Chapter 2

The sterile white of the hospital room felt suffocating. I watched my mother' s chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm, the only sound in the room besides the hum of the medical equipment. Guilt twisted in my gut. I had been so caught up in my own perfect life in the city, so focused on my career and my marriage to Liam, that I had neglected her. I hadn't even known she was sick until it was almost too late.

Just as I reached for her hand, the door swung open without a knock. Liam Sterling filled the doorway, his expensive suit immaculate despite the pouring rain outside. He looked as handsome and charismatic as ever, but all I saw was the man who had shattered my world.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper but laced with ice.

He ignored my question, his eyes scanning the room before landing on my mother. "How is she?" he asked, his tone laced with a concern that I knew was fake.

"You have no right to ask about her," I said, standing up to block his path. My body was weak, but my anger gave me a strength I didn' t know I had. I saw him flinch, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He was used to the adoring, naive Ava, not this cold, defiant woman standing before him.

"Ava, don' t be like this," he said, his voice dropping to the smooth, persuasive tone he always used when he wanted something. "I heard what happened. I came as soon as I could."

"You came after your press conference," I countered, my voice sharp. "After you celebrated destroying my career with my best friend. Don' t pretend you care."

The muscle in his jaw tightened. "That was business, Ava. You' re being emotional. The project wasn' t working under your direction. I had to make a tough choice for the company."

His words were like a slap in the face. He wasn' t just unapologetic, he was justifying his betrayal as a business decision. The love we had, the life we built, it was all just collateral damage in his quest for more power, more success.

"Our marriage was business too, I suppose?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "And Chloe? Was she a strategic acquisition?"

"Don' t be ridiculous," he snapped, his charming facade finally cracking. "Chloe understands what it takes to succeed. She isn' t held back by sentimentality."

The comparison was brutal, and it hit its mark. He was telling me I was weak, that my love and trust were liabilities. The last embers of hope that this was all a terrible misunderstanding died out, leaving only cold, hard certainty. He was a monster.

"Get out," I said, my voice low and trembling with suppressed fury. "I filed for divorce. I never want to see you again."

I turned my back on him, a clear dismissal. I needed to focus on my mother, on getting us both out of here. The vineyard was calling to me, a quiet promise of escape and, perhaps, a chance to heal. I would not let him break me. My life was my own now, and I would rebuild it far away from his toxic influence.