Chapter 4

The nurse, a woman with kind eyes but a no-nonsense demeanor, stepped between them.

"Sir, please. She needs to rest." The nurse glanced from Ethan' s furious face to Ava' s pale one. "You' re her husband? She took a nasty fall. And at this stage of her pregnancy..."

Ava' s eyes snapped open, meeting the nurse' s. "Pregnancy?"

She quickly looked at Ethan, whose expression was a mixture of confusion and dawning anger.

"I' m fine," Ava said quickly, trying to sit up. "Just a little dizzy."

Ethan ignored the nurse, his gaze fixed on Ava' s stomach, then her face.

"What is she talking about, Ava? Pregnancy?"

Ava forced a weak smile. "She must be mistaken. I just... I ate something that disagreed with me. My stomach has been a bit sensitive."

Ethan wasn' t buying it, but Chloe' s incident was still fresh in his mind.

His jaw tightened. "This is your fault, you know. If you hadn' t provoked Chloe..."

"I didn' t provoke her, Ethan."

"She said you pushed her!"

"I didn' t. There are cameras in the hallway. Check them."

Ethan scoffed. "I don' t need to check any cameras. I believe Chloe. She wouldn' t lie." He crossed his arms. "You' re going to apologize to her."

Ava stared at him, a weary resignation settling in.

"No, Ethan. I won' t apologize for something I didn' t do."

His eyes narrowed. "You will. Or I' ll make your life even more miserable than it already is."

The threat hung in the air, ugly and familiar.

Ava closed her eyes. She was tired. So incredibly tired.

The baby. She had to protect the baby.

"Fine," she whispered. "I' ll apologize. Just... make this stop."

Ethan looked momentarily surprised by her quick capitulation, a flicker of something – doubt? – in his eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Good."

Chloe was brought in a few minutes later, leaning heavily on a cane she clearly didn' t need, her expression one of martyred suffering.

Ava delivered a flat, emotionless apology. "I' m sorry, Chloe, if my actions caused you distress."

Chloe sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Well, I suppose I accept your apology, Ava. For Ethan' s sake."

Ethan beamed at Chloe, then gave Ava a curt nod. He helped Chloe into a waiting wheelchair, and they left.

Ava was alone again.

During her recovery at home – a brief, mandated rest – the staff tiptoed around her.

She overheard their whispers, the endless praise for Ethan' s "devotion" to Chloe, who was milking her "injury" for all it was worth.

"Mr. Hayes is so good to Miss Vance. He' s barely left her side."

"He even spoon-fed her that special broth she likes."

Ava tuned it out. Her focus was inward, on the tiny life she was nurturing.

She meticulously followed her doctor' s instructions, eating well, resting, taking her prenatal vitamins.

Before her discharge from the brief hospital observation, she' d had a final consultation with an obstetrician.

The doctor confirmed the baby was developing perfectly.

Then Ava asked a question that made the doctor pause.

"If identical twin brothers have children with different women... how similar would the children be? Genetically?"

The doctor, a kind woman in her fifties, looked at her curiously. "Genetically, they would be half-siblings, sharing approximately 25% of their DNA, the same as if they shared one parent. In terms of appearance... it' s possible they could bear a strong resemblance, as they' d inherit from fathers with identical genetic makeup. But many other factors are at play."

Ava nodded slowly. It was enough.

As she was leaving the hospital, dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, she nearly collided with Ethan and Chloe in the lobby.

Chloe, still playing the invalid, was being pushed in a wheelchair by a fawning Ethan.

"Ava!" Chloe chirped, her voice falsely bright. "Fancy meeting you here. I' m just getting a final check-up. You know, Ethan has been so worried." She patted Ethan' s hand.

"We' re having a small get-together at a friend' s place tonight," Chloe continued, her eyes gleaming. "Just a few close friends. You should come. It' ll be... fun."

It wasn' t an invitation; it was a command, thinly veiled. Ethan nodded in agreement. "Yes, you should come."

Ava found herself at the party, a glass of water in her hand, watching Ethan dote on Chloe.

Chloe, ensconced on a plush sofa, held court, regaling the group with exaggerated tales of her "ordeal."

Ethan hung on her every word, his adoration palpable.

Ava felt nothing. She was a spectator, detached, her mind on her own timeline.

Later, someone suggested a game of "Truth or Dare."

The bottle spun, landing on Ava.

She chose "Truth."

A smirking acquaintance of Chloe' s asked the question, her eyes darting towards Ethan.

"Ava, darling, is the person you love most in this room?"

A hush fell over the small group. All eyes were on her. Ethan' s gaze was intense, expectant.

Ava met his eyes, her expression calm, almost serene.

She smiled faintly.

"No," she said, her voice clear and steady. "No, he' s not."