Chapter 5

Last night, Ava had returned home alone after the anniversary celebration, her heart heavy with emotions. The memories of Jeffery and Cassandra’s affair on and on in her head.

She had cried herself to sleep in the visitor's room, her mind made up to leave Jeffrey, no matter how he felt about it. She was done with the constant betrayal and manipulation.

The next morning, Ava woke up to the enticing aroma of fried chicken wafting through the air. She got out of bed and walked to the dinner room, only to be met with a shocking sight: Cassandra was seated at the table, eating breakfast.

"Oh, you're awake?" Cassandra said, looking up at Ava with a smug expression.

Ava's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here in my husband's house?" she demanded, her voice firm.

Cassandra stood up, her eyes locked on Ava's. "I'm moving in," she announced, her voice calm and collected.

Ava's jaw dropped. "What? You must be joking," she said, her voice rising in incredulity.

Cassandra shook her head. "No, I'm not joking. In fact, my bags are upstairs, and Jeffrey has already prepared a room for me."

Ava's face twisted in anger. "You wench! I won't allow this," she spat, her hands clenched into fists.

Cassandra's expression remained calm. "It has already happened, Ava. You just have to accept it," she said, her voice dripping with condescension.

Ava's anger boiled over, and she wondered what kind of game Jeffrey was playing, bringing Cassandra into their home like this. Didn't he care about Ava's feelings at all? The thought of Cassandra living under the same roof as her was unbearable.

“How do you like it?” Cassandra laughed, mockingly.

Ava's determination was clear in her voice. "Whatever," she said. "I'm going to divorce Jeffrey anyway."

Cassandra laughed, her voice dripping with mockery. "As if," she sneered. "You've always been all over him since high school. There’s no way you’re going to divorce him. You’re nothing but a pet and a slave to him, Ava. You can't even give Jeffrey what he wants most - a child. Even after 5 years of marriage, you're still barren."

Ava's anger boiled over as Cassandra continued to taunt her. "Too bad," Cassandra said with a smirk. "I'll soon get pregnant for Jeffrey. We've been having an affair for quite a while now, and I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have a child with me."

That was the final straw for Ava. With a swift motion, she slapped Cassandra hard on the face. The sound of the slap echoed through the room.

Just then, Jeffrey walked in, his expression concerned. "What's going on here?" he asked, his eyes scanning the scene before him.

Cassandra quickly ran to him, holding his arm and feigning distress. "Ava attacked me," she lied. "She's furious because I'm moving in and she doesn't want me here."

Jeffrey's face reddened as he shouted at Ava. "What's come over you? I'm tired of this behavior. What's so wrong if Cassandra is moving in with us?"

Ava scoffed, her voice laced with disdain. "What's wrong? Are you hearing yourself?"

Jeffrey's expression turned cold. "I'm tired of you, Ava. I hate how you treat Cassandra. If you're hungry for a divorce, fine! Let's divorce."

Cassandra stepped forward, her voice sweet and concerned. "Oh, Jeffrey, don't say that. I'm sure Ava didn't mean to hurt me."

But Ava cut her off, her voice firm. "Fine, let's divorce. I don't even want to have anything to do with you anymore."

Jeffrey laughed, a mocking glint in his eye. "Not like you mean it or you’d ever leave me. You’re nothing without me! Get it to your head."

Cassandra approached Ava, her voice dripping with condescension. "You should take back your words, Ava. You're making Jeffrey angry."

After saying that, she smiled mockingly at Ava, which pushed Ava over the edge. With a fierce cry, Ava angrily slapped Cassandra again and again until Jeffrey held her hand and pushed her, raising his hand as if to slap her back.

Ava's eyes flashed with defiance. "Slap me!" she taunted.

Jeffrey's face twisted in anger, but he held himself back, his hand trembling with restraint.

"My lawyer would get in touch with you, for the divorce papers. I wish you the best." Ava felt pain in her heart as she said those words. Was she finally leaving her husband for her Cassandra Adams?

Could she live without Jeffery even when she had his triplets in her womb? How was she going to survive?

Jeffery didn't even respond to her as she stood in the room, waiting for him to say something. Her heart sank more as she looked at how they both cared for each other on the sofa, holding hands.

He had finally decided to come out and show Ava that he was always going to choose Cassandra, his high school sweetheart over her and he was going to survive even if she walked off the surface of the earth.

Soon after, Ava was dragging her bags along as she walked out of the house, looking at Jeffery to see if he’d stop her, she was disappointed. He didn’t even look at her. His attention was on Cassandra.

“Goodbye, Jeffery, I’ll be finally out of your life forever.” She whispered before exiting.

In an hour or two, she was at the airport. Her deceased father's lawyer, Mike Davis had sent her a plane ticket, booked for today. The timing was perfect and anticipation was killing her - what secrets lay hidden in his will?

She turned around, taking in the scenery of the city. This was the last time she'd see this place, a promise she'd made to herself.

****

5 YEARS LATER

[HEADLINE: THE TRILLIONAIRE HEIRESS IS BACK!]