4.

The door closed with a soft click behind Autumn, and she had to fight the urge to slide to the floor. Her body trembled with a mix of rage and hurt.

Ethan’s words echoed painfully in her head.

He didn’t think it mattered that Alisa had moved her out of their room.

“Why are you acting like us living in the same room meant anything?”

He had said it so casually, like it didn’t matter. As though it was a minor inconvenience that Alisa had helped solve. As though sharing a room with her husband for five years meant nothing.

Autumn closed her eyes and exhaled shakily.

Why did it matter?

Because when she stared at his back in the middle of the night, it was the only reminder and proof she had that they were married.

That she wasn’t alone. That she had family. A husband.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips and a mocking expression appeared on her face.

Every time she convinced herself that Ethan had already found a new way to hurt her, he somehow managed to prove there were still deeper places to wound.

She dragged herself to the bed and pulled out her sketchbook. She grabbed her headphones and placed it over her head.

What kind of house would I live in if I had the choice?

The question lingered in her mind and her hands began to move skillfully across the plain page. Before long, the outline of a home could be seen on the page.

Autumn drew the walls, imagined the flowers and paintings on them. The rooms filled with warmth. Staff who loved and respected her.

And a husband who cared.

The sound of her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts. A genuine smile bloomed in her face when she saw it was her best friend, Zara Mensah, calling.

Just seeing Zara’s name on her screen was enough to lighten her mood. Autumn had not seen the only friend she had in weeks because Zara was in Harrow for work. She was an investment analyst.

“Zara!” she greeted happily when she answered the call.

“Look how excited she is but she can’t bring herself to call me just once” Zara huffed.

Autumn pursed her lips, but her smile did not dim. “I have been busy. I would have called”

“With what? Trying to fit yourself into a box to please those ingrates who don’t deserve it?” she sneered and Autumn already knew those words were coming before they left Zara’s lips.

The words wiped the smile off her face. She closed her book and sat upright.

Zara had never approved of her marriage to Ethan Grant. Zara thought the Grants were pompous, rude and undeserving of her best friend and Autumn agreed with the first two.

“Zara…” Autumn sighed. Every conversation they had always led back to Zara voicing her constant dislike of the Grants.

“What?” She snapped lightly. “Those people treat you like garbage but you still won’t let me trash talk them. They deserve to be addressed with the filthiest words I can think of and it still wouldn’t be enough to make me feel better”

“They are still my family.” Autumn answered quietly. “Besides, I’ve stopped letting them treat me badly especially since they brought Naomi…”

“Woah. Hold it.” Zara interrupted. “It seems a lot of information was lost in transmission because who is this Naomi and did, I just hear you say you stopped letting them walk over you?”

“Naomi is Ethan’s first love” Autumn answered quietly. The words felt heavy on her tongue.

She waited for the reaction she knew was coming. At first, Zara was silent.

"I'm sorry, his what?"

"His first love."

"And she's in the house?"

"Yes."

"The same house where his wife lives?"

"Zara..."

"No, don't 'Zara' me. Autumn. You and I both know how disgusting and insensitive it is to let his first love stay in the same house as his wife?” She snapped angrily. “Tell me everything that has happened so far” she demanded and Autumn did.

By the time she finished, Zara was fuming.

“Is Ethan Grant even a man?” She sneered. “How could he let his mother throw you out of your matrimonial room and not say a word? Are you sure you married the formidable Ethan Grant or a man without a spine camouflaging as one?”

“I’m genuinely tired, Z” Autumn sighed, leaning against the wooden headboard while she closed her eyes. “It’s why I’m fighting because if I don’t, I might really lose everything” she whispered.

“I think you can do more, but I know how much it took from you to stand up for yourself so I am proud of you, Autumn. You did well” Zara praised and Autumn felt lighter.

“You think so?”

“I know so. We both know if it was me, they would be bleeding” She joked, drawing out a laugh from Autumn. “And speaking of that witch, I can’t believe you said that to Lydia. I should have been there to see her face when you told her to divorce her husband” she laughed.

Autumn couldn’t help but laugh as well. The words had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She had never intended to say them, but she had to admit that it felt so good watching Lydia go speechless.

“She was speechless. Didn’t say a word after that” she told Zara who cackled loudly.

“Damn. I wished I didn’t have this job in Harrow. I can’t wait to come back to Weston. I miss my bed” she groaned. “And the drama” she added.

“When are you coming back?” Autumn asked.

“Next week? I have one more job to wrap up in Belport before I come back to Weston” Zara answered, but there was something in her voice that made Autumn pause.

“Are you good?” She asked.

Zara frowned. “I’m fine. Why are you asking?” she asked carefully.

Autumn shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels like something is wrong with you. You are laughing and joking, but something feels off”

“What could be wrong with me?” Zara said quickly. “I’m fine”

She had barely finished what she was saying when the bedroom door flew open.

Lydia stormed into the room and threw her tablet at Autumn. The device hit Autumn’s shoulders, making her wince in pain before it landed on the bed, barely missing her face.

“What is wrong with you?” Autumn hissed, grabbing her shoulder and glaring at Lydia. “Have you gone crazy?”

“Autumn, what’s going on?” Zara’s panicked voice came from the phone but Autumn had no chance to reply before Lydia cut in.

“The crazy one is you” She screamed. “I always knew you were a conniving bitch and you proved me right today. Look at your pathetic face all over The Weston Chronicle. Why did you have to go and sit in a restaurant for five hours like a stupid person?”

Autumn looked at the tablet on her bed and she saw the tab that was opened was The Weston Chronicle, Weston’s top gossip magazine. The news on the front page was photos of Autumn at the restaurant and another one of her running in the rain to her car.

“Where did they get this picture?” She asked with a frown. She was certain that she had been alone in the restaurant except the staff took it.

“How would I know? You probably got someone to do it so you can ruin our reputation.” She sneered. “I underestimated you, Autumn.”

Autumn dropped the tablet on the bed and stood up. She walked over to Lydia and gave her a sounding slap.

“Ahhhh” Lydia cried, cupping her cheek. Her eyes widened with shock as she turned to Autumn. “Are you mad? How dare you hit me?” She shrieked.

Autumn pointed at the gash on her shoulder. “And who gave you the audacity to hurt me? How dare you hurl your tablet at me?” she fumed.

Lydia looked at the small gash and gulped. She hadn’t intended to injure her, but she was too angry to care where the tablet landed, but it still didn’t matter.

“So, what if I hit you? You deserve it for bringing shame to our family” she scoffed, and then an evil glint appeared in her eyes. “I don’t blame you. Beggars like you only know how to pretend to be victims to get sympathy from people”

“Autumn?” Zara’s panicked voice came through the speakers again. “What’s happening?”

Her words had barely finished when Autumn dragged Lydia by the collar and pushed her towards the tab on the bed. “Your brother asked me to come to that restaurant, then went to Portmayne to get himself a mistress” she sneered. “Do you want me to call The Weston Chronicle and clarify it like that?”

Lydia’s eyes bulged. She was at a loss of words as she struggled against Autumn’s grip. Since when had she been so strong?

“What are you doing?” Ethan’s cold voice echoed in the room before Lydia could reply.