Chapter 3
For a split second, I could feel Liam stiffen up, but it was gone just as quickly. His grip on my wrist tightened even more. "Ava, it's the same damn trick every time. Aren't you tired of this yet?"
His voice was cold and low, practically in my ear.
Last time I told him I was sick, he said he'd die with me.
Now I said the same thing and I was manipulative.
Love and indifference had never been clearer.
I calmly pulled my wrist free from his grasp and kept my head down, focusing on picking out my perfect cemetery spot.
"Pick whichever one you want," he said. "I'll notify PR that you're sick. Once it's public, Ava, you won't be able to walk this back."
We parted on bad terms.
I sat there, watching him walk away without a backward glance.
Suddenly, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Mrs. Wilson, why don't you just tell Mr. Wilson the truth? You really are sick. You've lost so much weight this past month, you're nothing but skin and bones now..." The butler walked over, his face full of worry.
I gave a faint smile.
Explain? I didn't see the need.
Anyone with eyes could see I was wasting away.
But Liam—he came in, talked, and walked out, pretending he saw nothing at all.
*****
I thought I could just quietly leave this world behind.
But I didn't expect things to spiral again.
Someone leaked a video taken from the beach.
It was grainy, taken from far away, but one could vaguely make out two women dressed alike, fighting by the water. Right before the waves hit, one woman clung to the other and wouldn't let go.
So in the end, both of them got swept away by the waves.
The internet exploded.
People started calling me a murderer, said I was reckless with human life.
And right on cue, Ava posted on her social media: [Let go of resentment. Survival is a blessing in itself.]
Online abuse hit me like a freight train.
The more the netizens dug, the more dirt they found.
They discovered that Ava was actually Liam's childhood sweetheart, that I only married Liam because I got pregnant, and that for years, I lived lavishly and ignored my own son.
No one really knew the truth. Sure, Ava had known Liam since they were kids. But when he was bullied and beaten and ostracized, Ava was nowhere to be found.
Yes, I was pregnant when I married Liam. But he had begged me to accept his proposal with a huge rose bouquet.
And as for neglecting my son, Noah was super close to me until he was two. But Liam said Noah was becoming too clingy and needed to be independent.
So Liam sent Noah back to the old family estate to instill all those elite values in him.
Ever since then, Noah looked down on me more and more.
He saw me—a stay-at-home mom with no job—as a useless trophy wife.
He didn't know that before I got pregnant, I was the lead designer at Liam's company, and one of the shareholders.
Now that I was leaving this world, I didn't want just anyone else to take over my assets. So I decided to go to the company and take back what was mine.
*****
In just a few years, the whole company had changed—new faces everywhere, a totally different atmosphere.
The receptionist even stopped me at the entrance just because I didn't have an appointment.
"Mrs. Wilson, it's company policy—no unauthorized visitors allowed. Maybe you could call Mr. Wilson? Please, don't make things difficult for a regular employee like me," the receptionist said, looking uneasy.
I couldn't even describe how I felt inside.
This was the company Liam and I had built from the ground up, and now here I was, being stopped at the entrance like a total outsider.
But the real kicker? I looked up and saw Liam and Ava walking out side by side.
They each held one of Noah's hands, and all three of them were dressed in matching tracksuits.
As they walked out together, they looked just like the perfect little family.
When they saw me, all three of them froze for a moment.
"Macy." Ava was the first to snap out of it and greeted me.
We'd both been through that accident at sea. Ava was luckier than me. When she swept out by the waves, a fisherman rescued her almost right away.
When they found her, she looked perfectly fine—not a scratch on her.
Maybe it was on purpose, maybe not, but as she walked over, she was holding Noah's hand.
Noah wanted nothing to do with me. Before they could even get close, he hugged Ava's waist and said in his soft, childish voice, "Ava, don't go over there. She's mean. I'll protect you."
If it were before, I would've been heartbroken.
But right now? I felt completely calm. I could even look away and meet Liam's eyes with a clear head.
"I want out. I'm withdrawing my shares," I said to Liam.
I walked right past Ava and Noah without sparing them a single glance, my voice steady and calm.
Liam's brow furrowed imperceptibly when he saw this.