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Lahat ng Kabanata ng One night stand with my ex husband that Ruined me: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

77 Kabanata

chapter one- THE Night Before we broke our rule

Chicago had a way of making loneliness louder.Ava Carter learned that on a cold October night, standing alone at the bar of a downtown hotel, nursing a drink she did not want. She had come for a work conference. In and out. No emotions. No memories.Then she saw him.Ethan Carter.Her ex-husband.Time did not erase him. It refined him. The boyish softness was gone, replaced by something heavier, something worn. His hair was slightly longer than she remembered, his jaw rough with stubble, his shoulders carrying a weight she knew too well.For a moment, neither of them moved.Years collapsed into seconds.Their last fight flashed in her mind. Raised voices. Silence. The door closing behind him. The sound of her own heart breaking while she pretended she was fine.“Ava…” he said quietly, as if afraid saying her name too loudly might make her disappear.She hated how her body reacted. The tightening in her chest. The warmth that rushed through her veins. The familiarity that felt like ho

chapter two - THE Truth we buried

They tried to keep their distance.They failed.Coffee turned into dinners. Dinners turned into late-night talks that stretched until morning. They circled each other carefully, afraid of repeating the past, afraid of stopping.One night, sitting on opposite ends of her couch, Ava finally asked the question she had avoided for years.“Why didn’t you fight for us?”Ethan stared at the floor.“I was drowning,” he said. “My company was collapsing. I was in debt. I didn’t want you to see me weak.”“So you left?” she asked bitterly.“I thought you’d be better without me.”Tears slid down her cheeks. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”He looked up then, eyes red. “I know. That’s the truth I buried.”She swallowed hard.There was another truth she hadn’t spoken yet.“Ethan,” she said slowly, “there’s something you don’t know.”His body went still.“What?”She stood, pacing the room, heart pounding. “After you left… I found out I was pregnant.”The world seemed to stop.“You—” His voice b

chapter- Three when the Truth demand a voice

Ava didn’t sleep.She lay on her side, facing the window, watching dawn bleed slowly into the sky. Ethan slept behind her, his arm draped loosely over her waist, unaware that everything was about to change.Her phone sat on the nightstand, screen dark, holding answers she was afraid to face.She slipped out of bed before he woke, retreating into the bathroom. The light was harsh, unforgiving. Her reflection looked pale, shaken, nothing like the woman she pretended to be.Her hands trembled as she opened the email.Positive.The word felt loud. Final.She sank onto the edge of the tub, pressing her palm to her mouth to stifle the sob that rose violently in her chest. Not again. Not after everything they had already lost.This wasn’t just a pregnancy.It was history repeating itself.It was fear with a heartbeat.When she returned to the bedroom, Ethan was awake, sitting up, eyes instantly finding her face.“What’s wrong?” he asked.She stood there, frozen.“Say it,” he urged gently. “W

chapter four- Blood is louder than love

Ava hadn’t seen her mother in seven years.Not since the night she packed her suitcase, signed the divorce papers, and chose silence over another argument that went nowhere.Now her mother’s name stared back at her from legal letterhead like a threat.“I don’t understand,” Ava said, sitting on the couch, the envelope shaking in her hands. “My mother has nothing to do with the house. Or the divorce.”Ethan stood near the window, arms crossed, jaw tight. “Then why would she suddenly be involved?”Because she always appears when something is about to break, Ava thought.Her phone rang.She stared at the screen.MomOf course.She answered, voice cold. “What do you want?”“Still dramatic,” her mother replied smoothly. “I was hoping motherhood would soften you.”Ava’s stomach dropped. “How do you know—”“I know everything,” her mother cut in. “Including what Ethan hid from you.”Ethan stiffened across the room.Ava’s heart pounded. “What are you talking about?”“There was money,” her mothe

Chapter FIVE- The Price of Silence

Hospitals had a smell Ava would never forget. Disinfectant and fear. Sterile air layered over quiet suffering. It crawled into her lungs and stayed there, heavy and unforgiving. She sat beside Ethan’s bed, unmoving, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Machines beeped softly, indifferent to the chaos that brought him here. His face was bruised, a thin cut stitched above his brow, his hand wrapped in gauze where skin had split open protecting something far more valuable than flesh. Documents. Secrets. Regret pressed down on her chest so hard she could barely breathe. “You’re not allowed to leave,” she whispered, fingers tightening around his. “Not again. Not now.” A nurse passed by, pausing briefly to check the monitors. “He’s stable,” she said quietly. “But the concussion is serious. He needs rest.” Ava nodded, though rest felt like a luxury none of them could afford. Her phone vibrated. She ignored it. It vibrated again. And again. She finally glanced down.

