THE SON BETWEEN US のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The divorce papers were placed on the table between us, it was a white paper, a black ink and final words. I looked at my name printed neatly at the bottom of the page ‘Ava Blackwood’ and felt an odd sense of separation like I was looking at someone else’s life ending instead of my own. Across from me, Ethan Blackwood sat behind his wide desk with his relaxed posture and he looked more excited than he has always been. He was dressed so elegantly as always in his tailored suit, expensive watch and cufflinks glinting under the lights, not even a single strand of his hair was out of place. At this point he didn’t look like a man divorcing his wife instead he looked like a man concluding a deal that no longer benefited him, “Have you finished reading it?” he asked tapping his pen lightly against the table, the sharp and impatient sound echoed in the room “I don’t have all day.” he said I lifted my head slowly to see the man had been my husband for three years, I mean three years of

***Three years later***My work finally brought me back to the city I once fled from, I was no longer Ethan Blackwood’s ex-wife. I was Ava Collins, my name carried weight of its own now, my presence commanded lot of respect and the past I escaped no longer had the power to define me.Though the city had not changed that much. Every street, every crowd I saw reminded me of how out of place I once felt here.I walked into the convention center with steady steps, my heels kept clicking softly against the polished floor and I also made my posture look so calm and professional.This wasn’t the place where my marriage ended, this was work and I was here as Ava Collins, an independent consultant, invited for my expertise not as someone’s discarded ex-wife.Leo walked beside me with his small hand wrapped tightly around mine with a quiet reassurance against the strange new world around us.He was putting on a simple navy blue outfit with his hair neatly combed and every movement carried the c

I stared at the screen and my hand shaked slightly. I didn’t sleep that night, the message stayed burned into my mind long after I turned the face of my phone down, I knew who it was from. Sienna had never seemed subtle, she had always preferred quiet cruelty, the one that left no fingerprints but plenty of damage.Whatever Sienna was planning, it's going to bounce back to her.I sat on the edge of the bed and watched Leo sleep, my chest tight with a fear I hadn’t felt in years. I had protected this secret with everything I had but now, it was no longer just mine.*****The next morning, everything unraveled and it happened too fast as if fate had finally decided it was tired of waiting.I was in the conference room, almost rounding up a presentation, when the door opened abruptly, every one in the hall turned to look and Ethan Blackwood walked in looking like someone that sleep had stopped working for.Gasps rippled through the room, my chest began to bang but I didn’t falter. I jus

Ethan POV She walked past me like I was invisible, not even a flicker of recognition. Her eyes stayed forward and focused only on my little boy at her side and her hand was also locked around him, so firm and protective, like she was afraid the world might snatch him away if she loosened her grip. I swallowed hard. “Ava,” I called. But there was no response. My chest tightened, I tried again and louder this time. “Ava.” She didn’t even slow down or turn. It was like my voice couldn’t reach her anymore. The boy laughed at something she said as his head tipped back slightly, that sound hit me harder than any slap ever could, I recognized it, the tone and the careless joy. It sounded so much like me when I was younger before I learned how to bury everything that mattered. My son doesn’t even know who I am, that thought made my hands shake. I took a step toward them, then stopped. What would I even say? I’m sorry felt too small, It sounded like a lie even to myself.

Ava POV Mornings had become my safest ritual. I woke Leo, helped him brush his teeth and as usual we argued over socks. Then I braided my hair while he sat on the bed swinging his legs and telling me half-formed stories about dreams that never made sense but always made me smile. By the time I was dressed for work and Leo was ready for his nanny, I felt put together again, like the cracks inside me had been sealed, at least for the day. We stepped out of the apartment together, the sunlight spilling into the hallway then someone familiar to my past blocked my path. Jasmine. For a second, I wondered if my past had finally decided to hunt me down in physical form. “Well, well, well.” she said, her eyes dragging over me slowly. “Look who it is. Ava.” I stopped and tightened my grip on Leo’s hand. He leaned closer to me instinctively, his small fingers curled into my palm. “When did you return?” she continued without waiting for an answer. “Wow… you have really changed