New Beginnings, Old Scars

ry comfort. He held her, whispered sweet nothings, a

sleep, her dreams filled with memories of their early days-the shared ramen, the cramped apartment, the exhilarating feel

ld, empty space be

, casting long shadows across the room. The space where

oom. His suit from the night before was gone. His briefcase was gone. And on

taken t

leaving behind a cold, hard certainty. H

quiet of the morning. It was he

Davis just announced she' s the ne

had spent months cultivating that relationship, securing a lucrative en

?" Ava asked,

press release says she brings a 'fresh, dynamic ene

' s career, piece by piece. He was building up his mistress by tearing down

e now sharp and clear. She hung up the

e drove to the office, the city a blur outside her window. She didn't go

jar. As she approached, she heard a sound fro

an' s light, fl

e recognized inst

, to retreat to the safety of her own office and execute her revenge from a distance. The thought of seeing them together, of wit

n wounded and betrayed, needed to see it. She

ir voices now, muf

purred. "Her big OmniCorp deal.

, dismissive and casual. "Besides, you d

e the scene inside: Chloe draped over his desk, Mark leaning back in hi

er. A soft, wet smacking sound. A ki

hat on your neck

of si

voice suddenly strained.

ice, the office they built together, with his mistress, a fresh mark from anoth

it. The f

deep, steadying breath, her heart hammering a furious rhythm against her

ed the d

ark' s desk, her skirt hiked high on her thighs. Mark was standing in front of her, his hands on

ollarbone, was a smudge of red lipstick. Ava' s lipstick. From the night before. And on M

om their night of

rom their bed, from her arms, to his mistress. The humili

g a step towards her, his hand

nt, smug little smile that mad

room, her movements slow and deliberate. She reached out and grabbed his hand, the on

she spoke, was d

id, her eyes boring in