Chapter 3He Wanted Heirs I Gave Him Ruin

I knew I couldn't keep up the charade for long, but moving assets takes time.

A man who cheats is like a used tissue in a public restroom—disgusting and worthless. The two decades of shared history, the hardships we endured together… all of it became a sunk cost the moment I learned there was a third person in our marriage.

And the sunk cost of my marriage to Trevor was devastatingly high. I was nowhere near as composed as I appeared. But the sharp, stabbing pain of the emotional impact was forcing me to become more and more rational.

Trevor was a wreck. Our marriage was a wreck. But our company wasn't. Not yet.

Our lives were too deeply intertwined. Pulling one thread would unravel everything. This was far more complicated than simply filing for divorce.

About two weeks after I learned the truth, Trevor finally noticed something was wrong.

He stood in the doorway of my home office for a long time before finally asking, "Ava… what’s going on with you?"

No matter how much I told myself to stay rational, I couldn't bring myself to sleep next to him. Citing some minor, insignificant disagreement, I had banished him to the guest room for the past fifteen nights. My replies to his texts were clipped and perfunctory. He was a naturally suspicious man; he had probably already guessed the reason for my coldness. But since I hadn't made a scene, hadn't screamed at him or gone after the other woman, he couldn't bring himself to ask the question directly.

I rubbed my temples, trying to soothe a dull ache. I decided to go on the offensive. "I was looking over the financials. There are some irregularities. A few large expenditures don't add up."

I knew exactly where that money had gone. And as the one who had spent it, Trevor certainly knew better than I did. His mistress, with one child and two more on the way, needed to be well taken care of. And Trevor, now a successful entrepreneur in his forties, had the capital to keep her satisfied.

He froze for a fraction of a second. I saw his right hand, hanging by his side, clench into a tight fist. But he recovered quickly. "That was me," he said, his voice calm.

I lifted my head and met his eyes.

He looked away, his explanation laced with guilt. "Mark and I have been making some small private investments over the past couple of years. I didn't want you to worry, so I didn't mention it."

Mark was his childhood friend. He would cover for Trevor without hesitation.

I didn't press for details about the "investments." He didn't offer any more explanations. He simply closed the door and left.

He suspected I knew about his other family, but there was no panic in him. It was as if he was certain I would endure it. And if I didn't, what could I do? If I filed for divorce now, it would be a gift to him. He would have everything: immense wealth, a loving family, perhaps soon to be three sons. And me? I’d be approaching forty, alone.

Even so, there was no point in wasting another second of my life on a man this broken.