Owned by La Guardia

Ava sat at the foot of the bed, her eyes roaming the small and dainty room she was in.

She'd just moved in a few days ago and had finally arranged the little belongings she'd brought with her.

Tears rushed down her face as the memories of her once lovely marriage and how it all crashed down came rushing back to her.

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The tiny straps of the lingerie dug at her skin, pinching and irritating her. she'd been sitting on the bed and staring aimlessly at the door. the tiny rose petals she'd used to decorate the bed are now in disarray and scattered all over the white sheets.

she was waiting for her husband or a shell of the man she was once married to, a man who once loved her more than anything. He'd gone out to gather 'luxuries ' for their family and she lost her husband to the world.

Ava got up from the bed and dragged her feet to the bathroom, she could hear her footsteps echo throughout the empty mansion.

she avoided looking at the mirror as she washed and cleansed her face of the minimal makeup she had applied.

Her phone dinged loudly from the bedside table, she dried her hands and abandoned the used wipes on the bathroom sink.

Joyce's name flashed across the screen in big bold letters indicating that she'd received a text from her.

Her heart was heavy as the notification indicator of her phone continued flashing, somehow she knew what the text contained and would much rather not face the reality of it all, her conscience criticized her for being a coward but she ignored that part of her like she's been doing for the past five years, things were more manageable that way.

Sleep eluded her, she had all the comfort she could ask for but she was uncomfortable and miserable. her phone sat at the top of the bedside table, close to the alarm clock that read 00:45 am, he'd missed their anniversary again.

With a heavy sigh, she retrieved her phone and unlocked it, the text from her so-called sister-in-law stared back mockingly at her.

His family never liked her and they did nothing to hide their dislike for her.

She clicked on the text, it was a link to her I*******m story, Ava's fingers hovered above the invite link, and she stared at it like a ticking time bomb before clicking on it with a resigned sigh.

Just as she expected, the story Joyce shared for over five thousand of her followers was a video of her and her brother, Ava's husband at a gay strip club.

She had the camera facing her while her brother rocked a lanky, petite male.

Ava watched as her husband rolled his hips to meet the male according to the rhythm of the rap song blasting in the club.

Her heart shattered and she was overcome with sadness and an underlining shame, no matter how much she willed herself to be strong and not think too much about it, her heart rate still increased dangerously as she took huge gulps of breath to calm herself, beads of sweat decorated her forehead despite the cold night air enveloping the entirety of the room due to the unlocked windows.

She'd known for six months now that her husband has been cheating on her with men, Joyce had made it her job to tag her in every story and every post while feigning ignorance.

Dimitri, her husband has continued to be oblivious to the fact that she'd caught him cheating on her.

She clutched the duvet close to her bosom as she remembered how they'd met.

College sweetheart, he was an aspiring computer engineer and she'd just gotten admission into the school, he'd helped her out with clearance and every other difficulty she'd faced in school until they fell in love and started dating.

He seemed like the perfect guy, made her feel special and loved, gifted her, and spoiled her rotten with luxuries even when he was struggling financially.

Ava thought she'd hit the jackpot until he “mistakenly” released her nudes to the whole school, she was devastated and heartbroken but still chose to forgive him when he claimed his phone was hacked.

Against her better judgment and her friend's warning they'd gotten back together again and eventually got married after he graduated college, he got a job and advised her to stay at home and help with the house while they prepared for kids.

She'd foolishly agreed and became a stay-at-home trophy wife he could flaunt to his colleagues and friends.

The tiny droplets of salty liquids rushed into her mouth and she registered she was crying, again for her lost love.

She'd tried to convince herself all this while that her marriage with Dimitri was still salvageable and could work, she'd tried to make herself believe it but she could no longer live in denial.

There was nothing left for her in the 2 story mansion he had caged her in.

She had nothing left.

Ava laid down again and surrendered herself to the welcoming arms of sleep, ridding her temporarily of her anguish.

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Ava tossed and turned in her sleep, she rolled again but was stopped by a mass of a body, she opened her eyes slowly and stared at the slim frame of her husband.

He was tall with just the right amount of taunt muscles, his lean build was one of the things that attracted her to him, his jet-black hair splayed on their pillow, framing his face.

Dimitri was a very handsome man, she'd fallen for his looks from the first time they met and he had swept her off her feet with how charming he was, he had a way with words.

