Chapter 5 The One Person Who Chose Her

Ava hadn’t expected to step back into this room so soon.

The bedroom smelled the same, faint traces of cedar and expensive cologne, mixed with the soft floral scent she used to favor. Everything looked untouched, as if she had never existed here at all… yet the air felt heavier than before, thick with a past that refused to disappear.

And there, standing in front of her dressing table like he belonged there, was Ethan Woods.

He was holding a watch.

A watch.

Ava’s eyes narrowed slightly, not because she cared about what he held, but because that watch had a history she wished she could delete.

She remembered the night she gave it to him.

It was his birthday. She had stayed up late the night before, carefully selecting the watch, her fingers trembling with excitement. She’d wrapped it beautifully, even writing a small note tucked under the ribbon:

Happy birthday. I hope time is kind to you, the way you’ve been my world.

She still remembered the way Ethan’s face had tightened the moment he opened it.

Not gratitude.

Not even surprise.

Disgust.

He had looked at the watch as though she had handed him something contaminated.

Then

Smash.

He had thrown it to the floor without hesitation.

The sound of the glass and metal splitting apart had sliced through the room and through her heart.

Ava had stood frozen while he stared at her with cold impatience.

“What kind of cheap taste is this?” he’d said. “Don’t give me trash.”

That night, after he left, Ava had crouched on the floor and collected the broken pieces one by one.

She didn’t cry loudly. She didn’t scream. She simply sat there, silent, pressing the fragments together as though her hands could fix what Ethan had broken inside her.

Later, she used glue, tiny careful dabs reassembling the watch piece by piece.

It was defective afterward. The second hand occasionally stuttered. The face was slightly uneven under the light.

But she still couldn’t bear to throw it away.

Because once, she had loved him enough to believe even broken things could be repaired.

Now, seeing Ethan holding it again felt almost surreal.

As if fate were mocking her.

Ethan suddenly seemed to realize he wasn’t alone. His shoulders stiffened. He turned, and his eyes met Ava’s calm, indifferent, unreadable.

For a split second, something flickered in his gaze.

Then he snorted, masking it instantly.

He tossed the watch onto the dressing table with careless contempt.

“How dare you leave a broken thing here?” he said coldly. “Is my villa a thrift store?”

Ava’s mouth twitched.

She didn’t bother fighting the insult. She didn’t bother reminding him that it was a gift, his gift that he had shattered and she had repaired.

Instead, she replied lightly, almost bored.

“Then throw it away.”

With those three words, she stepped past him and walked toward the drawers, searching for what she came for.

Ethan’s pupils constricted.

Back then… she cared so much about that watch.

Back then… she would’ve panicked if he so much as frowned at it.

Now she was telling him to toss it like it meant nothing.

She has changed.

And the thought of that change made something unpleasant rise in his chest.

It wasn’t relief.

It wasn’t satisfaction.

It was… irritation. Frustration.

Ava rummaged through the drawers, her movements efficient, her expression steady.

Behind her, Ethan’s gaze burned into her back.

His mind replayed what he had seen earlier, Ava sitting across from another man, smiling so brightly that it made his stomach twist. Laughing. Relaxed. Like she didn’t have a care in the world.

Like she wasn’t mourning him at all.

Veins popped at Ethan’s temple as his expression darkened.

“Ava.” His voice came out harsher than he intended. “Have you found another man? Is that why you agreed to the divorce so quickly?”

Ava paused only briefly before letting out a soft chuckle.

She didn’t turn around.

“You can think of it that way if you want,” she said.

It was the simplest answer.

And it hit Ethan harder than any argument ever could.

His jaw clenched.

Ava opened a smaller drawer, fingers moving with practiced certainty. She pulled out a velvet box.

Inside lay a delicate necklace, one she had been searching for.

The moment she saw it, tension eased from her shoulders.

Thank goodness.

She snapped the box shut, turned, and headed toward the door without sparing Ethan a single glance, even though they stood close enough for him to catch the faint scent of her shampoo.

