Chapter Ten: The Other Woman

AVA

The morning after the gala, I woke up with a knot in my stomach that had nothing to do with the champagne I'd consumed. Victoria Sterling's possessive touch on Liam's arm kept replaying in my mind, along with that knowing smile she'd given me.

I found Liam in the dining room, reading the financial news while eating breakfast. He looked up when I entered, his expression unreadable.

"Good morning. You handled yourself well last night."

"Thank you." I poured myself coffee from the silver service, my hands steadier than I felt. "Tell me about Victoria."

Liam set down his paper. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Who is she? How do you know her?"

"Victoria is a business associate. We've worked together for several years."

"Just business?"

He studied me for a moment. "Victoria and I have a history. But that's not your concern."

"It is as if she's going to be part of our lives."

"She's part of my life. There's a difference."

The distinction hit like a slap. "I see."

"Do you? Because I want to be very clear about the boundaries of our arrangement. You have access to Eli, a comfortable home, and financial security. What I don't owe you is explanations about my personal relationships."

Before I could respond, Elena entered with Eli. My son ran to Liam first, not me, climbing onto his father's lap with easy familiarity.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"Good morning, son." Liam's entire demeanor softened as he lifted Eli. "Did you sleep well?"

"Elena read me stories. Three stories!"

"Three?" Liam looked at Elena with approval. "That's very generous of you."

"He was having trouble settling," Elena explained. "Sometimes extra attention is needed."

I felt like an outsider watching my own family. "I could have read to him."

"You were at the gala," Elena said with a polite smile. "Children need consistency in their bedtime routines."

"I'm his mother. I should be part of his bedtime routine."

"Of course," Liam said, but his tone suggested otherwise. "Elena, perhaps Mrs. Blackwood could occasionally participate in bedtime."

Occasionally. Like I was a visitor requesting special privileges.

"Mama!" Eli finally noticed me, reaching out with sticky fingers from his breakfast.

I moved to take him, but Elena intercepted. "Let me clean his hands first. We don't want to ruin your lovely dress."

I looked down at the designer outfit I'd put on automatically this morning. Everything about my new life seemed designed to keep me at arm's length from my own child.

Later that morning, while Liam was in his study taking calls, I explored the penthouse more thoroughly. I found a photo album on one of the side tables and opened it curiously.

The pictures told a story I wasn't prepared for. Liam and Victoria at various events over the years. Galas, business trips, intimate dinners. In many photos, her hand rested possessively on his arm, just like last night. They looked comfortable together, like a real couple.

"Finding everything interesting?"

I spun around to find Victoria herself standing in the doorway. She was perfectly dressed in a cream-colored suit, looking like she belonged here more than I did.

"Victoria. I didn't know you were coming by."

"Liam and I have a standing Thursday morning meeting. We've been business partners for five years." She moved closer, her heels clicking on the marble floor. "I hope you don't mind me letting myself in. I still have a key."

Still have a key. The words were calculated to sting.

"Of course not," I lied.

Victoria picked up the photo album I'd been looking at. "Such lovely memories. Liam and I have been through so much together. Business ventures, social events, quiet evenings at home." She emphasized the last part with a meaningful look.

"How nice for you."

"It really has been. You know, when I heard he'd gotten married, I was so surprised. It seemed so sudden, so... impulsive."

"Sometimes the best decisions are made quickly."

"Or the most desperate ones." Victoria's smile was sharp. "But don't worry, dear. I understand this is just a temporary arrangement. For the child's sake."

"It's not temporary."

"Isn't it?" She flipped through the album, stopping at a particularly intimate photo of her and Liam dancing. "Five years we've been together, on and off. Business and pleasure have a way of mixing when you truly understand someone."

"I should go check on Eli," I said, needing to escape.

"Oh, he's such a sweet boy. I met him yesterday when I stopped by."

I froze. "You met Eli?"

"Elena introduced us. Such a professional nanny, very impressed with her credentials. Eli seemed to like me quite a bit."

The thought of Victoria anywhere near my son made my skin crawl. "I should go find him."

"He's in the playroom with Elena. I actually brought him a little gift." Victoria's eyes glittered with malice. "A toy airplane. I told him it was from his daddy's special friend."

I found Eli in the playroom, indeed playing with an expensive-looking toy plane. When he saw me, he held it up proudly.

"Look, Mama! A pretty lady gave me an airplane!"

"That's nice, sweetheart." I knelt down beside him, trying to keep my voice normal.

"She smells like flowers. She says she knows Daddy really, really well."

Elena looked up from organizing toys. "Miss Sterling was very kind to bring Master Eli a gift. She mentioned she'll be visiting more often now."

"More often?"

"Since Mr. Blackwood's marriage, she feels it's important to be more involved in the family dynamics," Elena said with professional neutrality.

Family dynamics. As if Victoria was family and I was the intruder.

That afternoon, I tried to spend time with Eli, but he seemed more interested in his new airplane than in me. Every few minutes, he mentioned the "pretty lady" who had brought it.

"Pretty lady says the airplane goes high in the sky," he told me, making whooshing sounds.

"What else did the pretty lady say?"

"She says she loves Daddy. She says she's Daddy's best friend."

My heart clenched. Victoria was already working on Eli, establishing herself as important in his life while making me seem like an afterthought.

Around five o'clock, I went looking for Liam to discuss limits on Victoria's access to Eli. His study door was closed, but I could hear voices inside. I raised my hand to knock, then stopped when I heard Victoria's laugh.

"Oh, Liam, you always know exactly what to say," she was saying.

"Victoria, we need to be careful."

"Careful? Since when have we ever been careful?"

I pressed my ear closer to the door, my heart pounding.

"Things are different now."

"Are they? Because from where I stand, nothing has changed. You married her for the child, not for love. We both know this is temporary."

"The situation is complicated."

"It doesn't have to be. Send her to the spa for the weekend. We could have the penthouse to ourselves, just like old times."

There was a long pause, and I held my breath.

"I'll think about it," Liam said finally.

I backed away from the door, devastated. My own husband was discussing getting rid of me with his lover like I was an inconvenient houseguest.

Two hours later, I decided to bring Liam some coffee as a peace offering, hoping to find a way to discuss Victoria's involvement with Eli. I knocked on the study door but got no answer. Thinking he might be on a call, I opened the door quietly.

Victoria was there, but she wasn't sitting across from his desk discussing business. She was perched on the edge of his desk, her blouse unbuttoned, her hair mussed. Liam was standing close to her, his tie loosened, his shirt wrinkled.

They both turned when I entered, but neither looked surprised or guilty.

"Ava," Victoria said with a satisfied smile, slowly buttoning her blouse. "Perfect timing. Liam and I were just catching up on old times."

I stared at them, the coffee cup trembling in my hands. "I can see that."

"Don't look so shocked, darling," Victoria continued. "Surely you knew this marriage wouldn't change anything between Liam and me. We have years of history. You can't compete with that."

I looked at Liam, waiting for him to deny it, to defend our marriage, to show some sign that I mattered. Instead, he straightened his tie and moved away from Victoria with casual indifference.

"Did you need something, Ava?" he asked, as if I'd interrupted a business meeting instead of walking in on my husband with his half-dressed lover.