Four Years Gone Like That.

“Are you absolutely sure you want me to go ahead with this, Ava?”

The question came through the phone with a mix of concern and disbelief. On the other end, Lauren’s voice softened, as though hoping her tone alone could undo what had already been decided.

Ava didn’t respond immediately.

She stood in the middle of her living room, her bare feet sinking slightly into the plush ivory rug Adrian had insisted on importing from Italy. Everything in the house carried his taste, his choices, his presence. Even now, it felt like he was everywhere… suffocating her.

“Ava?” Lauren pressed again. “Divorce isn’t something you rush into. At least talk to him first. Have one honest conversation. You owe your marriage that much.”

Ava let out a quiet, hollow laugh.

“Honest?” she repeated, her voice low, almost fragile. “You really think Adrian knows what that means?”

Before Lauren could respond, a sudden burst of sound pulled Ava’s attention away.

The television.

She hadn’t even realized it was on.

Her gaze slowly lifted and then froze.

There he was.

Adrian Cole.

Her husband.

He stood tall and composed on the screen, dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that hugged his broad shoulders like it had been made for him alone. His dark hair was styled effortlessly, a few strands falling just enough to soften the sharpness of his features. His jawline was clean and defined, his expression calm, confident and devastatingly handsome.

The kind of man people trusted at first glance.

The kind of man women admired.

The kind of man she had once loved without question.

The reporter beside him was smiling, clearly charmed. “Mr. Cole, people have always admired your marriage. Four years together, two years married it’s rare to see such consistency. What’s your secret?”

Adrian’s lips curved into that familiar, heart-melting smile.

The same one that used to make Ava blush.

“Ava is my everything,” he said smoothly, his voice deep and steady. “She’s been with me through every stage of my life. Loving her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Ava’s face tightened.

Her fingers curled slowly around her phone.

Those words…

Once upon a time, they would have made her heart flutter. She would have replayed them over and over, smiling like a fool, convinced she was the luckiest woman alive.

But now?

Now they sounded like poison.

Carefully crafted lies wrapped in a beautiful voice.

Her lips pressed together as she stared at the man on the screen, the man she thought she knew.

The man who had betrayed her.

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

The sudden vibration snapped her out of the moment.

Her eyes dropped to the screen.

It was an anonymous number.

Ava’s expression darkened slightly. This wasn’t the first time.

This number…

It was the reason everything had started unraveling.

Slowly, she opened the message.

[Don’t be deceived by what he is saying on TV. Your man loves me.]

Ava let out a soft scoff, shaking her head.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath.

But before she could lock her phone, another message came in.

This time, it wasn’t just words.

It was an address.

Followed by a short line:

[Passcode: 458. Come and watch your loving husband, you can confirm if I'm bluffing.]

Ava stared at the screen.

For a long moment, she didn’t move. She felt strangely calm, like something inside her had already broken beyond repair.

“Say something,” Lauren’s voice came faintly through the phone, still waiting.

Ava blinked slowly, bringing the phone back to her ear.

“I’ll call you back,” she said quietly.

“Ava”

But she had already ended the call.

Her eyes returned to the television one last time.

Adrian was still there, still speaking, still playing the role of the perfect husband.

Ava picked up her bag.

“Let’s see how perfect you really are,” she whispered.

The drive felt longer than it should have.

Or maybe it was just the silence.

The address led her to a high-end apartment complex on the other side of the city, one she had never been to before.

Of course.

Why would she have? This wasn’t meant for her.

Ava stepped out of the car, her heels clicking softly against the pavement as she approached the building. Everything about the place screamed privacy, discretion.

Her stomach tightened slightly.

Still, she didn’t turn back.

Inside, she followed the directions precisely, her fingers tightening slightly around her phone as she stood in front of the door.

For a brief second, she hesitated.

Then she reached forward and keyed in the passcode.

4… 5… 8.

A soft click.

The door unlocked and pushed it open.

The first thing that hit her was the scent of something unfamiliar, layered over a faint trace of Adrian’s cologne.

Her chest tightened while she stepped inside slowly.

The apartment was dimly lit, modern, and tastefully decorated. Her eyes moved across the room.

And then she saw it.

A suit jacket.

Carelessly thrown over the arm of the couch.

She recognized it instantly.

It was the same one Adrian had worn that morning before leaving the house.

Her gaze shifted.

A shirt, half unbuttoned laid on the floor.

A tie, discarded without care.

And then…

A soft, delicate fabric.

A woman’s dress.

Torn…with panty lace scattered in pieces like it had been ripped apart in a moment of urgency.

Ava’s stomach churned violently, her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.

She didn’t want to move forward. she didn’t want to see more.

But the faint sound reached her first.

Muffled, Intimate…that was a ‘moaning’ sound.

Her heart pounded as she reached the bedroom door, since it was slightly open. Ava pushed it gently.

She froze.

Her mind went completely blank.

Her mouth parted, but no sound came out.

On the bed…Adrian sat as a female knelt on both knees, giving him a blowjob. They were so engrossed, Ava's presence wasn't noticed.

They were too lost in the moment.

Ava’s stomach twisted violently, a sharp wave of nausea hit her, so sudden she had to grab the doorframe to steady herself.

This was real.

There was no misunderstanding.

Her chest tightened painfully.

And without another second, she turned and walked away.

The drive back home was a blur, she still can't explain how she managed because she didn’t remember the traffic, didn’t remember the turns, didn’t remember anything.

Only the image of Adrian and the lady, over and over again, burned into her mind.

Four years…Four years of loving him, two years of marriage. Gone…just like that.

Ava pushed the door open to the house and stepped inside. She walked straight to the bedroom, no hesitation, no second thoughts. She pulled out a suitcase from the closet, her movements stiff, then she began to pack.

Clothes.

Shoes.

Anything her hands could reach. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn’t stop. A sob broke from her chest, raw and uncontrollable.

Then another.

And another.

Her shoulders shook as everything she had held in finally came crashing down. She didn’t know how long she stayed like that.

Minutes.

Maybe longer.

Then, she heard a voice.

“Ava is my everything…”

She froze.

Her head snapped up. Her heart skipped. For a split second, she thought…Adrian?

But no.

It was coming from the living room.

The television was still playing.

Still repeating his lies.

Ava let out a shaky breath. Slowly, she stood and walked out, she picked up the remote and switched it off.

Silence returned, heavy and final.

She stood there for a moment…then walked back to the bedroom where the suitcase lay open on the bed.

Half-filled.

Incomplete.

Ava sat down slowly, her hands rested in her lap, her breathing steadied as she stared at nothing. A thought crossed her mind.

She couldn’t just leave…