She got up from the bed and wobbled to the bathroom, still a bit sleepy, she splashed water on her face to sober up before cleaning herself up.

As she exited the bathroom, Dimitri was already awake and sitting upright in their bed, he was still in his work pants from yesterday indicating he'd passed out immediately after he hit the bed probably due to all the drinking he did last night.

"Ava I am so sorry about yesterday" He started causing her to halt in her footsteps, she glanced at the alarm clock, it's red lights showed the time was 5:30 am, the sun would rise soon and Dimitri would be out of the House again to meet his concubine, his supposed best friend, and work partner, who he was having an affair with.

She'd remember the first day she'd caught him cheating on her was when the gay whore house he visited charged the money and receipt to their shared accounts, he'd given a lame excuse of his gay best friend using his account without him knowing and she'd blindly accepted it.

"I was busy with work and I lost track of time, I'm very sorry, please let me make it up to you" His squeaky voice brought her back to the present as he fiddled with his fingers, a telling sign that he was lying to her which she already knew.

"Okay" Ava answered dismissively, working towards their shared closet to retrieve her clothes.

"Thank you for being so understanding and such a perfect life partner" He beamed as he approached her and placed a tender kiss on her cheek before disappearing into the bathroom.

"If I was perfect why were you never satisfied," She thought aloud, sighing deeply as she got dressed.

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Ava sat crossed-legged in the living room, she'd made up her mind, she was ready for a rebranding.

Last night she seemed to have finally come to terms with the fact that there was no saving her and Dimitri's relationship.

As she composed the divorce email to her lawyer, she willed herself not to cry, she made a copy and sent one to Dimitri. She was taking back the reigns of her life.

He'd left the house for work, hours ago and Ava had been staring at her laptop screen for half an hour, pondering how she had barely enough money to sustain herself and her responsibility.

She'd spent her life savings along with Dimitri's in getting the house they now resided in but she'd foolishly let Dimitri handle all the documentation.

She considered canceling her divorce plans and waiting till she got herself together but that would only be detrimental to her mental health and peace of mind.

She could crash with her best friend but she didn't like intruding in other people's lives.

Ava scavenged, applied, and requested on the internet for hours, she got in contact with old friends she'd lost connection with and tried to find anything suitable for her, the only time she left the computer screen was when she had to grab snacks.

By the time she was done, all she felt was frustration and loathing towards herself, her poor decision-making had brought her life to shambles at such a young age, she was just 26, with so much to live for yet so little zeal to live.

She rushed to the kitchen and broke out Dimitri's stash of red wine she'd hidden because he was a violent drunk and had almost killed her.

She planned on drinking herself to a stupor in frustration, she'd drink in despair of her stupidity, she'd drink to the death of the strong young woman her mother raised, she'd let herself go, she'd been a fool all for the love of a man who didn't appreciate her.

She took one big gulp after another of the wine bottle relishing in the brief liberty it gave her.

She promised herself not to cry over him again, the alcohol in her system made her feel light-headed and free, she found herself slipping out of consciousness, the more she drank the more liberating it was, it was euphoric to just float above the burdens of her failed marriage.

And slowly she collapsed unconsciously on the sofa.

She woke up dizzy and disoriented in a position she was certain was not good for her spine or her back but she did it anyway.

Ava's head was pounding violently, her temples throbbing as she felt like throwing up, she dragged herself to the bathroom and emptied out all the contents of her stomach.

She went back to the sitting room to retrieve her phone, her vision was still blurry and out of focus.

She noticed the text she'd received from Dimitri but didn't bother checking it.

They were tons of messages from Dimitri's mother and sister, he must have gone running to them when he received the email like he always did.

Her phone rang out again but this time her best friend who was also her lawyer was the one calling.

The only way she could afford a lawyer was because she knew she wouldn't be paying for it, Elaina was more than ready to help at any time.

"Hello boo," She greeted.

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Now her divorce had been finalized after a month, Dimitri didn't put up much fight after he got over the initial shock.

Much to Elaina's dismay, Ava didn't want anything from her now ex-husband, she wanted them to part on good terms.

While she tried to piece the broken pieces of her life back together.

It would be difficult but she'd surely get over it, one step at a time.

Or so she thought.