Chapter 5

When Avery regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a hospital room. Elijah was slumped awkwardly by her bedside. As the pain in her forehead flared up, Avery couldn't help but wince. The noise stirred Elijah from his sleep. His bloodshot eyes met hers, heavy with exhaustion. He gripped her hand tightly and asked, "Are you okay? Tell me where it hurts." She endured the pain and shook her head. But seeing the worry etched on his face, she froze. His tousled hair and scruffy beard spoke volumes. He had clearly been keeping watch for hours. Avery hesitated before asking, "Have you… been here with me all this time?" Elijah shifted uneasily, avoiding her eyes. "I'm just here to take responsibility on Lara's behalf. After all, it was us who talked you into bungee jumping." Hearing that, Avery breathed a sigh of relief. After all this time, she was glad he hadn't fallen for her. She certainly didn't have the energy to get caught up in their complicated love triangle. Meanwhile, Elijah's gaze remained fixed on her. He knew Avery's fear of heights, yet she had taken the risk just to please Lara. He couldn't help but compare Avery's love to Lara's. Despite his efforts to convince himself otherwise, he couldn't confidently say that Lara's love for him outweighed Avery's. If only Avery had been the one who saved his life. Her calm, submissive demeanor stirred something in Elijah. Before he knew it, his hand was already reaching for her pale cheek. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Walter stepped inside. Shaking off his thoughts, Elijah pulled back his hand and rubbed his temples in frustration. How had he let his mind wander so far? Without looking back at Avery, he stood and left the room. "Ave, you did very well this time. Driven by guilt, Elijah has decided to increase his investment in McPherson Group," Walter said, barely glancing at the wound on Avery's head. "By the way, the paperwork for your name change is already taken care of. It should be finalized in a few days." Before Walter could continue, the door slammed open once more. Elijah's cold voice cut through the air. "So, this was all part of your plan, huh?" Walter scrambled to his feet. "No, it's not what you think." He glanced at Avery, lying calm and composed on the hospital bed. "I'll leave now. Ave will explain everything." In an instant, Elijah kicked the IV stand over, sending it crashing to the floor. The needle was ripped free, causing Avery's blood to flow backward through the IV tube. Avery winced, a sharp breath escaping her. "I don't know what he's talking about." Elijah let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Alright, let's forget about that for now. What's this nonsense about a name change?" Avery's heart skipped a beat, her throat going dry. "I thought if I changed my name to Lara, maybe you'd finally care about me." Elijah's lashes fluttered, and a mocking laugh escaped his lips. "Keep dreaming. Even if you turned into a perfect copy of Lara, I still wouldn't love you." With that, he stormed out. The nurses stood there in silence, unsure whether to comfort Avery after everything that had happened. Meanwhile, Avery didn't cry or cause a scene. She simply turned over and lay down, her face a mask of indifference. In truth, Elijah's love meant nothing to her. The wound on her forehead hadn't fully healed, but with Elijah's birthday fast approaching, she had no choice but to attend the celebration. After all, she was still his legal wife. At the party, Elijah and Lara wore matching outfits. They paid no attention to Avery whatsoever—the rightful Mrs. Tarver. The two of them flirted openly, oblivious to the crowd around them. The onlookers held back their laughter, throwing sly, mocking looks at Avery. Soon enough, Avery was summoned into the study by Elijah's parents, Edwin Tarver and Ivy Daigle. Their faces were dark with displeasure. The moment the door shut, Ivy struck Avery hard across the face. "The only reason we let you marry into this family was to make Elijah forget about that vixen. Three years have passed, and you still failed to achieve even that much!" Avery stood silently by the door, not a flicker of concern crossing her face. Once the name-change paperwork was finalized, maybe she should take it a step further and change her first name too. "Zoe" had a nice ring to it. The name translated to "life", symbolizing her determination to thrive. After a long silence, Edwin spoke up. "If you can't win Elijah's heart, then maybe it's time for a divorce. We'll find someone else to take your place." He slid a document across the desk. "These are the divorce papers. Elijah's already signed them, though he doesn't have a clue what he's agreed to."