TITLE:BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

Chapter 10: FAMILY WAR

CHAPTER 10: FAMILY WAR

The knock came at 10:14pm and it sounded wrong.

Not the delivery man. Not a neighbor.

Three sharp raps. Confident. Like someone who knew they owned the place.

Ava had just turned off the kitchen light. Ethan was upstairs,

on a call with London about the merger. His voice was muffled through the ceiling.

She opened the door.

The woman on the porch was young. Maybe 22, 23.

Cream trench coat. Louboutin heels. Hair in a perfect blowout.

And Ethan’s eyes. That same cold grey.

"Hello," the woman said. Her voice was smooth. Rehearsed.

"I’m Sophia Carter. Ethan’s sister."

She didn’t wait for an invitation. She stepped inside,

dragging a Rimowa suitcase behind her.

The door closed with a soft click behind her.

"Mother couldn’t be bothered to come herself," Sophia said,

looking around the foyer like she was inspecting a hotel room.

"So she sent the disappointment."

Ethan’s footsteps came down the stairs. Fast.

When he saw her, his whole body went still.

"Sophia," he said. One word. Flat.

"What are you doing here."

Sophia dropped her bag. It landed hard on the marble.

"What? A sister can’t visit her big brother and his... wife?"

She dragged out the last word. Made it ugly.

Ava stood by the door. "It’s late."

Sophia turned to her. Smile too wide. "And you must be Ava.

The girl who trapped my brother with a contract."

She looked Ava up and down. "Mom cried for three days, you know.

She had to take Xanax. All because of you."

Ethan moved. He put himself between them.

"You have five minutes," he told Sophia. "Then you leave."

Sophia sighed dramatically. "Fine. I’m staying in the guest room.

Don’t worry, I’ll be very quiet. You won’t even know I’m here."

She went upstairs before he could argue.

That night, Ava lay awake. Ethan’s arm was around her,

but his body was tense. Like he was waiting for a blow.

---

THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS WERE SLOW TORTURE.

Sophia didn’t yell. She didn’t break things.

She was worse. She was surgical.

On Monday, the housekeeper was gone.

"She was inefficient," Sophia told Ethan over breakfast.

"I already hired a new one. She starts tomorrow."

On Tuesday, Ava’s i********: was tagged in a post.

A gossip page. Their wedding photo. Caption:

"Contract marriage exposed. Carter heir scammed."

On Wednesday, Sophia invited three of Ethan’s board members for dinner.

"Just casual," she said. "So they can meet Ethan’s wife."

During dessert she raised her wine glass.

"To second chances. We all make mistakes in business, right?"

The table went silent. Ava felt her face burn.

On Thursday, Victoria showed up.

Sophia opened the door. "Victoria! You look incredible."

Victoria. Ethan’s ex. From two years ago.

Perfect teeth. Perfect dress. Perfect everything.

She hugged Ethan at the door. Too long.

"It’s been too long," she said. "I missed you."

Dinner was a nightmare.

Victoria talked about Paris. About the hotel with the bad AC.

About the dog they almost got.

Sophia watched from the head of the table, smiling into her wine.

After, in their bedroom, Ava couldn’t breathe.

"Do you still love her?" she asked Ethan. Voice small.

Ethan pulled her to him. Hard.

"No. I loved who I was with her.

I love who I am with you.

Sophia can bring the whole world into this house.

I’d still choose you. Every time."

Ava cried into his chest. "Then make them leave."

"I will," Ethan said. "I promise."

---

THE BREAKING POINT WAS AT 2AM ON SUNDAY.

Ethan was in his study. Laptop open. Tired.

Sophia walked in with two glasses of whiskey.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

Ethan didn’t look up. "No."

"I’m serious," Sophia said. She set a glass down.

"This is going to ruin you, Ethan. Mom is talking about the trust.

The shares. Cutting you off completely."

Ethan closed the laptop. Slowly.

"Are you threatening me, Sophia?"

"I’m warning you," she said. "That woman is not worth losing everything for."

Ethan stood. He was taller than her. And angrier than Ava had ever seen him.

"Let me make something very clear," he said. Voice low.

"That woman stayed when my company was crashing.

She stayed when my mother called her a gold digger in the press.

She stayed when you tried to humiliate her in front of my board.

So here’s what’s happening.

You and Mom have 24 hours to leave this city.

If I hear either of your names near Ava again,

I will make sure you never work in finance again.

And I will cut you out of my life. Permanently."

Sophia’s face crumpled. "You’d do that? For her?"

"Yes," Ethan said. "Now get out."

Sophia left that night. No bags. No goodbye.

Mrs. Carter called twice. Ethan blocked her.

---

FOR TWO WEEKS, THERE WAS SILENCE.

No calls. No visits. No drama.

Ethan came home early. He cooked. He was bad at it.

He deleted i********:. He fired the staff Sophia hired.

He looked at Ava like she was the only thing real in the world.

