Chapter 2

Ava had managed to get back downstairs all without loosing it. She hadn't even finished processing that Brandon had been cheating on her but now with Mia, her best friend.

Ava first met Mia when they both in elementary school. They were maybe 6 or 7 but they clicked immediately. Ava didn't just see Mia as her best friend, she had been her support system over the years, a friend who was more than a sister. Ava would've died just for the sake of Mia. It was that kind of friendship.

To see Mia trash talking her while sleeping with her husband was a far more heartbreak than knowing Brandon was unfaithful. With her hands covering her mouth, all Ava could do in that moment was sob uncontrollably. It hurt to know that the two people,whom she had her faith in betrayed her even without batting their lashes. How had she gotten to this point? What really went wrong?

Brandon's case was something else altogether. Not once in the nine years that they had been married had Ava looked back on what she had given up just so she could be with Brandon. Against the advice of every member of her family, Ava had chosen to follow her heart and married Brandon. Even while she was being disowned by her family, her heart never wavered. Those nine years had been her pride because Brandon had been a good husband,a friend and a good father. They were happy. Atleast she thought that they all were.

"Oh God..."

Ava sighed softly but the more she tries to get a hold of herself,she more he completely broke down. Just in under a space of two minutes, her entire world came crumbling down on her. Seated there with her emotions all over the place, Ava started weighing all her options. Leaving and acting like it didn't happen or go back to her bedroom and confront them head on. Should she just pack her bags and leave?

Distraught, she got up and rushed to the kitchen sink and gagged. She felt like she was going to throw up. First it had been the hurt, followed by disgust and now she was just starting to get angry. Looking at the set of knives, Ava reached out and pulled out one and for a moment,her eyes seemed distant. Dangerously so. Her mind seemed to be in a daze at the different scenarios playing up there. The hurt she was feeling at the moment was something that could only pacified if she saw both Brandon and Mia hurting.

Ava had really thought about it. She had thought about going up them and stabbing them over and over until all that remained was their lifeless bodies. She wanted to make sure they'd hurt even if it was just half of what she was feeling but thinking about Jesse and Javier held her back.

She still had her children to think about, not just a marriage and friendship that was collapsing. Instead of walking upstairs, Ava opened her fridge and pulled out the vegetables from there. Doing this was the only thing distracting her from working her dark desires.

"Brad stop it...okay stop. We have to get back to work." An hour later, Brandon and Mia came downstairs, all laughter and giggles.

"You know, we still have like twenty more minutes. We could.." Brandon said as he pulled Mia around and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned in for a kiss, one that Mia was all too happy to return.

When Brandon's hands went under Mia's shirt in an attempt to unhook her bra, Mia pulled away from the kiss and looked to her side while smiling. Mia and was facing the open kitchen and once she saw Ava looking right at them, Mia screamed in terror.

Brandon quickly pulled away from her and carefully studied her stunned face. "What? You look as if you've seen a --"

"A ghost?" Ava suddenly asked, announcing her presence. Her eyes were on Mia the entire time until Brandon looked at her and she smiled. " I'm just finished making lunch, let's eat" Ava suggested before she moved to the sink to wash her hands.

"I should go--" Mia said softly to Brandon but Ava heard her. Quite clearly.

"Where Mia? Back to my bedroom? To sleep with my husband?" Ava asked, very calmly, too calmly. "You backstabbing bitch" Ava added before she started laughing.

"Ava" Brandon's firm voice caught her off guard. She turned to her husband and frowned.

"Brandon" Ava sarcastically replied then shook her head. "With my best friend? That's beneath you Brandon" Ava's eyes, which were always filled with so much love for Brandon now only held disgust.

" How could you Brandon? After everything that we've been through. How dare you?" Ava asked as she approached her husband. This time, she couldn't help the tears that trickled down her cheeks. "Both of you disgust me. You cheating pieces of shit. I can't-"

Ava stopped dead in her tracks when she felt something hot against her cheek. It took a moment to realize that it was a resounding slap. It was so sudden, so hard that she felt a tingling sound coming out of her ear. She placed her hand on her cheek and looked up to find Mia standing before her looking vicious at her. One would think that Ava was the one that had done something wrong?

"Disgust you? Is that what you call what you did to me Ava? Brandon should've been mine to begin with. MINE" Mia screamed at Ava who was still dumbfounded. Ava's eyes averted back to her husband's hoping that atleast he would explain but his eyes were on Mia's face. While she looked at Brandon, Brandon had his full attention on his mistress.

"W... What?" Ava finally found her voice and asked.

"You took Brandon away from me Ava. For years,i had to watch you have what was supposed to be mine. Brandon, this house. I should've been the mother of his child. Not you!" Mia added and this time, Ava lifted her hand to strike Mia. Not because of sleeping with her husband but because of what she was telling him.

Ava didn't get to hit Mia though because Brandon stepped infront of Mia as a shield and held her hand to stop her. "B-Brad?" Ava called out softly, her brows furrowed in confusion but more importantly was the hurt in her eyes.

Brandon shoving her back almost had Ava stumbling back but good thing she held onto the kitchen counter for support. "Calm down, woman!" Brandon's voice, firm and resilient made Ava stop for a moment.

"Woman?" Ava echoed Brandon, shocked at how he referred her as. He hadn't even used her name in 9 years now and he called her woman? Just woman?

"Brandon you're sleeping with my best friend!!" Ava screamed at her husband, unable to take on the humiliation any longer. "What is wrong with you?!" Ava asked, desperate for an explanation. For anything really.

"My problem is you Ava?!" Brandon responded almost immediately "I fell out of love. The problem is that i feel nothing!!"

"Nothing?" Ava asked softly.

"Nothing for you"