But there was nothing left for him to salvage.
A soft knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts. I stood, wrapping my robe around myself, and opened it.
Emily stepped inside, closing the door behind her, her eyes scanning my face carefully. “You okay?”
I exhaled a slow breath, nodding. “Better than okay.”
She smirked, crossing her arms. “I’d say so. You basically just burned your cheating ex-husband’s empire to the ground and made sure his snake of a best friend went down with him. That’s not just okay—that’s legendary.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “It wasn’t about revenge. Not really.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “No?”
I paused, considering. “No. It was about truth. About making sure they faced consequences for once in their lives. They always thought they were untouchable—like they could lie, cheat, manipulate, and no one would ever hold them accountable.”
Her expression softened. “And now?”
“Now they know what it feels like to be powerless.”
She studied me for a long moment, then nodded in approval. “So what’s next?”
The question lingered in the air. For so long, my life had revolved around Ethan—around making him happy, around trying to be the perfect wife, the perfect woman for a man who never deserved me. And when I discovered his betrayal, my focus shifted to exposing the truth, to making sure he didn’t walk away unscathed.
But now…
Now I was free.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the city skyline through the window. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “For the first time in a long time, I don’t have a plan.”
Emily grinned, plopping down beside me. “And I think you’re okay with that.”
I exhaled a soft laugh. “I think I am.”
“Well,” she said, nudging me, “I think a fresh start is exactly what you need.”
Fresh start.
The words settled into my chest—warm and unfamiliar, a concept I had never let myself fully embrace before. But now, with Ethan’s absence and the weight of his deception finally lifted, the idea of starting over didn’t feel scary.
It felt exciting.
Emily nudged me again. “You could do anything. Go anywhere. No more looking over your shoulder. No more lies. Just you—doing whatever you want for the first time in forever.”
I shook my head, smiling. “That sounds nice.”
She shot me a look. “It sounds necessary. Listen—you’ve spent years building your life around Ethan. It’s time to build one for yourself.” Her smirk returned. “And if you need any help, I happen to know a thing or two about reinvention.”
I smiled at her. “You always do.”
The thought of leaving everything behind, of stepping away from the wreckage and moving forward, was liberating. I didn’t need to stay and watch Ethan’s downfall. That part was already in motion. He had made his choices, and now he would have to live with them.
Later that afternoon, I checked my email, scanning through unread messages. Most were from people I hadn’t spoken to in years—colleagues, acquaintances, even strangers who had somehow heard about what happened and wanted to reach out.
But one message stood out.
It was from Ethan.
I hesitated before opening it.
Subject: Please, Ava.
I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t know if you’ll even read this, but I need to try. You won. I get it. You wanted me to feel the way you felt, and now I do. Everything is gone. Liam is done. The company is falling apart. I lost everything. But what I regret the most is losing you.
I don’t expect forgiveness. I don’t even deserve it. But I need you to know that not all of it was a lie—not all of it was a game. I loved you, Ava, in my own way. I did. I just wish I had realized it before it was too late.
Ik staarde naar de woorden, mijn borst beklemd – niet omdat ik hem miste, niet omdat zijn spijt nu nog iets voor me betekende, maar omdat het de eerste keer was dat ik Ethan zag toegeven dat hij fout zat. De eerste keer dat hij de ernst van zijn daden erkende.
Maar het veranderde niets.
Ik heb de e-mail gesloten en verwijderd.
Het was voorbij.
En eindelijk was ik klaar om verder te gaan.
Diezelfde avond boekte ik een enkele reis de stad uit – een nieuwe bestemming, een nieuw leven wachtte op me. Ik was niet op de vlucht.
Ik stapte een betere wereld binnen – iets wat ik zelf had gecreëerd.
En terwijl ik mijn koffers pakte, besefte ik dat dit niet het einde van mijn verhaal was.
Het was nog maar het begin.