Chapter SIX- The Woman Who Raised Me

Ava had rehearsed this moment in her head a thousand times. She imagined screaming. Crying. Slamming doors. Walking away victorious and free. None of that prepared her for how small she felt standing outside her mother’s townhouse on the North Shore, staring at the familiar white door she hadn’t crossed in seven years. The house looked unchanged. That was the cruelest part. Same trimmed hedges. Same brass knocker. Same windows that once glowed warm when Ava still believed this place was safe. She rang the bell. It opened almost immediately. Marianne Carter stood there, impeccably dressed as always, hair perfectly styled, lips painted a calm shade of rose. She smiled like this was a social visit, not a reckoning. “You look tired,” her mother said. “Pregnancy doesn’t suit stress.” Ava stepped inside without answering. The house smelled like lemon polish and control. Every surface spotless. Every emotion buried. “Sit,” Marianne said, gesturing toward the living room. “We sho

Chapter Seven - The Sister Who Chose Sides

Ava did not open the door right away. She stood frozen a few feet from it, the thin motel carpet rough beneath her bare feet, her heartbeat pounding so loudly she was sure her sister could hear it through the wood. “Ava,” the voice came again, softer now. “Please.” Ethan moved to her side, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, solid and grounding. “You don’t have to do this,” he whispered. “I do,” Ava replied quietly. “If she’s here, it means something has already gone wrong.” She reached for the handle and opened the door. Claire looked thinner than Ava remembered. Paler. Her hair was pulled back hastily, eyes rimmed red as though she hadn’t slept. She looked nothing like the confident younger sister who once followed their mother without question. For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then Claire’s gaze dropped to Ava’s stomach. “Oh,” Claire breathed. “It’s true.” Ava’s throat tightened. “Why are you here?” Claire glanced past her, eyes flicking b

chapter Eight-The Mother Who Never Loved Me

The place Marianne chose was intentional. A private art gallery after hours, perched above the river, all glass and steel and carefully curated emptiness. Ava recognized the cruelty in it instantly. Art without warmth. Beauty without soul. Control disguised as elegance. Ava arrived alone. She wore a simple coat, no jewelry, no phone tracker, no weapon. Just resolve and the quiet fury of a woman who had finally understood the game. The doors unlocked as she approached. Inside, soft lights illuminated paintings worth more than most lives. A security guard nodded once and disappeared through a side door, leaving Ava alone with silence. And then— “Right on time.” Marianne Carter stepped from the shadows, dressed in ivory, composed as ever. She looked pleased. That hurt more than anger ever could. “You shouldn’t be here,” Ava said. Marianne smiled. “You came anyway. I raised you well.” Ava’s jaw tightened. “You raised me to be afraid.” “No,” Marianne corrected gentl

chapter Nine- The Man Who Never Loses

The ringing phone echoed through the gallery like a pulse.Ava stood frozen as officers rushed past her, radios crackling, footsteps sharp against marble. Marianne was already gone, swallowed by uniforms and procedure, her fall from power abrupt and incomplete.But Ava knew better.This was not an ending.It was a misdirection.The phone kept ringing.No one answered it.Ava did.“Hello?” Her voice sounded steadier than she felt.“Impressive,” Grant said calmly. “Very impressive.”Her stomach dropped.“You’re not supposed to be calling,” Ava replied.“I’m not supposed to be arrested either,” he said lightly. “Yet here we are.”She scanned the gallery, heart pounding. “You’re nearby.”“I’m always nearby,” Grant replied. “Power doesn’t hide. It watches.”“You lost,” Ava said. “The evidence is out.”Grant laughed softly. “You misunderstand how evidence works. Information doesn’t destroy men like me. Timing does.”Her grip tightened on the phone. “You threatened my child.”“Yes,” Grant sa

chapter Ten- Choices That Breaks Us

The motel room smells like bleach and old cigarettes. Ava sits on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees, staring at the carpet like it might give her answers if she looks long enough. The TV is on, volume low, some late-night show laughing at nothing. She hasn’t slept. Not really. Just closed her eyes and replayed everything she shouldn’t want but still does. Ethan. The way his hands remembered her before her mind could stop him. The way one night turned into a wound that won’t close. Her phone vibrates. She doesn’t pick it up immediately. She already knows who it is. When she finally looks, her chest tightens anyway. Ethan: They moved me. She types back with shaking fingers. Ava: Where? Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear again. Ethan: County. Different judge. Different mood. That’s how the system works. People pretend it’s neutral, but it has moods, tempers, favorites. And right now, it doesn’t favor him. A knock sounds at the door. She freezes. No one knock

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