Chapter 2

Leaving the estate, I took a car straight to a private bank in New York.

Once they cleared the identity verification and source-of-funds checks, the $10 million officially hit my account.

I checked the balance, saved the records, and filed the paperwork. This was my children's future; I couldn't afford a single mistake.

Business handled, I booked a first-class ticket to Austin and hired an SUV to take me to my parents' apartment in Queens.

Dad and Mom were thrilled to see me at first. But when they noticed me standing alone with a suitcase, their smiles vanished.

When I told them Ethan and I were divorcing, Mom’s eyes welled up.

Dad went pale with rage. He grabbed his coat.

"How could he do this to you?" His voice shook. "I'm going to find Ethan right now. He owes us an explanation."

I pulled him back.

"Dad, Mom, don't."

"Ending this marriage is a relief." I lowered my voice. "He gave me ten million dollars. It's enough for us. And right now... I'm pregnant with octuplets. I can't risk my safety."

Dad’s chest heaved.

I squeezed his hand. "Ethan is overseas. If we make a scene, it’ll only humiliate us and solve nothing. We need to leave New York. We need to protect the babies."

The revelation of the octuplets stunned them into silence.

Mom covered her mouth, letting out a stifled sob. Dad’s fury melted into overwhelming concern. He finally nodded.

Dad ran a small diner, and they had always lived a quiet life. Now, I had money, and a family to protect. Leaving this city was the best choice for all of us.

We packed the essentials and headed for JFK.

Meanwhile, back at the Sterling estate in Greenwich, a very different scene was unfolding.

The person who sent those documents wasn't Ethan.

It was Vivian Hart.

Vivian had no Sterling blood, but Eleanor had raised her since childhood. She was obsessed with Ethan and viewed me as the ultimate threat.

She knew Ethan was overseas. She knew Eleanor was temporarily managing the estate. And she knew exactly where I came from.

To her, my marriage was a PR stunt. That accident at the gala was the only time we’d been intimate. She was convinced I was a gold-digger clinging to the Sterling wealth. She assumed that when served with divorce papers, I would cry, scream, and refuse to leave.

Then, she would step in to play peacemaker. She’d look graceful, while making me look greedy and pathetic in front of Eleanor and the staff. Her perfect stepping stone to becoming the next Mrs. Sterling.

Vivian had pressured Ethan’s executive assistant, Nathan Cole, and his personal assistant, Noah Reed, into helping her. She had them mimic Ethan’s texting style and deliver the forged documents.

She calculated everything perfectly—except me.

Right now, Vivian was having tea with Eleanor in the gardens.

"Eleanor, don't worry," Vivian said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "When Ava sees those papers, she’ll come crying. She'll beg us to let her stay."

"When she does, I'll talk to her. We can handle it with grace."

Eleanor adjusted her pearl bracelet. "A nobody from Queens. She never knew her place. Getting thrown out was only a matter of time."

Martha Cole, the head housekeeper, hurried over.

"Mrs. Sterling, please don't be alarmed, but... Ava left," Martha panted. "She only packed her own suitcases. The jewelry, the designer clothes—she didn't take a single thing."

Vivian’s teacup hovered in mid-air.

Eleanor lost her grip on her crystal glass. It shattered on the stone table.

"What did you say?" Eleanor stared at Martha. "She just left? Without taking anything?"