanted was to curl up somewhere and cry my eyes out, just as I had been doing since the day I left the
house.
Phoenix snorted. “Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England.”
A short, humorless laugh escaped me, despite myself. My fingers trembled as I ran them through my hair. pushing back the strands that clung to my damp forehead. “It’s just the audacity. The absolute audacity to parade her around like this, like we didn’t just sign those damn papers two days ago.”
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Chapter Eleven
“He’s a piece of s**t.” Phoenix said bluntly, folding her arms. “But you knew that already.”
Did 1?
I thought I knew him.
I thought he loved me, and to be fair, he did. He made me feel cherished in a way no one else ever had, and that was indisputable. But I also believed or rather hoped that some part of him would mourn what we had,
that he would hesitate, even for a moment, before moving on.
Yet Kyle had proven me wrong in front of the entire damn world, that there was no room left for doubt. He had no hesitation. No grief. Just a shiny new bride carrying his heir and a front–page spectacle.
I could already picture the media frenzy when they discovered she was pregnant. The headlines would scream about the perfect new family, while I would be reduced to nothing more than the abandoned,
discarded wife.
A bitter laugh bubbled up my throat. “He didn’t waste a single second, did he?”
Phoenix’s scowl deepened. “No, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit here and let it break you.” She crouched. in front of me, gripping my hands. “You deserve better, Vee. Way better. And one day, you’re going to look back at this and thank God you dodged that bullet.
I wanted to believe her. I really did.
But right now, with my heart in shambles and my dignity torn to shreds in front of everyone, all I felt was betrayal. Humiliation. Loss.
Kyle w
was my husband. The love of my life. My future. And in the blink of an eye, he had erased me. Replaced
me, and never once looked back.
Not even after everything I had done for him.
Not even after I gave him my damn kidney.
Up until now, I had never once regretted my choice. I had believed that whatever happened to me was fate, that even if I hadn’t given him that kidney, my body would have still failed me eventually. I had never blamed him for my weak system. Nor was I ever against bringing in another child because I understood the importance of a child in one’s life, and I longed to hold my own. I remember suggesting adoption and surrogacy, but he dismissed adoption immediately and had only given a half–hearted “I’ll think about it” However, I never received feedback, not until the revelation of his child.
Now, it was obvious why.
His new bride and their child had already been in the picture.
He had cheated. Lied. Deceived me. And yet, he had kept a neutral face through it all, making me believe that he was just stressed.
Tear
burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
If Kyle could stand in front of the world, smiling like he hadn’t just discarded me, then I could sit here and pretend I wasn’t broken.
At least for now.
But who was I kidding?
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Chapter Eleven
My swollen face and puffy red eyes were proof enough that I had spent the entire night crying. The dull headache and catarrh weren’t helping either
And yet, even knowing it would only hurt me more, I still scrolled through the news. Still read every hateful comment. I know I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t help myself not to read through everything.
Online, people were trolling the marriage announcement, questioning my absence. Some mocked the situation, joking that Kyle had finally grown tired of his childhood crush. Others fueled rumors that our marriage had been arranged and that we had finally grown tired of each other. While many hurled insults, a surprising number of people praised Kyle and his beautiful bride. And I, his ex–wife, was nothing more than a discarded piece of rag.
It broke my heart that I couldn’t stop crying. For the first time, I truly understood what my parents must have felt when the world turned on them after our company’s bankruptcy. The unending cruelty of the people. The shame and rumors. The exhaustion.
But unlike them, I wasn’t giving up.
I wasn’t alone.
And the life growing inside me was reason enough to keep moving forward.
“Are you packed?” I heard Phoenix ask from her side of the room.
I blinked down at my small bag.
“Yeah,” I nodded, even though I knew she couldn’t see me.
Today was my last appointment with the doctor before leaving this country. Phoenix and I had decided to move; well, she did, because I was too messed up to think clearly. And as much as I felt guilty for making her leave her birth country and the comfort of her home, I was relieved I wouldn’t be alone in this. Because how was I supposed to care for a new life while battling my deteriorating health?
“Good. We need to get to the hospital quickly.” She said.
A few minutes later, Phoenix’s car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital building. I glanced at the entrance, my heart pounding against my ribs as I silently watched people bustle in and out of the glass doors.
My anxiety rose, and my hands instinctively moved to my stomach. A part of me was scared of what the doctor would say while the other was scared of people recognizing me. I adjusted the scarf covering my face, hoping it was enough to keep me unnoticed. There was a fifty–fifty chance of being spotted by nosy people at a hospital, but I had to be careful, especially when the news was still a hot topic. “You okay?” Phoenix asked.
I forced a small smile. “Yeah. No one will notice me like this,” I adjusted the scarf again to cover a large part of my face.
She stayed silent for a moment, simply watching me before finally nodding. “Okay! Call me when you’re done.
With a final glance at the building entrance, I stepped out of the car, clutching my bag tightly.
A few minutes later, I sat stiffly across from the doctor, my armpits damp with
1 nervous sweat as he skimmed
-Lart
Chapter Eleven
“Ava.” His voice was calm, but his gaze was sharp. “Your system is stable for now, but the real question is,
are you sure about this?”
I straightened, swallowing hard. “Yes. I’m certain.”
He held my gaze for a long moment before nodding, “Alright. Since you’ll be moving, I can’t do much for follow–ups. If you tell me where you’re relocating, I can transfer your records, but otherwise, I’ll send you everything you need through email.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Soon, I was shutting the door to the doctor’s office.
I
As I stepped back into the hospital hallway, I instinctively adjusted my scarf again.
heart
To my right, a heavily pregnant woman was being escorted out by her husband. The sight made my squeeze painfully, and the image of the unknown couple blurred, morphing into Kyle and his pregnant wife. I imagined him guiding her gently, just like the couple a few meters away, except it should have been me. If only I had been fortunate enough to conceive earlier.
A loud gasp echoed through the hall, jolting me back to the present.
I turned, following the sound to a group of women dressed in a hospital garment, huddling around a
television screen.
Soon enough, people began gathering and murmuring in front of the television, I knew this was my chance to leave, the perfect moment to slip away unnoticed. But curiosity prickled down my spine, rooting me in place. Instead of leaving, I found myself stepping toward the slowly growing crowd.
As my toes lifted slightly off the ground and my neck craned to see past the taller people in front of me, what I witnessed was something I had never imagined seeing in my entire life.
“What the hell?” I muttered in shock.
The oddluna
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Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
