His Ex Show Up
1250 Words
Ava didn’t expect company at breakfast.
She was in the kitchen at 7 AM. Hair up. Coffee. No makeup. Damien’s shirt on.
Damien walked in. Suit. Phone to his ear. “Move the meeting to 3. I’m not—” He stopped when he saw her.
He hung up. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Ava said. She was making eggs. Badly.
Damien came closer. “You cook?”
“I try.” She flipped an egg. It stuck.
He laughed. Actually laughed. “Step aside.”
10 minutes later, he plated perfect eggs. Toast. Coffee exactly how she liked it.
“You’re good at this,” Ava said.
“I’m good at control,” he said. “Kitchen is easier than a company.”
They were eating at the counter when the doorbell rang.
Mrs. Clarke’s voice: “Mr. Cole? You have a guest.”
Damien frowned. “Who?”
“A Ms. Vanessa Reid.”
Ava’s fork stopped mid-air.
Damien’s face went blank. “Tell her I’m busy.”
“She says it’s urgent. It’s about the board.”
Damien sighed. “Fine. Send her to the study.”
He looked at Ava. “Stay here. Finish eating.”
Ava nodded. But she didn’t move.
2 minutes later, heels clicked into the kitchen.
“Damien? I didn’t know you were—”
The woman stopped. Eyes on Ava. In his shirt. At his counter.
Ava stood slowly.
Vanessa. Tall. Blonde. Accra socialite. Ex.
Everyone knew. The blogs from last year: `Damien Cole’s Billionaire Ex Vanessa Reid`.
“Hello,” Ava said. Polite. Cold.
Vanessa’s smile was sharp. “You must be the... wife.”
She said “wife” like it was dirty.
“Vanessa,” Damien said. Warning in his voice.
Vanessa didn’t flinch. She looked Ava up and down. Slow. Like she was pricing her.
“Damien,” Vanessa purred. “You didn’t tell me you replaced me with a secretary.”
Ava’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “And you didn’t tell me exes were allowed at family dinners.”
Gasps.
Damien’s hand tightened on Ava’s waist. “Enough.”
Vanessa laughed. “Relax, billionaire. I’m just here for the charity auction.” She turned to Ava. “Be careful, sweetheart. He gets bored fast.”
She walked away. Red dress. Head high.
Ava exhaled.
“You okay?” Damien asked, low.
Ava looked up at him. “Clause 4, right? Protectthe brand?”
Damien’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t about clauses right now.”
Ava looked at him. Really looked. “Then what is it about?”
Damien didn’t answer. He pulled her toward the auction hall.
Cameras flashed. Reporters whispered. `Damien Cole + Mystery Wife`.
Damien bid 200K on a painting in the first 30 seconds. Then he stood and said, “Another 300K. To the Accra General Hospital. In my wife’s mother’s name.”
Ava froze.
Damien’s eyesmet hers. Dark. Intense.
“You said she’d need rehab,” Damien said. “This covers it. All of it.”
Ava’s throat closed. “You… you didn’t have to announce it.”
“I know,” Damien said. “I wanted to.”
Ava blinked fast. “Thank you.”
Damien just nodded. Like it was nothing. But his hand didn’t leave hers.
---
Vanessa appeared 5 minutes later. Champagne in hand.
“Damien. Darling. Buying your way into sympathy now?”
Damien didn’t look at her. “Ava, come.”
Vanessa blocked their path. “I’m talking to you, Damien.”
Damien stopped. “You’re talking to my wife.”
The word hit like a slap.
Vanessa’s smile cracked. “She’s a placeholder. We both know it.”
Ava stepped forward. “Then why does he look at me like I’m the only woman in the room?”
Gasps. Phones lifted.
Vanessa laughed, but it was sharp. “He’ll get bored. He always does.”
Ava didn’t blink. “Maybe. But he chose me today. He’s choosing me now.”
Damien’s thumb brushed Ava’s knuckles.
Vanessa turned red. “You’ll regret this.”
She walked off. Red dress. Shaking hands.
---
Back on the balcony, the air was cooler. Quieter.
Ava leaned on the railing. “She hates me.”
“She hates that you’re not me,” Damien said.
Ava looked at him. “I’m not trying to be anyone.”
“I know,” Damien said. “That’s why I married you.”
Ava’s heart stuttered.
Damien turned her to face him. “Vanessa wanted my money. My name. My control.” He paused. “You? You want me to be human.”
Ava’s eyes filled. “I just want you to be real.”
Damien’s hand came up. He cupped her face.
“Ava,” he said. Her name like a prayer.
He kissed her.
Not hard. Not angry. Soft. Like he was scared she’d disappear.
Ava kissed him back. Her hands in his suit jacket.
When they pulled apart, the city was loud below them. But up here? Silence.
“That wasn’t Clause 4,” Ava whispered.
Damien smiled. A real one. “I know.”
---
They left the auction early.
In the car, Ava stared at her hands.
“Why did you do the donation?” she asked.
Damien didn’t look away from the window. “Because you’d never ask me to.”
Ava turned. “Damien…”
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t make this bigger than it is. Yet.”
Ava nodded. But her heart was already bigger.
---
Back at the penthouse, they stood in the living room.
Awkward. Close.
“Two beds,” Damien said. Habit.
Ava shook her head. “One tonight.”
Damien’s eyes widened. “Ava—”
“Not like that,” she said fast. “Just… one bed. Please.”
Damien studied her. Then he nodded.
They lay down. Far apart. Not touching.
“Goodnight, Mrs. Cole,” Damien said.
“Goodnight, Mr. Cole,” Ava said.
Ten minutes passed.
Then Damien’s arm came around her waist. He pulled her back against him.
Ava didn’t move. She didn’t breathe.
“Don’t leave in 6 months,” Damien whispered into her hair.
Ava closed her eyes. “Don’t make me want to stay.”
He didn’t answer.
He just held her tighter.
Because contracts ended.
But whatever this was… it was just starting.
The next morning, Vanessa’s blog post was everywhere: `Damien Cole’s Fake Marriage Exposed?`
Damien saw it first. He didn’t say anything. He just deleted all his meetings.
“Come on,” he told Ava. “We’re leaving Accra for the weekend.”
Ava blinked. “What? Where?”
“Somewhere she can’t find us,” Damien said. “Just you. Me. No contracts. No cameras.”
Ava’s heart raced. “Damien…”
He tookHe took her hand.
“Please,” Damien said. Voice low. No CEO. Just a man.
Ava stared at their hands. His was warm. Solid. Real.
She should’ve said no. The contract said 6 months. Nothing more.
But she didn’t.
“Okay,” Ava whispered. “Let’s go.”
Damien didn’t smile. But his thumb brushed her knuckles once.
Outside, the driver was waiting. No cameras. No Vanessa. No boardroom.
Just the two of them. And a weekend where no one knew their names.
For 48 hours, Ava wasn’t Mrs. Cole on paper.
She was just Ava. With Damien.
And that scared her more than anything else.
---
END OF CHAPTER 8
- Writer
