Chapter 001

Ava’s POV

 

“You spent everything?!” I exclaimed, my voice rising as my hungover husband stumbled into our room and onto the bed.

 

It was 6am, but I hadn’t been able to sleep since I found out that he had closed our joint account on the count of bankruptcy.

 

Ethan groggily lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes squinting at me. “Keep it down, woman,” he groaned, his voice rusty before he gulped down the hungover drink I made him.

What a joke? I wasn’t even going to talk about the fact that he was coming in by this time.

 

Tossing a pillow over his face, he muffled, “My head is killing me, just let me sleep this off, okay?"

 

I was shaking in anger as I re-read the paper on my hand, “Ethan, our joint account is empty, and you want to do what? Sleep it off?”

 

“I’m pregnant! I’m with child, and we have nothing but this house? What happened to our savings! What happened to…”

 

“That’s enough woman, you wanted this and not me, so please don’t just start! I fucking lost an investment and all I want to do is sleep away the pain!” He yelled before groaning softly, massaging his head.

 

“It can’t be! We…”

 

“You…. Not we. You have a child coming. It’s all your baby!” He kicked before bursting into laughter as I stared at him in shock.

The nonchalance in his tone made my blood boil. “You promised Ethan,” I said, tears threatening to spill. “We agreed to have this baby together. You said—”

“God, Ava, you’re so exhausting” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I have oligospermia. I shouldn’t even be a father, Ava. I thought maybe it was a sign that this whole thing wasn’t meant to be. But no, you wouldn’t let it go and keep pestering now see.” He laughed bitterly.

“This is no joke, Ethan!” I begged in between sobs.

 

“Just stop! Our emotions are high and wild, I have something to tell you tomorrow, okay? I’m tired and need rest!” He tried to explain, but I wasn’t interested.

 

However he added, “this wasn’t planned, the investment was to double over the weekend after we let the products out, but it crashed in the market faster than lighting!” He was almost sounding pitiful at this point.

 

“Check my phone, if you don’t believe me” 

 

I hesitated, then grabbed his phone. The screen lit up with a series of emails coupled with the threats that had reduced my anger to nothing but just when I was about to drop it, another message popped up, one that made me freeze. 

 

“Thanks for the Birkin, baby. I would have preferred it in ombré, you already got me the red last week” it read.

 

The sender's message continued to scroll in, “The diamond ring was too small and the Louis Vuitton pumps you got wouldn't match our color for dinner!”.

My eyes widened in shock as I read the message and when I thought I had seen it all, another message came in. “I’m coming over”.

 

This was the investment? 

I mean, it was saved as Investor!

 

This was what Ethan had been going on and on about, the one he'd supposedly sunk all our money into? I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I stared at the phone, my hand trembling with rage.

 

Still in shock, I turned to Ethan, my voice shaking. 

“Your investment just texted you, Ethan!” I exclaimed, my voice trembling in fury.

In an instant, Ethan's demeanor changed. He sprang to life, his eyes flashing with a mix of panic and anger. Without saying a word, he grabbed the phone from my hand, his fingers closing around it faster than I could say stop.

I tried to react, to grab the phone back from him, but Ethan was too quick. 

 

He pushed me back, his hands on my shoulders, sending me stumbling backward. My hand instinctively wrapped around my stomach, a moan escaping my lips as my back hit the wall with a jarring thud.

 

“What the fuck, Ethan!” I cried out in pain, a moan escaping my lips as I tried helping myself up. “I am pregnant, you sick fucker!”.

 

A tear slipped out, “Was pushing me really necessary? I just found out you cheated and spent our SAVINGS on Birkins and bikinis and lags!” I yelled at him, trying to control my tears.

"What excuse do you have now, huh?” I asked and let out a scream before bursting into tears.

“Why are you doing this to me… to US!” All I felt was pain. It was all happening too fast.

 

A few hours before I had found out about our bankruptcy, it was all perfect.

I was pregnant with a man who loved me, the same man who had argued to do IVF even though it was against his belief was the same one in my front acting like he had lost his DAMN mind.