That indifference

That complete lack of reaction

was unbearable.

Ethan’s face blanched.

Before Ava could leave, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

Hard.

Ava’s steps halted.

She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

She turned her head slightly, looking at him as if he were a stranger behaving irrationally.

“What do you want?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.

Ethan’s eyes were dark. Unstable. Volatile.

Ava had never seen his mood shift this wildly before.

Or maybe she had but she had been too busy blaming herself to notice.

He swallowed, then spoke with forced seriousness.

“Grandma wants to see you.” His voice was low. “You’re coming to Woods Manor with me tonight.”

Ava frowned, incredulous.

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked bluntly. “Shouldn’t you bring Emily to see her instead?”

Ethan’s expression darkened further at the mention of Linda.

“I just told you Grandma wants to see you.” His tone sharpened. “Otherwise, why would I waste time being alone with you?”

Ava let out a short, humorless snort.

“When Grandma wanted to see me in the past,” Ava said slowly, “you always found excuses to stop me from going. You’d say she was resting. Or busy. Or didn’t feel well.”

Her gaze sharpened. “So why are you insisting now?”

Ethan sneered, as if she were the unreasonable one.

“Ava,” he said coldly, “Grandma cares about you. Have you forgotten her already just because we are getting divorced?”

Ava’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Grandma was the only person in the Woods family who had ever treated her with kindness. The only one who didn’t look at her as a burden or an inconvenience.

Nancy Woods had known Ethan didn’t love Ava. She had pitied her. Protected her. At times, she had held Ava’s hand and spoken to her with such warmth that Ava almost believed she had found a real family.

Ava could never refuse her.

Ethan seemed to sense her hesitation and pushed harder.

“You used to pretend to care about Grandma so much,” he accused. “Now you want to ignore her? Ava, why have I never noticed how selfish you are? Are you abandoning her now that she’s useless to you?”

Ava’s eyes flared with anger.

“I’m not that kind of person,” she snapped.

Ethan scoffed, his grip finally loosening. “Then go see her.”

Ava stared at him for a moment, then yanked her wrist free and walked past him without another word.

Minutes later, she found herself seated in Ethan’s car, the velvet box with her necklace clutched in her hand.

Her emotions were tangled.

This sham of a marriage… has always been Grandma’s biggest worry.

If only I hadn’t insisted on marrying him…

The car drove through the gates of Woods Manor.

The moment they entered the living room, an excited voice rang out from the couch.

“My lovely granddaughter-in-law is here!” Nancy Woods exclaimed brightly. “Ava! Come, come sit beside me! I’ve been wanting to see you for so long. You’re finally here!”

Ava’s lashes trembled.

She forced a smile, though her chest tightened with complicated emotions.

“Grandma…” Ava said softly. “I’m sorry. During this time”

Nancy interrupted her immediately, patting her hand with gentle warmth.

“You don’t have to explain,” Nancy said kindly. “I know the difficulties you’ve been facing.”

Ava froze.

She stared at Nancy in disbelief.

“You… you know?” Ava asked tentatively. “You know everything?”

If Grandma knows about the divorce why is she speaking to me like this?

Even Ethan looked bewildered, his brows knitting together as he stared at his grandmother.

Nancy's warmth vanished as she turned to Ethan.

She glared at him fiercely, her voice suddenly sharp.

“Yes, I know everything,” Nancy said coldly. “This brat is a scoundrel.”

Ethan stiffened. “Grandma”

Nancy cut him off with a raised hand and turned back to Ava, compassion flooding her features again.

“I chose a good wife for you,” Nancy said, voice trembling with anger. “Yet you take her for granted!”

Ava’s throat tightened.

For a second, she felt like she might cry, not out of sadness, but out of something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Being chosen.

Being protected.

Being seen.

And across the room, Ethan’s expression shifted, shock, annoyance, and something else… something he didn’t understand.

Because for the first time

He wasn’t the one controlling the narrative.