Chapter Three

Ava’s POV

“No, this can’t be real…” I whispered.

“Perhaps, he knew you were worthless all along,” Ivana smirked while wrapping her arms around Ethan.

“There has to be some misunderstanding or mistake, but–” I swallowed my salty saliva as fresh hot tears were starting to form in my eyes.

“But you’re in shock that the favourite and hardworking daughter has no inheritance from her father, right?” Ivana pouted while Ethan picked the property papers now signed into her name. First was the mansion, second was the company, and thirdly was a fifty-million-dollar cheque.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Even my saliva felt like hot lava hard for me to swallow, and my heart started to feel like it was falling into a bottomless pit.

“Now here is your last gift, Miss Ava Scott,” his tune went back to the cheating Ethan and not my darling Ethan. “I’m sure you know what to do with those papers. Be quick and return it to my mansion first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Oh Ethan,” Ivana sang, drawing lines from his beards to his lips with her maroon painted nails. “I do hate her a lot, but she is my sister, and I sincerely think she’s going to die if you leave her at this point. I can lend you some time with her if you don’t mind. Besides, it’s clear who you belong to now,” she winked at him.

“Why are you doing this, Ethan? I love you, and you know it. I’ve done everything possible to make you happy, and you were happy until she came into the picture–”

“I’d be expecting the papers signed by tomorrow, and heaven knows, you don’t want to get on my nerves because of this.”

With that, Ivana and Ethan left while I still sat in shock at what had just happened.

“I’m so sorry things had to turn out this way, Ava, but you have to believe that your father is not dumb and everything he does, he does for a reason–”

“Leave,” I interrupted Mr Albert. His words were like salt on an open wound and dragon breath to a fire, and I already had enough of it.

He did as I said, leaving me completely alone in the room. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in the room, but I knew that by the time the nanny, Mrs Cordelia walked in to know how I was doing, the voices from the crowd had already died down.

“It’s just us,” she announced carefully, closely monitoring me. Stooping to my level, she tried to pull me into a comforting embrace. “I’m so sorry about the will, dear,” she whispered behind my cold ears.

“What did I do wrong to deserve all this?” My voice was dried and void of all human emotion but hurt, brokenness as well as emptiness.

“I still can’t believe that Mr Scott would do such a thing to you, let’s just keep hope alive and believe that he had a good reason for doing what he did, else, you have to stay strong and try not give in to your sister’s madness.”

“I’ll try winning my husband back tomorrow not because he deserves it but because Ivana would mock my all round failure if I let her have everything without a fight,” I mumbled while getting up to leave.

“Winning him back?” she jolted up behind me in shock.

She obviously knew nothing about the divorce, and that was good for her. I ignored her questions and grabbed a bottle of wine before moving straight to my room.

After successfully drowning myself in my pain and bottle of wine, I felt the world begin to spin. Afterwards, I crashed to the pillow and kept breathing until everything became dark.

***

“Good morning, Ava,” Mrs Cordelia’s voice woke me up from my sleep.

Oh, I guess it’s morning already. Ugh!

Pushing the sheets to the side so that my entangled legs can be freed, I threw myself off of the bed.

“Miss Ivana left a message, and she asked that you come over at night as she would be having a long day with Mr Ethan.”

I dismissed her and quickly cleared my morning routine before heading out to Ethan's place.

“I'm sorry, Ma'am, but Mr Ethan left with Miss Ivana not long ago to her father’s company,” one of the maids informed me after I found them missing in the mansion.

“Alright, then. Thank you.”

Entering the company after about thirty minutes of leaving Ethan’s mansion, the atmosphere changed, and it sincerely felt like I was no longer needed.

I still walked in, ignoring all the stare, murmurs, and silent laughter intended to mock me.

“Where is Mr Ethans?” I asked one of the staff after my failure at finding him.

“He is with Miss Ivana, and they asked not to be disturbed,” she replied with her eyes glued to the floor.

“I command you—”

“You keep hurting yourself, Ava,” I heard Ivana’s voices, and the clicking sound of her heels interrupted me.

I let the innocent staff go away as I was now face to face with Ivana.

“Where is Ethan?!”

“Ethan? I thought he made it clear to you that he wants no business with you. Why are you looking for him?”

“He is my husband, and you have no business with the reason why I seek him!”

“Was, Ava,” she smirked in disgust. “He was your husband. Now hand those divorce papers over and see yourself off.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ethan's voice cut in like a sharp blade from behind.

“Here you are,” I breathed, working towards him even though the look on his face screamed for me to vanish. “I came to see you, Ethan… At least to talk things out rather than to jump into a rash decision by putting our signatures on these papers.”

“There is nothing to be discussed. Ivana is going to be my wife, and the last shred of respect to you would be divorcing you before marrying her, but if that is too difficult for you, I also have a solution to that.”

Tears began to wail up as my father's employees began to encircle us. He walked past me to take Ivana’s hands. Going down on one knee, some of the employees began to take pictures of the scene.

“Will you marry me, love?”