Chapter 3

The next moment, Ava saw Rowan slip an arm around Lia's waist, taking most of her weight as he murmured a gentle, indulgent scold. "I told you not to wear heels that high." Ava, who should have been one of the stars of the night, had instead become a backdrop meant only to highlight their intimate display. She stood beside them, listening to the murmurs drifting through the banquet hall, each one sinking into her chest like a needle. "So which one is Mrs. Sinclair? I heard she used to be a beauty queen in Harborcrest, the city's final crown jewel. But honestly, she looks pretty ordinary." "The one in the black dress is Mrs. Sinclair. That one over there is Mr. Sinclair's new favorite." "Tsk. I thought this was some epic reunion. Turns out the old can't compare to the new. And she disappeared for three years. Who knows how many men she slept with? Mr. Sinclair probably thinks she's dirty now." The filth rolled toward her like a rising tide, but Rowan was too caught up in Lia's sweetness to notice Ava's growing humiliation. Ava drew a slow breath, unable to watch them flaunt their affection any longer. She turned, intending to leave the hall. Just then, a deafening blast erupted from downstairs, and a shockwave tore upward, hurling shards of glass and clouds of smoke across the room. Ava staggered as panicked guests slammed into her, and a sharp pain shot across her collarbone where a jagged piece of glass struck her. Through the smoke, she instinctively lifted her eyes toward Rowan. For a brief second, their gaze locked, and Rowan instinctively started running toward her. Ava's heart clenched. "Rowan, I'm so scared!" But Lia's cry shattered everything. His body froze. Then, he turned toward Lia instead. As he pivoted, Ava could almost hear her own heart splinter. She watched Rowan strip off his jacket to wrap it tightly around Lia, shielding the smaller woman with his own body as debris and sparks rained down from the ceiling. Heat scorched Ava's skin, blood trickled from her collarbone, but she felt none of it. Her eyes were fixed on the emergency exit, on the sight of Rowan carrying Lia out without a single backward glance. The crowd shoved and shoved, frantic to escape. Someone hit her injured shoulder hard, but she did not fall. So, this was despair. She suddenly remembered the moment she fell from the cliff. She had used the last of her strength to push Rowan out of harm's way. While she tumbled into the abyss, her only thought had been "at least he wasn't hurt". How ridiculous. Warm blood slid down her collarbone and into her dress. Ava straightened slowly, tore off a piece of her skirt, and pressed it over the wound. She sprinted through the choking smoke, her movements sharp and precise. Three years of surviving alone had long stripped her of whatever softness she once had. She was no longer the fragile rose that used to bloom behind Rowan's sheltering arms. When she finally burst out of the burning building, she saw Rowan on the street, cradling an entirely uninjured Lia and whispering gently to her. "Don't be scared, Lia. I'm here." Ava stared at them, her face as cold as the night air. Bracing herself against the pain, she pulled out her phone and typed a message to the unknown number. "Help me divorce Rowan." A second later, her strength gave out, and she collapsed. ... When Ava came to, she was in a hospital bed. Thick layers of bandages wrapped her body, burns covered her skin, and the room around her was empty. The half-open door, however, did nothing to block the conversation outside. "Mr. Sinclair is unbelievably kind to Ms. Merritt. He hasn't even checked his own burns. He's been carrying Ms. Merritt all over the hospitals for examinations, terrified something might be wrong with her." "Same suffering, different fate. This one here is Mrs. Sinclair. Burned over 30% of her body, nearly died, and Mr. Sinclair hasn't visited once…" Each sentence landed like a blade, slicing at Ava's heart.