Ava POV:

I sat with earbuds in, pretending to rest, the soft music a shield between me and the hostile world. It took the edge off their sharp words. It was a small act of rebellion, a way to reclaim a sliver of peace.

Jaxon watched me. He sighed, a sound of resignation.

"My friends were out of line," he said, his voice coming through faintly over the music. I removed one earbud.

"I heard you," I replied, my voice flat.

He ran a hand through his hair.

"They shouldn't have spoken to you like that," he continued. "You are still my wife, Ava. They need to respect that."

It was a hollow defense, a performance for an audience that wasn't listening. He never stopped his friends when they humiliated me. He just let it happen. It was another way to assert his power, another chip away at my spirit. He took another drink. Then he started to explain.

"Ivory… she's a promising student at Columbia. Bright, but she comes from a difficult background. She's on scholarship, trying to make ends meet." He paused, as if expecting a reaction. I gave him none.

"It's just… a mutually beneficial arrangement," he said, his voice calmer now, almost casual. "She needs support, I… well, I enjoy her company. Nothing more. She knows her place. It doesn't change anything between us. You are my wife. My public face."

I looked at him, my expression blank. He wanted me to believe him, to be soothed by his empty words. But I saw through it all. He wanted me to be a compliant, decorative wife who didn't threaten his image. He wanted me to be okay with being replaced in his bed, as long as I kept my mouth shut.

I remained silent. He raised his voice slightly.

"Are you even listening, Ava?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his tone.

"Yes, Jaxon," I replied, my voice betraying no emotion. "I am listening."

He leaned forward, his gaze piercing. I returned his stare with a vacant look, then quickly resumed my position, resting my head against the back of the couch, eyes closed. The mask was back on.

"I remember you once said that a man of your stature needs… variety," I murmured, my eyes still closed. "You said it keeps you sharp, keeps things interesting. I understand. You also said that a smart woman knows when to look the other way."

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"I feel for Ivory, though," I added, my voice soft. "It must be hard for her, in her situation. I hope you are gentle with her. She seems vulnerable."

I watched him, waiting for his approval, a slight shift in his demeanor that would indicate I had said the right thing, played my part perfectly.

His small smile vanished. His jaw tightened. The air in the car shifted. The car, which had been moving, suddenly jerked to a stop on the side of the road. I opened my eyes fully.

His voice dropped, low and dangerous.

"What are you doing, Ava?" he hissed. "Are you trying to make trouble again?"

I pulled out my earbuds, genuinely surprised.

"Trouble? Jaxon, no," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not doing anything. I'm just… wishing you well. Supporting you, as a wife should."

My "perfect" response seemed to ignite something in him. His eyes flared with a fury I hadn't seen in months.

"Ava!" he snarled, his voice a low growl. "Stop it!"

I sat motionless, waiting. I knew this rage. I had seen it too many times before. A sudden downpour lashed against the windows, heavy drops drumming on the roof. The car filled with the oppressive silence, punctuated only by the drumming rain. The atmosphere inside became heavier, mirroring the storm outside.

Ava POV:

Jaxon's anger simmered, a volcano ready to erupt. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. I braced myself for the verbal assault I knew was coming. Just as his lips parted, a flash of movement outside the window caught his eye.

A figure stumbled through the downpour, drenched and shivering. It was a young woman, slender and pale, her blonde hair plastered to her face. Jaxon's fury instantly dissolved, replaced by a look of sheer panic.

"Ivory!" he gasped, his voice choked with alarm.

He turned to me, his face a mask of rage.

"Get out," he commanded, his voice cold and flat. "Now."

I didn't argue. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out into the torrential rain. The heavy drops instantly soaked through my thin dress, chilling me to the bone. Each impact was a small, stinging pain.

Jaxon followed, but he didn't spare me a glance. He opened an umbrella and hurried towards the shivering figure. He shielded her from the rain, his arm going around her shoulders. He pulled her towards the car, his movements possessive, protective.

"Come on, Ivory, you'll catch a cold," he said, his voice soft, almost tender. He led her to the passenger side, opening the door for her.

I heard her name again, a confirmation. Ivory. The Columbia student. The woman whose hair I found in his car. The woman he protected, while I stood abandoned in the rain.

Behind me, a young couple huddled under a small umbrella, laughing softly.

"Does it hurt?" the girl asked, her voice light. "That little tattoo on your wrist?"

