Chapter 2

A heavy silence fell over the front porch.

Ava's aunt recovered first, forcing a brittle laugh. "Married? And a child? Ava, you never told us!"

"We weren't in touch," Ava replied simply. Her tone was not accusatory, just factual. It made the statement even colder.

Her cousin was still staring, her mouth slightly agape. "But... Ethan Hayes. The Hayes family is one of the biggest names in tech. You and him..."

"That was a long time ago," Ava cut in, her patience wearing thin. She didn't want to discuss Ethan. She didn't want his name spoken in her new home, in front of her husband.

Her aunt's eyes darted between Ava and the impressive house. A new kind of calculation appeared in her gaze. The disappointment was fading, replaced by a different kind of opportunism.

"Well, this is just wonderful news," she said, her voice dripping with false warmth. "But you know, even if you're married, that doesn't mean you have to cut off old friends. Ethan is a very powerful man now. President of the Hayes Corporation. A connection like that could be very useful for your... husband's business."

She glanced at Liam, her eyes dismissive. "What is it you do, again?"

"I'm an architect," Liam answered, his voice steady and calm, betraying no reaction to her condescending tone.

"An architect," the aunt repeated, as if the word tasted strange. "That's nice. But imagine the projects you could get with an introduction from Ethan Hayes."

The implication was clear. They didn't care about her happiness. They saw her past relationship not as a source of pain for her, but as a potential asset for them. They wanted to leverage her connection to Ethan for their own social and financial climbing.

A bitter memory surfaced in Ava's mind. She remembered the year after the breakup. The darkest year of her life. She remembered calling her aunt once, desperate for a familiar voice, only to be told she was busy and that Ava should stop dwelling on the past and "get over it." She remembered her cousin ignoring her calls completely.

They were absent during her struggle, but now that a ghost from a powerful past had resurfaced, they were here, eager to play the part of concerned family.

Ava's face hardened.

"Listen to me very carefully," she said, her voice low and sharp. "My relationship with Ethan Hayes is over. It ended years ago. It is dead and buried. Do not bring him up to me again."

She looked directly at her aunt. "And do not try to use me or my family for your own benefit."

Her cousin scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic, Ava. Everyone knows how much you loved him. You followed him around like a puppy. You would have done anything for him. People don't just get over that kind of love."

The words were meant to sting, to remind her of a past vulnerability.

But they didn't.

Because the girl they were talking about no longer existed.