I didn’t know what I felt, but I wished it was a nightmare and I would wake up to see it was over.

“The investment failed, what am I supposed to do? Kill myself? I’m sick of this conversation already, please let me be.” He responded nonchalantly.

 

He was trying so hard to divert the topic. He was out here buying expensive bags for his mistress when our accounts were empty. 

 

"You are crazy, Ethan! An investment is your mistress?” I screamed, my voice hoarse with rage and desperation. “You'll pay for this!” I spat, my words dripping with venom. But Ethan's expression darkened, his eyes blazing with anger, and in horror I watched as he snatched the cup that had held his hangover drink and hurled it at me.

 

“Shut up, Ava!” he threw back, the sound of shattering glass and my own terrified gasp filling the air. 

 

“I don't have the strength to drag this shit out with you, and I won't be defending myself.”

“And what does it matter that I had a mistress, you're still my wife, stop making this a big deal.” He added, and I just cried as I was too speechless. 

 

My heart was scattering into a million pieces, and he didn’t care! He didn’t stop, “Stop making noise, the deed has been done and now we have nothing! So you get to choose now… our marriage or that unborn child”.

 

My mouth hung open at his ultimatum, I just can’t believe it, what changed? I thought we were happy and this baby will make us complete.

 

“You’re drunk” I said weakly, shaking my head. “You don’t mean that”.

 

“You heard me, make a choice, Ava”.

 

Ethan knew all too well how desperately I'd always wanted children, how much being a mother meant to me. And now, he was cruelly ripping that chance away from me. 

 

Tears blurred my vision as I clutched my stomach “I'm not taking out my child, Ethan,”

 

“You know what it took before I could carry this baby, you know how much this baby means to me. Please don’t make me choose”, I pleaded, searching for that man I had said yes to and left everything behind for.

Looking into his eyes, I couldn’t see him… My Ethan was gone!

“Please…” I pleaded, but he just fired at me with his cold eyes, piercing through my heart.

 

“You already made your choice, baby,” he sneered, his voice dripping with malice as he casually brought out a brown envelope. 

“And to think I'm broke, so there's nothing that would be allocated to you." He chuckled, a low, mocking sound that sent a shiver down my spine. 

 

My eyes swept through the paper and I quickly ran after him, “You can't do this to me!” I begged, my voice cracking with desperation. 

Tears uncontrollably streamed down my face, but Ethan didn't even flinch as he coldly said, “You choose that child over me, over our marriage, so pathetic!”

How long had he been planning this to be this cold?

 

“I choose you both, I choose the marriage and our baby. We can still make this work” I pleaded.

 

“Baby!” I heard someone scream as Ethan opened the door.

The blonde jumped into his arms, trailing kisses on my HUSBAND!

He let her… while I stood watching.

The only emotion I could feel was defeat. Lisa? 

Lisa was the lady he was sleeping with? I have been stupid to have let this happen under my obnoxious nose, and I was so certain something wasn’t right between them.

Lisa, his cousin, was his mistress!

 

“I thought she was your cousin” I said, my voice shaking. “You told me she was your cousin, Ethan.”.

 

“I don’t owe you any explanation again, Ava. I've signed the papers, and move on with your bastard" he said, his voice detached.

 

And with that, he turned with Lisa who had a smug look on her face, slamming the door shut behind him. 

I was left standing there, frozen in shock.

 

This was too much to bear, I didn’t deserve any of this. 

I fell on the floor defeated. Not only did I lose my marriage today, I also found out my husband has been cheating with a lady I assumed was his cousin.

 

Seven years, seven years with Ethan and this happens? I felt like breaking down, but I knew I had to be strong for the life inside me, my baby. I held my stomach as the tears dropped from my cheeks. 

 

The shrill ring of my phone jolted me out of my crying fit.

 

“Am I speaking to Ava Brown?” a deep, unfamiliar voice asked. I sniffled, trying to compose myself before responding.

 

“Dr. Smith? Yes, it's Ava,” I managed to stammer, subtly clearing my throat in an attempt to mask the tremble in my voice. 

 

His urgent tone cut through the air, “Ava, you need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. It's an emergency”.