Dear ex, say hello to stepmommy

AVA’S POV "Just one more meeting, babe. I'll be home by ten." That was three days ago, and I hadn't seen Damian since. I stared at the pregnancy test in my trembling hands, the two pink lines blurring as tears gathered in my eyes. The pharmacy bathroom smelled like chemical cleaner and someone's cheap perfume, but I couldn't move, breathe or process the fact that this was even real. The test said “pregnant”. I was pregnant with Damian Kane's baby. A hysterical laugh bubbled up my throat. God, the timing was perfect, wasn't it? My husband had been distant for weeks—months, really—canceling dinners, coming home late reeking of whiskey and excuses. But this baby... maybe this baby would fix everything. Maybe this was exactly what we needed. I shoved the test into my purse and practically ran out of the pharmacy, my mind already spinning with plans. I'd surprise him tonight and everything would be perfect, no marriage was always rosey and we just had a downtime but soon, everything would be okay. He'd mentioned some business meeting at The Regency which was our favorite hotel and the place where he'd proposed three years ago. I could show up with champagne, tell him the news properly and watch his face light up the way it used to. I smiled sadly, it felt like a long time since I saw that look on his face. I shook my head, everything would be okay now. Two hours later, I stood in the hotel lobby with a gift box containing the pregnancy test and a bottle of Dom Pérignon. My hands wouldn't stop shaking and the concierge smiled when I approached. "Mrs. Kane, how lovely to see you." "Hi, Marcus. I'm here to surprise my husband. Is he in a meeting?" Something flickered across his face. Pity, maybe. "Suite 412, ma'am." "Thank you." I chose not to think too much about why he had looked at me that way. The elevator ride felt like forever. My reflection in the mirrored walls showed a woman trying too hard in the designer dress Damian had bought me last month, hair curled perfectly, makeup flawless. I looked like I was trying to win back my own husband. Because I was. The hallway was empty when I reached the suite as I pulled out the key card—the one Damian didn't know I'd made months ago when paranoia first started whispering in my ear. My heart hammered against my ribs as I swiped it. Oh my God, I couldn't wait. This baby would mean the world to him. The lock turned green and then I pushed the door open with a smile and in that moment, I wished I had never come at all as my entire world shattered. Damian was in bed naked and so was Chloe who was my best friend, maid of honor when I got married and the woman I considered my sister when she held my hand through my mother's funeral last year. Time stopped as I froze because all I could do was stare at the scene burning into my brain. Damian kept thrusting into her, eyes rolling into his head while she screamed his name with a smile on her face. He too smiled and then his head rolled in my direction and his eyes flew wide open. Chloe followed his eyes and her mouth fell open. There was no way to deny this because the sheets barely covered them and I could see everything I needed to see clearly. "Ava—" Damian scrambled for the covers, his face going white. "f**k, Ava, wait—" "Oh God." Chloe didn't even try to hide. She sat up, and the look on her face wasn't shame or guilt. It was satisfaction. "Did you really think he'd stay faithful to you?" My throat closed up. "Chloe, shut up—" Damian started. "No." She cut him off, her eyes locked on mine. "She deserves to know the truth. We've been together almost a year, Ava. A year ago it started right before your mom died and he loves me." The gift box slipped from my hands and it hit the carpet with a soft thud, the champagne bottle clinking against the test inside. I stared at it for a second—at the future I'd imagined—and then y heart slowly started to freeze over. I had been too stupid not to see the signs. I bent down, grabbed the box, and clutched it to my chest before either of them could see what was inside. He didn't deserve to know. "Ava, please, just listen—" Damian was out of bed now, wrapping a sheet around his waist, stumbling toward me. "This isn't—it's not what you think—" "A year." My voice sounded distant like it belonged to someone else. "Baby, no, she's lying—" "A year, Damian?" He froze. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Behind him, Chloe smiled at me, trailing her hand down her body to remind me of what I had just caught them doing. “I have to say, your husband sure f***s well.” "I'm sorry," he finally said, but I couldn't even hear any sincerity in them. He was sorry he got caught and not sorry for what he actually did. "I'm sorry you found out like this, but we can fix this. We can work through—" "We?" I laughed but there was no humor in ti. "There is no we anymore." "Don't be dramatic—" "Dramatic?" I snapped as all the pain came rushing in. "You're in bed with my best friend and I'm being dramatic?" "If you hadn't been so cold lately, maybe he wouldn't have needed someone else," Chloe said from the bed, and Jesus Christ, she wasn't even trying to cover herself anymore. "You're always working on your little photography projects, ignoring him—" "Get out, Chloe." Damian's voice was strained. "No, let her talk." I turned to face her fully, this woman I'd trusted with everything. "Please, tell me more about how this is my fault." She tilted her head, studying me like I was something pitiful. "You were never enough for him, Ava. You had to know that." I know she wanted her words to hurt and break me but instead, they just bounced and fell because I was numb to it all. I turned back to Damian and looked at him from head to toe in disgust. This had been the man I loved for five years and married for three, whose child I was now carrying. "I want a divorce." His face went slack. "What?" "You heard me." "Ava, come on, don't say things you don't mean—" "I'll have my lawyer contact yours tomorrow." I turned toward the door. "Baby, wait—" He grabbed my arm. I yanked free so hard I stumbled. "Don't touch me! Don't ever f*****g touch me again!" "You're upset, I get it, but we can talk about this—" "There's nothing to talk about." I was already at the door, my hand on the handle. "Enjoy your meeting." I walked out, down the hallway and into the elevator. As I walked past Marcus in the lobby, he looked away because he knew what I had just walked into. The cold November air slapped my face as I stumbled into the streets and only then could I finally breathe. I made it three blocks before I stopped, pressed myself against a building and looked down at the gift box in my hands. Then I pulled my phone out of my bag and called my lawyer. "Catherine? It's Ava Kane. I need you to file divorce papers first thing tomorrow morning.” I didn't even bother to greet her. “Mrs Kane? Are you sure? Why so sudden?” She asked. “Yes, I'm sure.” I had never been more certain of anything in my life. “On what charge?” “Infidelity. I caught him tonight.” “Oh my!” She gasped. “Are you okay?” This made me pause. Then I took in a deep breath, nodding my head shakily even though she couldn’t see me. “No, I'm fine. I'm perfect, actually." I hung up and stood there on the sidewalk, people rushing past me, the city lights blurring together. My phone buzzed with a text from Damian: Please come back. We need to talk about this. I blocked his number. Another buzz. Chloe: I'm sorry you had to find out, but honestly, I'm relieved. He deserves to be happy. I blocked hers too. Then I opened my Uber app, requested a car, and pressed my hand against my stomach where a baby I'd wanted so desperately was growing. A baby that would never know its father because I'd make damn sure Damian Kane never found out this child existed. Then my phone rang from an unknown number. I answered without thinking. "Hello?" "Mrs. Kane?" A professional woman's voice sounded on the other end. "This is Rebecca Chen from Daily Tea. We have photos of your husband with another woman at The Regency. Would you like to comment before we run the story?"