Part 2The Day I Jumped for My Cheating Husband, I Woke Up with a System That Taught Me Revenge

I stayed out all night.

When I walked through the door at dawn, exhausted and hungover, the living room lights were blazing. Ethan was on the sofa, his eyes a roadmap of red veins. The ashtray at his feet was overflowing with crushed cigarette butts.

The second he saw me, he shot up and grabbed my wrist, his voice a raw rasp. “Where were you?”

I could still smell the faint, floral scent of Tessa’s perfume clinging to him.

He stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief. “You’ve never done this before. You never stay out all night.”

I met his gaze and gave him a slow, innocent blink.

“And what if I do?”

“Ethan, we’re both adults. We’re allowed to have our own lives, aren’t we?”

My words struck him dumb. In those bloodshot eyes, for the first time, I saw a flicker of something new: fear.

“Isn’t that what you always told me?” I tilted my head, my smile disarmingly sweet. “You were busy. You had a work dinner. You said… adults need their own space.”

I served his own bullshit back to him, word for word.

My heart was pounding, my palms slick with nervous sweat.

[STAY IN CHARACTER! DON’T BREAK! YOU’RE IN YOUR VILLAIN ERA NOW, AVA!]

[YES! FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE! SO SATISFYING!]

The comments were my armor.

Just then, the master bedroom door clicked open.

Tessa emerged, wrapped in a large silk robe, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was my favorite robe.

A year ago, the sight would have sent me into a jealous rage. I would have clawed her eyes out.

[HERE WE GO! THE MAIN EVENT! REMEMBER, THE FIRST ONE TO GET ANGRY LOSES!]

I took a deep, steadying breath. Calm was my greatest weapon.

Tessa feigned a gasp when she saw me, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness. “Oh! Ava, you’re back! I’m so sorry, I had a little too much to drink last night, and Ethan was worried I’d ruin my clothes, so… he just found one of your old things for me to wear. You don’t mind, do you?”

Ethan looked deeply uncomfortable. “Her dress was dirty,” he mumbled. “I just grabbed the first thing I saw.”

“Mind?” I laughed. I walked straight over to Tessa, my tone full of gentle reproach—but my eyes were fixed on Ethan. “How could you give Tessa one of my old hand-me-downs? That’s so thoughtless.”

Before either of them could react, I took Tessa’s hand and led her, stunned, toward my walk-in closet. I pulled a brand-new, tags-still-on silk chemise from a box and pressed it into her hands.

“This one’s new. It’ll be perfect with your skin tone. Go on, try it on. It’ll look beautiful.”

[HOLY SH*T! QUEEN BEHAVIOR! THAT’S NOT JUST A POWER MOVE, THAT’S A PUBLIC EXECUTION!]

[TESSA’S FACE! SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS MAKING A STATEMENT, AND AVA JUST TREATED HER LIKE A BARGAIN BIN SHOPPER!]

I ignored their petrified expressions, went into my own room, and changed into a sharp pantsuit. On my way out, I stopped at the safe hidden behind a painting in the hall and retrieved a velvet jewelry box.

“Where are you going now?! What is that?” Ethan finally snapped out of his trance, grabbing my arm.

I immediately shook him off and opened the box. Inside, a breathtaking sapphire necklace and earring set glittered under the light.

“Oh, this?” I said, my voice airy and casual. “It’s the ‘Heart of the Deep.’ You remember, the set you bought for eight million at that auction our first year of marriage? The one… you were planning to give to Tessa, before you thought better of it.”

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

I turned to Tessa with a look of apology. “So sorry, Tessa, it’s not that I’m being stingy. It’s just, you know Mr. Harrison from Apex Corp? The deal we’re trying to close? His wife saw this set a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. I’m meeting her for tea this afternoon, and I thought I’d give it to her. A little gesture to help move the project along.”

“Are you insane?” Ethan’s voice was trembling. “You loved that necklace more than anything! You wouldn’t even let me touch it!”

“I’ve had a change of perspective,” I said, looking him directly in the eye, my expression open and sincere. “It’s just a piece of jewelry, collecting dust. It’s time it started serving a greater purpose, don’t you think?”

I smiled, snapped the box shut, and patted his shoulder. “You two have a nice, relaxing day at home. I have to run.”

And with that, I walked out without a backward glance.

The second I was in my car, the door shut, I clutched the velvet box to my chest and felt a sharp, stabbing pain.

It was, for so long, the last tangible proof I had that he once loved me.

To pretend it didn't hurt to give it away would be a lie.

[DON’T BE SAD, AVA! YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE A PAWN TO CAPTURE THE KING!]

[THAT APEX DEAL IS WORTH FIFTY MILLION TO HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES! AS A MAJOR SHAREHOLDER, YOU’LL BE ROLLING IN IT!]

[THINK BIGGER! YOU’RE TRADING A TAINTED MEMORY FOR POWER, MONEY, AND RESPECT. HE’S GOING TO SEE YOU IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT!]

I read the messages, took a deep breath, and nodded.

They were right.

It was time to think bigger. Trading a material object for my career was more than worth it.