All for one person

Walton's mansion

Ava's room

Ava's heart felt like it had been ripped into pieces when she heard him say that, and it felt like a part of her had been swapped out with lifelessness.

'No. No. She could not think of even divorcing him now.'

Despite his lack of affection for her, she has had feelings for him for a long time even before the beginning of their marriage.

Their fathers' close friendship had brought them together on different occasions, but he had never paid much attention to her even if they met. However, she couldn't help but admire his stunning looks, and fall for every of his charming nature.

She had liked him a great deal since her teenage years, but she refrained from acting on her feelings because she hoped that he would finally notice her if they were more grown and mature.

Because of him, she changed the college she wanted to study at before when she heard he gained admission to Stanford. She wasn't offered her choice of course when she applied but she didn't mind anyway, and just continued to watch him from afar hoping that he would finally notice her if they were in the same school.

However, Ava's optimistic outlook began to falter as she observed Anna, who was also a student at Stanford, becoming increasingly entangled with him in so many ways. Witnessing their passionate relationship multiple times, her strong hopes for their future together began to crumble.

Even the few times that they even met in school as what she planned, he just treated her as a casual person that he knew without personal feelings.

This made Ava realize that she had likely made a mistake, and that he could never be hers even if she tried harder. Then she made up her mind to forget him once and for all, and tried to start again since she seemed to have digressed from her future plans because of him. She tried so hard to ignore her strong feelings.

But unfortunately, her family's company faced bankruptcy shortly after she graduated college, and her mother couldn't let her younger sister, Leslie be the one to form the acquisition.

And she agreed to get married to Ethan almost immediately when she was told, because she was glad that she would finally be with him again. She believed that fate was working out for her once again.

Her feelings grew even stronger when they got married, believing relentlessly in her mind that she would make him forget about his silly fling with Anna, who had left the country after their wedding to study and pursue her career.

She was determined to win his heart by trying her best. But she failed woefully.

Anna, whom she thought was gone for good, came back eighteen months later to haunt her marriage. And the marriage that she had been trying her best to build with him, crumbled in one instant and left the pieces for her to deal with. It had been hell with her mother-in-law too.

"Are you divorcing me?" Ava's question came out more shaky than she wanted it to be, as her emotions betrayed her and got the best of her.

"Yes, I am. We have been together for almost two years now, and nothing has progressed about us. I am starting a new life journey with the lady of my choice and heart. I hope you understand," he stated with a stoic expression on his face, which made her heart writhe even in more pain.

"I do not want to sign the papers," she blurted out hopelessly with tears already streaming down her eyes.

"You have to sign the papers. There is also an alimony of thirty-seven million which is the remaining cost incurred and reserved, from helping to rebuild your father's company," he informed her brusquely without minding her reluctance.

"But…. Please, don't do this, Ethan. We can always try better. I have always loved you and I still do," she cried out even more, remembering that she was now carrying his child in her belly.

She could not afford to bear a fatherless child, and become a single mother.

"I will be waiting for your reply till tomorrow morning. My assistant will pick the papers up," He informed sternly and turned to leave without any more words from him.

"But I am with your child! You cannot just banish me like that," She was forced to say when she realized that it was really over, hoping he would consider and believe her if he heard that he was going to have a baby.

"Child?" He turned to ask with a confused expression on his face, as his gaze fell blankly on her belly which still seemed normal in her blue dress.

"Yes. The doctor confirmed it," she bit her lips as she informed him, hoping that he was getting interested in what she had to say.

However, his gaze suddenly cast upon her and in his eyes were disgusted looks for her, as his lips curled up with a malicious grin, "Have we ever had sex before?!" He demanded condescendingly.

Ava suddenly became scared by the sudden demeanor that Ethan was exhibiting, the moment he heard that she was pregnant with his child.

'Had he forgotten so quickly?'

"The night of Mother's birthday party. You and I were both drunk and…." Ava paused, feeling so repulsed that she had to be the one to explain the night she had always wanted to escape from to him. "And ended up under the sheets."

"I do not remember anything like that!" He scoffed angrily, a glint of anger flashing in his eyes for her. "I never knew that you were this despicable. Trying to use dumb stories like this to trap a man," he continued with a mean tone.

"Wh..wh…at?" Ava's voice failed her at the moment, as more streamed down her cheeks when she heard what he was saying to her. And how he was mercilessly accusing her.

"I think I should believe the stories of your affair now from Mother!" he spat, gazing at her with so much anger.

Ava's body trembled as her heart fell, the moment a rush of shock hit her body when she heard his allegations, "How can you say these words to me, Ethan? You are the only man I have ever loved!"

She could not believe her ears. She could not believe that he would say such words to her. It was too hard to swallow that he was accusing her of infelicity, when he was the only man that she had ever had sexual relations with.

She had turned down a lot of guys that came her way for a relationship, as she waited hopelessly that their relationship would improve with time. But now, he was being so crude with his words against her.

'How could he?' She cried so hard, still looking at his face, not believing that he could deny her in that manner.

"I am giving you just tonight and a benefit of the doubt, because of the relationship between our fathers despite your irritating behavior now. By tomorrow you should be out of my house and life with your bastard for good!" He ordered impassively with so much revulsion in his tone for her, as he stormed out of the room and slammed the door so hard before she would even say something else.

Ava fell so hopelessly to the floor the moment he left and cried so hard, with her chest burning in pain and her stomach shuddering emptily as she wailed.

It felt like her lungs would stop functioning as she let out every suppressed tear in her, and clung so tightly to her cloth while hitting her chest so hard repeatedly.

Her father had died a few months after she got married, because he didn't survive the brain surgery that was performed on him after his terrible illness. It took her so long to recover from the pain, which made the company fail even more terribly over the subsequent months before legal management took over.

Nothing has remained the same ever since. And now, her life was falling apart. Away from her husband.

Ava cried so much till she couldn't cry anymore and just whimpered heavily, lying on the hard smooth surface she was crouched to. She cried so much till she couldn't pick herself up from the floor anymore because of weakness. Till she couldn't open her puffy eyes properly again, to see that everywhere in her room was filled with darkness.

Her head banged so badly in an endeavor to end her tears, that wouldn't stop flowing the more she thought about how her life was crumbling by bits. Even if she wanted to move on from her pains, she had to re-strategize her life over again for the third time, ever since she started living her life for Ethan.

She knew that begging anymore was hopeless, and that he could have her thrown out if she tried to beg further.

'He didn't believe her or remember their night together.'

Ava finally struggled to find the light switch to her room after she stood up from her lying position, and made her way into her bathroom to submerge her head under the tub of cold water.

'It is up for you to decide, Ava. Whether you are keeping or eliminating this baby. Whether or not you are ready to obsess over a man that does not care, and start your life like you are just starting college all over again with a new dream,' she tried to convince herself repeatedly as she sat in the tub. She tried to tell herself that she could do it if she put her mind into it.

"No. I cannot do this! I have wasted too many years to start all over again," Ava suddenly blurted out in disagreement after she tried to place her thoughts in a positive light, "I… can…not do this. I do not thi..nk I can sta…rt….can start…..." she cried even harder in the bathroom. It was easier said than done.

She could not even think of anything to do. In a few more hours, she would become a divorced lady, a single soon-to-be mum, and a pathetic cheat that was with an illegitimate child.