Chapter 3Gradually drifting away

Scarlett May was the new actress his agency had signed. She bore a passing resemblance to me, which had earned her the nickname "Baby Ava" online.

At first, Ethan was indignant about it. He'd hold me and whine, "Baby Ava? My wife is one of a kind. That girl couldn't hold a candle to a single strand of your hair."

He was always complaining about her riding my coattails. When she copied my style, he called it a cheap knock-off. When she copied my makeup, he called it tacky and pathetic.

What he didn't seem to notice was that he was talking about her more and more. This "unimportant" person was becoming a constant presence in our conversations. Even at dinner, he'd bring her up with feigned disgust.

"Scarlett hates cilantro, too," he'd scoff. "So unoriginal."

But how would he know she hated cilantro if they weren't eating together?

I finally snapped, slamming my fork down. "Are we ever going to have a conversation that doesn't involve her name? What is it with you, Ethan? Do you have a thing for her or something?"

He immediately swore his loyalty, even deleting her number from his phone right in front of me.

A few days later, at an industry party, a sleazy producer started pressuring Scarlett to drink with him. In front of everyone, Ethan smashed a bottle over the guy's head. He ignored me, standing there in shock, and wrapped a protective arm around Scarlett’s shoulders, his face dark with rage. "The talent at my agency," he snarled, "doesn't do 'drinks'."

I went to the restroom to splash cold water on my face. When I came back out, Ethan was standing there with Scarlett, her cheek red and swollen. His voice was sharp. "If you have a problem, you take it up with me. Why did you hit her?"

"Ava," he said, his voice dripping with disappointment, "when did you become so unreasonable?"

He didn't come home that night. After a few days of silence, he showed up with a one-of-a-kind vintage diamond necklace from a London auction house.

"Don't be mad, baby," he cooed. "Seeing her in that situation… it just reminded me of what happened to you, all those years ago. I lost my head."

He couldn't protect the me from seven years ago, so he would protect the Scarlett of today. He fastened the necklace around my neck and cleared his schedule to spend time at home with me. I smiled for him, and he thought the chapter was closed.

What he didn't know was that I had found Scarlett’s finsta. It was filled with pictures from the three-day "work trip" they’d taken to Vegas together.