---- Chapter 2 2 The next morning, | called Laura Jenkins, a divorce lawyer Sarah Chen, my college friend, had recommended. "Just an initial consultation," | told Laura's assistant. But | knew. This wasn't just "initial." Ethan had stayed at Chloe's new temporary place - a luxury hotel suite his family probably paid for. He sent a text. "Chloe very shaken. Staying with her. Don't wait up." No "Are you okay?" No "Sorry about the dinner." | spent the day at the hospital. Not for Ethan. He was fine, discharged after a few hours of observation. Chloe, however, had insisted on a full check-up for "trauma." | saw them from a distance in the hospital cafeteria. Chloe was attempting to feed Ethan a spoonful of yogurt. She was clumsy, giggling when some of it dripped on his chin. He smiled. Indulgent. The way a parent smiles at a child's messy attempt to help. It made me sick. | was supposed to be his wife. The one to care for him. But Chloe always got to play that role. Chloe dabbed at his chin with a napkin. ---- "Oh, Ethan, | feel so terrible. You got hurt because of me." Her eyes welled up. Classic Chloe. "Don't be silly," Ethan said, his voice soft. He took her hand. "It was a little smoke. I'm fine. The important thing is you're safe." He dismissed his own discomfort, his own risk, to soothe her. Like he always did. Chloe's tears started to fall. Big, fat, crocodile tears. "But your career... you said..." Ethan pulled her closer. "Shhh. Don't worry about that." He looked around, then leaned in, his voice low, conspiratorial, but | was close enough to hear. "You know, | never really wanted to be a corporate lawyer. All those mergers and acquisitions... so boring." Chloe sniffled, looking up at him through her lashes. "Really?" "Really," he confirmed. "Remember when we were kids? You said you wanted to own a string of charming little bistros, all over the world." Chloe's face lit up. "And you said you'd be my business manager, making sure they all ran perfectly!" Ethan smiled, a genuine, almost boyish smile | hadn't seen in years "Maybe it's not too late for that," he said softly. "Maybe this fire... maybe it's a sign." A sign? A sign to throw away his lucrative career, the one his family had pushed him into, the one he'd worked tirelessly for? ---- For her childhood dream? My blood ran cold. Chloe threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Ethan! You always know how to make me feel better!" He hugged her back, stroking her hair. A long, tender embrace. Right there in the public cafeteria. No thought for who might see. No thought for me, his wife, who he knew might also be in the same hospital. | stood frozen for a moment, the scene burning into my brain Then | turned and walked away. | couldn't watch anymore. It was too much. The casual intimacy. The shared dreams. The life he clearly wanted, with her. As | was leaving the hospital, | bumped into one of Ethan's senior partners, Mr. Davies. He looked surprised to see me. "Ava! | heard about the fire. Is Ethan alright?" "He's fine, Mr. Davies. Just some smoke." "Good, good. He gave us all a scare, abandoning the Henderson dinner like that. But knowing Ethan, if it involved Chloe Vance..." He trailed off, a knowing look in his eye. He then handed me a thick envelope. "This came by courier this morning. It's for Ethan. His resignation letter." ---- My breath hitched. "Resignation?" "Yes. Effective immediately. Cites 'personal reasons' and a desire to 'pursue other ventures.' Frankly, Ava, we're all shocked. He was on the fast track to partner." Mr. Davies looked genuinely bewildered. "If you see him, tell him he's always welcome back, if he changes his mind. Though, after this..." He shook his head. | took the envelope. It felt heavy in my hands. | waited until | was in a cab, heading home, before | opened it. Ethan's familiar, decisive handwriting on the firm's letterhead. "after careful consideration, | have decided to resign from my position... to pursue long-held personal aspirations that are no longer compatible with the demands of corporate law..." The usual corporate speak. But then, a handwritten addition at the bottom, almost an afterthought, yet it screamed louder than all the typed words. "Chloe's back. The eagle needs to fly with its flock, not be tethered to the ground. It's time to help her build her nests." Eagle? Nests? His stupid pet names for her and her dreams. It was all there. Black and white. His entire career, a placeholder. His ambition, a charade. All of it, secondary to Chloe Vance. | leaned my head against the cool window of the cab. His entire life. Dictated by her. ---- His choices. His sacrifices. And me? Where did | fit in? | was the tether. The thing holding him to the ground. The convenient wife he married when his "eagle" had temporarily flown off with someone else. | felt a wave of despair, so profound it left me breathless. But then, something else. A flicker. Anger. Cold, hard anger. And resolve. He wanted to fly with Chloe? Fine. | would cut the tether myself. | got home and went straight to my laptop. Not the ledger this time. | opened a new browser window. "Top architecture firms, Austin, Texas." Sarah Chen, my best friend from architecture school, had moved to Austin a year ago. She was a brilliant graphic designer. We'd always talked about starting our own studio. "Miller & Chen Designs." It had a nice ring to it. | found Sarah's number. My hand was steady as | dialed "Ava! Hey! What's up?" Sarah's cheerful voice was a balm. "Sarah," | said, my own voice surprisingly firm. "Remember our plan? The design studio?" ---- "Yeah, of course! 'New Leaf Designs,' we called it back then, right? For new beginnings." Asmall smile touched my lips. "New Leaf Designs. | like that." "Are you serious, Ava? You want to do it?" "I'm serious," | said. "| need a new leaf. A whole new tree. A different forest, even." Sarah whooped on the other end. "Yes! This is amazing! Austin is booming. We can do this, Ava! | know we can!" Her enthusiasm was infectious. For the first time in a long time, | felt a tiny spark of hope. Anew leaf. Yes. That's exactly what | needed.