The Wife He Destroyed, Reborn

tenth weddin

t. He held a beautifully wrapped box, but h

on the coffee ta

nniversar

forced a smile and reached for the gift, my

be, after ten years, thi

t jewelry or a designer bag. It was a t

ened

counter. I flipped to the next page. Another name, another date. And another, and ano

felt heavy, each page a test

I asked, my voic

k, acting casual, as if he were discussing a business matter. "I' m tired of it, Ava.

hem for me. Call them, pay them off, do whatever it takes. Di

d over me. He wasn' t asking for my forgiveness. He was giv

I had done everything he asked, hoping t

y, Li

nd of torture. Some women cried. Some cursed me. Most just wanted money,

crossing off names one by one.

lo

ospital on the other side of town. The notes next to her name were dif

mach in knots. I found the room

ting by the w

t was like looking in a mirror.

er who was supposed to have died in a car c

that didn't reach her eyes. "Hell

ve. And Liam... Liam knew. The "monthly visits" in his playbook weren' t jus

to "start over" with me. He wanted to get rid of his other

e, the constant shame of being the "replacement bride," the guilt I carried for

g for me. He was watching TV, bu

f the last one?" he

e the storm raging inside me. He was

my voice steady.

isfied. "Now we can fin

over the back of the chair. My eyes were drawn to it. An instinc

around a small, fo

out. It wa

familiar handwriting, were two

e of a tiny, developing lif

was pr

hest. I clutched my own stomach, a bitt

pregna

e would do. He would have forced me to get an abortion, just like he had twice before. H

prison sentence. And I had been serving it obedie

t pretend anymore. I walked into the b

aid, my voice shaking wi

e dropped, replaced by a cold, menacing

ing the sonogram at him. "She' s alive

paper. He lunged at me, his

p tightening. His face was twisted with a rage I had ne

ggling for air. Black spots

hissed, his voice a venomous whisper in my ear. "Y

ed backward, gasping for breath

feeling. "Chloe' s coming home. She' s pregnant. She

re. I opened my mouth to tell him, to scream that I was pre

' t give me

, his voice like ice. "You c

e room, leaving me alone with

ncontrollably. I knew I had to leave. I

ase from the top of the closet. I threw clothes in

flew open. Liam stood the

u think you'

wo strides and grabbed the suitcase, flinging i

ywhere," he said, his

ft voice came f

' s wrong? I

agile, her hand resting delicately on her own small, barely-there baby b

his voice full of worry. "Chloe, you shouldn' t be stan

n his eyes, I was the aggre

he one who