One morning he walked into the bedroom with two plane tickets.

"Pack," he said.

"Where?" Ava asked.

"Somewhere with no last name. No Carter. No Sophia."

He kissed her forehead. "Honeymoon. For real this time."

---

MALDIVES. TEN DAYS.

They turned their phones off.

They slept till noon.

They argued about what to eat for lunch and laughed about it after.

They walked on the beach till their feet hurt.

On the fifth night, Ethan took her to the sand.

There was a blanket. Candles. No one else for miles.

He got on one knee. The waves were loud behind him.

"Ava," he said. "I married you because a lawyer told me to.

I stayed because I was curious.

I love you because you made me brave."

He pulled out a thin gold band.

"Will you marry me again?

Not for papers. For every morning after this one."

Ava couldn’t talk. She just nodded. Crying.

He put the ring on her finger.

The next day they had a tiny wedding.

Just them. A priest. And the ocean.

Their vows were short. They meant them.

They danced with no music.

---

ONE MONTH LATER.

They bought a small house. Two bedrooms. A garden.

Ethan started the Carter-Ava Foundation.

Ava ran it. Helping women leave bad contracts.

Life was quiet. Good.

Until Ava started getting sick in the mornings.

On Sunday, Ethan found her on the bathroom floor.

Car keys in his hand. "Hospital?"

Ava grabbed his wrist. She took his hand and put it

low on her stomach.

"Ethan," she whispered. "I’m late. Two weeks."

The room went silent.

Then Ethan dropped to his knees.

He pressed his face to her stomach and cried.

Big, messy, happy tears.

"A baby," he said. "Our baby."

That night they sat on the floor. Takeout between them.

Ethan’s hand never left her stomach.

"No more contracts," he said.

"No more pretending," Ava said.

"No more them," Ethan added.

Ava leaned on him. "Just home."

Ethan kissed her hair. "Just us."

The house was quiet for the first time in weeks.

No Sophia. No Victoria. No Mrs. Carter.

Just the sound of the rain against the windows and Ava breathing next to him.

Ethan had been staring at the ceiling for an hour.

"Are you okay?" Ava whispered. Her voice was sleepy.

"Yeah," Ethan said. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"About how I almost lost you." He turned to her.

"In the hospital, when Sophia showed up.

When my mom called the press.

I kept waiting for you to leave."

Ava sat up. The blanket fell to her waist.

"Why would I leave?"

"Because everyone does," Ethan said. His voice was low.

"My dad left. My mom only stayed for the name.

Victoria left when the company started failing."

Ava cupped his face. "I’m not them."

"I know," Ethan said. "That’s what scares me."

They were quiet.

The next morning, Ethan woke up early.

He made pancakes. Burnt them.

Ava laughed so hard she cried.

"See?" she said, stealing a burnt piece.

"This is home. Not perfect. Just real."

Two days later, the letter came.

From Mrs. Carter’s lawyer.

Ethan read it in his office. His hands were shaking.

"What is it?" Ava asked when he came home.

Ethan handed her the paper.

"The trust," he said. "She’s cutting me off.

Unless I divorce you."

Ava read it twice. "What are you going to do?"

Ethan pulled her to him. "What I should’ve done years ago.

I’m choosing you."

He signed the papers that night.

Gave up millions. Gave up the last name if he had to.

He didn’t care.

Sophia called him a fool.

"You’re throwing away everything for her?"

"Yes," Ethan said. "Because she’s everything."

After that, things got quiet.

Really quiet.

Ethan started a new company. Smaller.

Just him and 3 people he trusted.

Ava helped him name it. "Home & Co."

They moved out of the big mansion.

Into a small house with a garden.

Two bedrooms. One for them. One for later.

Ava planted flowers. Ethan killed them.

She taught him how to cook. He set off the smoke alarm twice.

It was messy. It was loud.

It was the happiest they’d ever been.

One night, Ava got sick.

Throwing up in the bathroom at 3am.

Ethan panicked. "Hospital? Doctor?"

Ava just smiled at him in the mirror.

Water on her face. "I think... I think I’m pregnant."

The room went silent.

Ethan dropped the towel in his hands.

"What?"

Ava nodded. Tears in her eyes. "Two weeks late.

I took a test this morning."

Ethan didn’t say anything.

He just walked to her and dropped to his knees.

Put his ear to her stomach.

"Hello," he whispered. "It’s dad."

Ava laughed and cried at the same time.

"We’re having a baby, Ethan."

He stood up and carried her to bed.

Didn’t let go of her all night.

The next month was scans and doctors and baby names.

Ethan wanted to name the baby after Ava.

Ava wanted to name it after Ethan’s grandfather.

The good one.

They compromised. Ava Ethan Carter.

Mrs. Carter sent one last email.

"I was wrong. Can I meet my grandchild?"

Ethan showed it to Ava.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Ava thought about it. "When the baby is born.

Not before. And only if you’re there."

Ethan kissed her. "Deal."