Chapter Three
1482 Words
Sebastian didn't come home until two days after Ava's funeral.
I heard the front door open just as I was finishing the dishes. Wiping my hands on a towel, I walked into the hallway and found him standing there with his suitcase. The moment our eyes met, surprise flashed across his face. He looked as though he had been expecting me to scream at him or demand an explanation.
Without saying a word, I walked over, took his coat from his hands, and hung it neatly on the rack.
"Elena..." he called uncertainly.
"I warmed some food for you," I said calmly. "It's in the microwave."
For a long moment, he simply stared at me, unable to hide the confusion on his face. I knew exactly what he was thinking. The old Elena would have broken down the moment she saw him. She would have cried, accused him of abandoning our daughter, and demanded to know why he never came to the hospital. But that version of me no longer existed. She had been buried alongside Ava.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "About everything. I know I—"
"You should eat before it gets cold," I interrupted before he could finish. "You've had a long day."
His lips parted as though he wanted to say something else, but I simply walked past him and headed upstairs.
"Elena..."
I didn't look back.
The following morning, the smell of eggs and toast drifted into the bedroom. I got out of bed and made my way downstairs, where I found Sebastian standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He was wearing one of the aprons Ava had once insisted on buying for him because she thought he looked funny wearing it.
I stood quietly by the doorway and watched him. This was what Sebastian always did whenever guilt caught up with him. For a few days, he became the husband I had always wished for. He cooked breakfast, smiled more often, came home early, and acted as though he wanted to fix everything. Then, once the guilt faded, so did the effort. He would return to being distant, cold, and consumed by everything except his family.
Once upon a time, seeing him like this would have softened my heart. I would have convinced myself that he still loved me, that things could still go back to the way they were.
Now, I felt nothing.
The smell of the breakfast only made my stomach turn. Ignoring the plate he had prepared, I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat quietly at the dining table.
"You should eat something," Sebastian said as he placed the plate in front of me.
"I'm not hungry."
He pulled out the chair opposite mine and sat down. For several moments, neither of us spoke. Finally, he cleared his throat.
"Tomorrow is Ava's birthday," he said softly. "I was thinking... maybe we could have a small dinner in her memory. I'll come home early this time, and I'll handle everything."
I wrapped both hands around my coffee mug but said nothing.
The silence stretched between us until he finally pushed back his chair and stood up.
"I'll see you tonight."
I gave a slight nod without lifting my eyes from the coffee.
Around noon, my lawyer arrived with the documents I had requested. He placed a large envelope on the coffee table before taking a seat across from me.
"They're ready, Mrs. Morgan," he said quietly.
I opened the envelope and flipped through the pages one by one. Divorce papers. Exactly as I had asked. Without a moment's hesitation, I signed where it was required and handed them back to him.
"I'll serve him the papers tonight," I said.
The lawyer nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Morgan. If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you."
After he left, the house became silent once again.
I carried the research files Dr. Rob had given me into the study and spread them across the desk. Page after page, I read through the prototype, making notes and trying to understand everything Ava had been denied. Whenever my thoughts became too heavy, I found myself wandering into her bedroom.
Nothing had changed.
Mr. Beanie still rested against her pillow, and her favorite storybook remained open on the bedside table where we had left it. I sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the teddy bear to my chest as tears rolled silently down my face.
"I'm going to finish it, sweetheart," I whispered. "I promise."
By evening, the divorce papers were neatly tucked back into their envelope. All that remained was to hand them to Sebastian.
I waited.
An hour passed before my phone vibrated.
I'll be home late. Something came up.
That was all the message said.
He didn't tell me what had happened.
He didn't have to.
I already knew.
Leaning back against my chair, I closed my eyes as an old memory surfaced. It was the day Sebastian confessed that Chloe was pregnant. He had fallen to his knees in front of me, holding my hands as though he couldn't bear to lose me.
"It was a mistake," he had said over and over. "It meant nothing, Elena. You're my wife. I love you. I'll always love you. You and Ava are my family."
He had begged me not to make the affair public. He said it would destroy his reputation, ruin the company, and affect everyone who depended on him. Against my better judgment, I believed every word he said.
I forgave him.
Looking back now, I couldn't decide whether I had been deeply in love... or simply too foolish to see the truth.
Maybe I had been both.
I reached into the cabinet, took out a bottle of wine, and drank straight from it as I waited for him to come home.
Almost an hour later, I heard the front door open.
I was rinsing the dishes when footsteps echoed through the hallway. Drying my hands, I turned toward the entrance just as Sebastian walked into the kitchen.
He wasn't alone.
Chloe followed closely behind him.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly before breaking the silence. "There was a security incident near Chloe's neighborhood. She was frightened to stay there alone, so... I brought her here for the night."
I looked at him quietly, saying nothing.
Chloe smiled faintly before walking toward me. She reached for my hand, her face filled with carefully rehearsed sympathy.
"Elena, I heard about Ava's death," she said softly. "I'm so sorry. I know Sebastian wanted to be with you both, but I was having complications. The baby really needed his father." She gently squeezed my hand. "You understand... don't you?"
Without a word, I pulled my hand away.
Chloe immediately stumbled backward with a small gasp. Before she could fall, Sebastian rushed forward and caught her.
He turned to me, his face darkening.
"Elena!" he snapped. "Be careful. Can't you see she's pregnant?"
I stared at them.
At the way he held her so protectively.
At the fear in his eyes over a stumble that hadn't even harmed her.
At the concern he had never once shown our daughter while she lay fighting for her life.
Suddenly, I laughed.
It began as a quiet chuckle before growing louder and louder until tears streamed freely down my face. I laughed so hard that I had to steady myself against the kitchen counter.
Sebastian and Chloe exchanged worried glances.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them understood.
Still laughing, I picked up the bottle of wine from the counter and walked upstairs. Once inside the bedroom, I quietly locked the door behind me.
The following morning, before the sun had fully risen, I carried my suitcase downstairs. The signed divorce papers rested neatly on the kitchen counter where Sebastian couldn't possibly miss them.
I stood in the living room for one last moment, letting my eyes wander over the house that had once been filled with laughter. Now it was nothing more than a place haunted by memories.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the front door and stepped outside. As I reached the gate, I turned back for one final look.
A faint smile touched my lips through the tears.
"Happy birthday, Ava."
Then, without looking back again, I walked away.
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