| Panic Attack|

A few days passed after that night.

Ethan hadn't come home since.

And even when he did—late, silent—he used the guest bathroom downstairs and never came near their room. It was as if Ava didn't exist anymore. As if their years of marriage had meant nothing.

Ava had tried to call him. Once. Twice. Then a few more times.

But he never picked up.

The silence from him hurt more than his words.

She stayed locked in the bedroom most of the time, curled under the blankets, staring blankly at the ceiling or the ring she still refused to take off. Her body was weak. Her eyes were tired. She barely ate. Barely moved.

Eleanor couldn't take it anymore.

"Ava, come out," she said firmly one morning, pulling open the curtains to let in the sunlight. "You need air. You haven't stepped outside in days."

Ava didn't respond.

Eleanor walked over and gently touched her shoulder. "This isn't healthy. You're scaring me."

It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, Ava agreed to come downstairs. She dressed slowly and quietly, her movements dull. Her face looked pale, her eyes lifeless.

Eleanor didn't mention Ethan—not even once. She wanted to, but she could tell Ava was hanging on by a thread.

Besides, she knew Ethan wouldn't care. She had tried talking to him too, but he had brushed her off like she was a child. Like her words didn't matter.

The house was heavy with silence.

And Clara?

She was out, of course. Dressed in luxury, meeting her "elite" friends at expensive cafes, showing off her status like a badge of honor. Ever since Ethan's business had taken off, Clara soaked up every bit of the new lifestyle. Designer clothes, exclusive lunches, charity events—she lived for it.

At home, she was cold and cruel. She never missed a chance to throw sharp words at Ava. Not a day passed without a taunt or an insult.

Ava had stopped responding.

There was nothing left to say.

But today… Ava wasn't just out of her room.

She was out of the house.

It felt strange—the sunlight on her face, the sound of people talking, laughing, living. It had been too long.

Eleanor had dragged her to a quiet little café, one Ava used to love. She ordered all of Ava's favorite things—a warm croissant, a slice of chocolate cake, a cup of soft cinnamon coffee. She did everything she could to make Ava smile.

But Ava sat still, her fingers wrapped loosely around her coffee cup. Her eyes were distant, unfocused. She hadn't taken a single bite.

Eleanor watched her closely, growing more and more frustrated.

"Ava, for fuck's sake," she snapped, her voice louder than before. "Don't be like this."

Ava looked up, startled. Her eyes were glassy, rimmed with tears.

"Have you looked at yourself lately?" Eleanor continued, her voice shaking now—not just with anger, but with worry. "Do you know what you've done to yourself?"

She reached across the table and held Ava's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"How long are you planning to go on like this? Do you think this will change anything? That breaking yourself down will make him come back?"

Ava said nothing.

"Look at you," Eleanor pressed, her voice softening, "You've lost so much weight. Your skin is pale, your eyes have no light. You look like you haven't eaten in days. You're fading right in front of me."

The words hit Ava deep in the chest.

And then… her gut twisted.

A sharp wave of nausea rolled through her stomach.

She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. Her breath hitched.

Eleanor stood up quickly, "Ava?!"

But Ava was already on her feet, stumbling toward the café's bathroom, one hand pressed to her mouth, the other grabbing the edge of a table for balance.

She pushed open the bathroom door just in time before falling to her knees in front of the toilet.

Nothing came up—but her body kept retching anyway.

"Ava, are you fine?"- She asked as she waved her hand telling, "Yes, you go and I am coming."- She said as her face still in the sink.

As reluctantly Eleanor left.

...….

|Ava|

I stood by the sink, my hands trembling as I splashed cold water on my face. My chest felt tight, like something heavy was sitting on it. I couldn't breathe properly. No matter how many times I washed my face, the image of Ethan kissing Natalia, touching her like he once touched me, wouldn't leave my mind.

My vision blurred with tears, but suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. I looked up at the mirror—and there she was.

Natalia - Standing behind me with a smirk on her face, like she owned the world.

"Seriously," she started with a sneer, folding her arms, "How can any woman stay with a man who doesn't even love her anymore?"

Her words were like knives. I didn't answer. I couldn't. My throat felt dry, my voice stuck inside me.

Natalia stepped closer, grabbed my wrist, and spun me around to face her.

"Why can't you just leave, you pathetic bitch?" she hissed. "Don't you see you've become a burden? You're nothing but an obstacle to him now."

Tears welled up in my eyes. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My lips trembled.

Natalia wasn't done. She leaned closer, her voice cold and cruel. "You think staying with him will make him love you again? That ugly face of yours is reason enough for him to stay away."

She turned to the mirror, pointing at her reflection, then at mine.

"Look at us. Look at you. You're dull, lifeless, a mess. And look at me. I'm hot, I'm confident. I'm everything he wants. That's why he stays with me at the office, Ava. That's why he touches me the way he used to touch you. He loves me now."

My knees felt weak, but I stood still, frozen, letting her words stab me again and again.

She scoffed. "You think he's just working late? No, honey. He's busy exploring every corner of the office with me. He kisses me, he moans my name. While you sit at home waiting like a fool."

I clutched the edge of the sink. My heart wasn't just broken. It felt shattered beyond repair. Her words echoed in my head.

As she pulled out her phone and unlocked it and started a video- A video where it was clearly shown Ethan is fucking her where there were even no duvet over them, everything felt so odd, weird.

Disgusting- I know Ethan is having affairs with Natalia, but seeing this making my gut again twisted.

Natalia showed to me how she ride him, how he moan her name. Ethan is right- he was happy with her, he was at ease with her.

He doesn't want me.

He doesn't need me.

My thoughts broke when she spoke again,

"If you had any dignity left," she added in a quiet, poisonous tone, "You would sign the divorce papers and let him be free. Let him breathe again."

Natalia gave me one final smirk before brushing past me, her shoulder hitting mine.

As she walked away, I stood there, broken. My eyes brimmed with tears. I stared into the mirror and didn't recognize the woman looking back.

 Pale.

 Lifeless.

 Lost.

And then my head started spinning.

Everything around me blurred—the lights, the walls, the voices. My legs turned weak, like they couldn't carry my weight anymore. I reached out blindly, trying to grab onto something… anything.

But there was nothing.

Before I could steady myself, my body swayed and gave up.

I fell.

The cold bathroom floor met me hard. My knees hit first, then my shoulder, then my cheek. A sharp sting shot through my head.

For a moment, I couldn't move.

The world around me dimmed. My ears rang. My chest rose and fell too fast. My body felt like it didn't belong to me anymore.

And then—nothing.

Just blackness.

Somewhere far away, I heard Eleanor's voice calling my name.

But I couldn't answer.

I couldn't even open my eyes.