Chapter 2: A Cold Revelation
1600 Words
Ava Duval
Two months had passed after she overheard the discussion between Damian and Serena.
She was too scared to confront either of them, afraid of what she would find out. But she used that chance to dig into their lives, and the horror she uncovered was enough to break one person.
On the other hand, she had slowly become a stranger in her own home with the way the children began tilting towards Serena and giving her more of their affection.
Even Damian who was always busy with work often stayed back these days to spend quality time with Serena under the guise that he needed to really look after her health since he couldn't really trust Ava to do that.
Day by day, Ava found her marriage slipping out of her grasp, and there was nothing she could do to save it.
She was scared of letting go because she had no other place to go. She had given up her entire life just to make this marriage work, and she was scared for her future.
***
Something heavy pressed over her face, and her eyes snapped open instantly and everywhere was dark and blurry.
She couldn't breathe. There was a weight over her head and face, and in panic, she jumped to her feet, shoving whatever was on top of her away.
"Leo!" Ava yelled when she saw him holding on to the pillow and nursing the bruise on his forehead.
"I was playing," he whispered, his eyes glistening with tears from obviously hurting himself.
"Playing?" Ava's voice came out sharp.
"You put a pillow over my face. Do you know what that does? I couldn't breathe! Do you know you could have killed me if I was in deep sleep, huh?"
Her chest was heaving up and down as she was still struggling to take in deep breaths of air to calm her lungs that had almost collapsed.
Leo's chin trembled, looking dejected as he looked down to the floor, unable to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, mommy. I was just playing, and I..." He was already snivelling as the tears poured from his eyes.
Ava's tone softened as she walked towards him and pulled him into her arms. "You don't play like that. Ever. Do you understand me?"
He nodded as he burrowed his face into her neck, and Ava welcomed the feeling. Their little moment was interrupted by the sound of Serena coming down the stairs with Isla in her arms. Leo, on seeing her, jumped out of Ava's arms and rushed towards her.
"Leo..." Serena cooed as she bent low to scoop him into her arms too, and Ava felt her heart drop, and the sadness she had been trying to bury resurfaced.
"How are you— Wait!" Serena's voice turned sharp instantly, which made Ava snap her head towards them.
"Did you do this??" Serena slowly dropped Isla on the floor and picked up Leo to show Ava his wounds.
"Did you do this to Leo? How dare you? How could you be so wicked and vile to do this to a little child? Is it because he didn't come from your womb? Is that the reason why you would hurt a little innocent child? Aren't you despicable, Ava?"
Ava was stunned how everything just turned to be her fault.
"No, it's not that. I wasn't..." She was trying to explain but Serena wasn't having any of it as the tears began pouring from her eyes.
"You're a terrible person, Ava." She sniffed. "I wonder what Damian saw in you in the first place. Is this the way you behave when he's not around?"
She was raising her voice this time, and Ava knew it was to get Damian's attention.
Soon enough, the sound of his footsteps came and he was behind Serena in a second, already taking her side without trying to find out what the issue was.
"Ava..." Damian began tiredly. "Why don't you want Serena to have peace in this house? Why are you always stressing her? Why are you always making her yell? Don't you get tired of your bad behaviour?"
"Damian..." Ava shot at him. "You haven't even asked what happened, and you're already taking her side."
"Do I need to ask?" He responded stubbornly. "Serena is already shouting, isn't that enough?"
"If only I was shouting because she hurt me, but look..." She sniffled as she pointed to the little bruise on Leo's hand. "She is harming the kids, Damian. See it for yourself.."
"He tried to suffocate me, and I panicked, okay? I panicked!" Ava tried to explain herself to no avail because Damian's eyes had turned red instantly.
"How dare you, Ava?" He shouted. "You know how fragile the children are. Why did you hurt him? Do you know I can have you arrested for this? Do you know the trauma you have caused this child? Is it because they didn't come from your womb?"
That was the statement that broke Ava. The fact that her husband brought up the worst pain she had ever gone through five years ago, and thrown it at her face just because of his mistress. The corners of her eyes prickled with tears as she rose to her feet.
"Damian..." The first tear rolled down her eyes.
"Why would you bring that up? Why? After everything we went through during that period? After how I took care of them regardless of my mental health? Why would you think I would hurt the children I raised and loved? Why, Damian? Is it because of her?"
She pointed towards Serena, and Damian hesitated for a second seeing the tears in her eyes.
"We have security cameras all over this house, and if you want to check if I've ever harmed them, you have the liberty to do so, but why will you bring that up?"
Her chest burned in pain as she turned on her heels and hurried towards the guestroom she was now staying in. She wouldn't cry in front of them.
"She's hurt, Damian. Let me go talk to her, okay?"
Ava vaguely heard Serena stopping Damian from following her, until she got to the room and was about to close the door when Serena stopped it from closing and stepped inside.
"What do you want?"
The corner of Serena's mouth pulled into a smirk.
"Haven't you had enough of everything? Why can't you leave already and let Damian and I live together as a happy family? Why don't you get the message?"
"I built this life with him, and I'm not letting you come in and screw everything up. I took care of the children with him and created memories. If anything, you should be the one leaving!" Ava told her, not caring how pathetic she looked under Serena's cold stare.
"You think they are your children?" She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest.
"Yes, they are my children! I raised them myself!"
"Oh?" Her smirk deepened as she began twirling her pinky finger in her hair. "For children that Damian told you he adopted for you, you're really referring to them as your children?" She leaned in closer. "Will it interest you when I say the children are biologically mine and his?"
Ava did not flinch or step back as she shot back with gritted teeth. "They don't have to be my blood to be my children."
Serena looked at Ava with a sudden realization. "So you do know that the children belong to me and him, but you've not confronted him, have you? And why is that? Scared of the truth? Of what he will tell you about my relationship with him? Of how I sabotaged your pregnancy and felt really bad about it because I was jealous?"
Ava felt her blood run cold. "What. Did. you. Say?"
"Heh..." She chuckled slightly. "You didn't know? We gave birth on the same day, sweetheart. And Damian was with me the entire night while you had no one to drive you to the hospital."
She paused and the evil look in her eyes were back. "And when you finally managed to get there, what happened? I asked the nurse to switch the medication. So, after your prolonged labour plus the medication, guess the best news I heard?" She c****d her head to the side. "You lost your womb."
"You're lying. None of that is true." Ava's blood was boiling. There was no way any of this could be the truth.
"Oh? You don't believe me?" She shook her head in pity. "I almost died after birth, which I would say was my karma, due to kidney failure. But, again, guess whose kidney saved my life? Guess whose kidney reunited me with my children again?"
"You're lying! You're a sick woman, and you're lying!" That was the only thing Ava could believe. Her mind could not comprehend such vileness. "Damian would have you arrested for this!"
"Oh, please... Wait until I give him another child, and we'll see if he would believe a barren and broken woman, or me."
"You b***h!" Ava saw red as she rushed Serena and gave her a loud slap on her cheeks.
Serena screamed at the top of her voice and Damian came running to the scene where he saw Serena clutching her cheeks and her tummy.
"She's crazy, Damian! She wants to kill our child." She cradled her stomach. "She wants me dead too!"
And that was when Ava realized, with horror, that Serena was already pregnant for her husband.
- Writer