"Only a little," the boy replied, his voice laced with affection. "But I did it for you. It's nothing."

My lower back began to throb, a dull ache spreading from my tattoo. It was a small, delicate hummingbird, a symbol of freedom and joy. Jaxon and I got matching ones when we were young, foolish, and deeply in love. He kept his covered, but I always felt mine, a constant reminder of a love that had died. Our romantic gesture, a secret shared between us, now felt like a brand of betrayal. It had lasted only three years into our first marriage.

I remembered the day I found out about the first one. It wasn't Ivory then, but his new assistant, a recent graduate with bright eyes and an eagerness to please. I walked into his office, a surprise visit with lunch, and found them. My world had shattered at that moment. The betrayal had been a physical blow.

Now, Jaxon led Ivory to the warmth of the car, his body shielding hers. He closed the door, shutting me out. He drove away, leaving me alone on the side of the road, the rain a cold, indifferent curtain falling around me.

Ava POV:

Our first marriage crumbled three years in. He hired a new assistant, a young woman fresh out of business school. Her name was Chloe. I found them in his private office, their bodies intertwined, a scene burned into my memory. The world spun. My breath caught in my throat. I stood there, frozen, the lunch I had brought for him clattering to the floor.

Tears streamed down my face. My voice cracked as I screamed at him, at her, calling them every name I could think of. I cursed him for his betrayal, her for her opportunism. I unleashed all my pain and fury.

Jaxon just watched me, calm, almost bored. Chloe, surprisingly, seemed to shrink back, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"Are you quite finished?" Jaxon asked, his voice chillingly devoid of emotion. "You're making a spectacle."

He picked up a file from his desk.

"You really need to grow up, Ava," he said, flipping through the papers. "This is how the world works. Did you really think your father was faithful to your mother? He had countless affairs. Your mother knew. She just kept quiet. She was smart enough to protect her family's reputation."

He looked at me, his eyes cold and hard.

"Don't be like your mother in her weakness, Ava. Don't be so naive. And don't be like her in her silence either. But don't make a scene either. It's unbecoming. You need to be mature. I have a conference call in ten minutes. Stop this noise now."

His words choked the air from my lungs. My blood turned to ice. He used my deepest wounds, my family's hidden shame, to attack me. He twisted my mother's quiet dignity into weakness. I couldn't speak, could only gasp for air. My anger died, replaced by a crushing despair.

It was late when Jaxon' s car finally returned. I heard the engine, then the quiet click of the front door. I was still sitting in the living room, staring out the window. Chloe was gone. But there was another presence.

A young woman lay asleep on the sofa, covered by a cashmere throw. Her long, blonde hair fanned out around her head. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She was young, barely out of her teens, with an air of delicate innocence. But there was a stubborn set to her jaw, an underlying defiance. She was exactly his type now.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, a consequence of standing in the rain for so long. My head throbbed. I felt a chill deep in my bones.

"You must be cold," I said, forcing a smile onto my face. My voice sounded foreign even to my own ears. "The guest rooms are upstairs, the third door on the left. The master suite is off-limits, of course."

I pointed vaguely upstairs. Ivory's eyes, wide and guarded, followed my gesture. On the coffee table, next to an overturned glass, lay a tube of muscle relaxant cream. The Persian rug had deep indentations, as if something heavy had been dragged across it. I imagined the scene, the struggle, the passionate embrace.

I sighed silently. This was my life now. I turned and walked up the grand staircase. My footsteps echoed in the silent house. I went to my room, not the one Jaxon used, but a separate suite across the hall. We hadn't shared a bed since our remarriage, a silent agreement we both understood.

I locked the door behind me. Then I pulled out the small leather journal I kept hidden beneath the floorboard under my bed—the one thing in this house that was truly mine.

I flipped to the back page, where I'd started a list.

"Mother's locket: retrieve from Jaxon. Sotheby's auction records: request copies. Personal jewelry: assess value. Separate bank account: open under maiden name."

I added a new line: "Ivory Cote. Columbia student. Find out what she knows about the photos Chloe took."

This was my real life now. Not the dinners, not the cold politeness, not the mask I wore downstairs. This—the quiet planning, the slow gathering of information, the long game—was the only thing that still belonged to me.

Jaxon thought he'd broken me into a silent, obedient wife. And I'd let him believe that. The longer he underestimated me, the more time I had.

I closed the journal and slid it back into its hiding place. Then I got into bed, turned off the light, and stared at the ceiling until dawn.