Chapter 7: Crawling Back
I agreed to meet Daniel—but on my terms.
I chose the restaurant. I chose the time. I chose the table by the window where anyone walking by could see us.
He arrived ten minutes early. That told me everything. Desperate men are always early.
"Ava." He stood when I approached, pulling out my chair. Gentleman mode. Three years of marriage, and he'd never once pulled out my chair.
"Daniel," I said, sitting down. "You said you made a mistake."
"I did." He leaned forward, elbows on the table, his expression carefully arranged into remorse. "Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life."
I nearly laughed.
Not because it was funny, but because I remembered every night I spent crying in that cold guest room. Every time he told me I was nothing. Every bruise on my arm from where he grabbed me too hard.
And now here he sat, eyes soft, voice gentle, trying to crawl back because my bank account had more zeros than his.
"Which part was the mistake?" I asked pleasantly. "The part where you slept with my stepsister? The part where you called me barren in front of your mother? Or the part where you threw divorce papers at my face on our anniversary?"
He flinched. "I was wrong. I know that. But Ava—we had something. Before everything went sideways—"
"Nothing went sideways, Daniel. You went sideways. You chose Lily. You told me to sign, and I signed."
"Because I was an idiot!" His voice rose. Heads turned.
I sipped my water, unbothered.
"Lower your voice," I said quietly. "People are watching."
He composed himself with visible effort. "Give me another chance. I'll prove I've changed."
"You haven't changed. You've just realized you chose the losing horse."
"Ava—"
"Let me be clear." I set my glass down. "I am never coming back to you. Not because I'm hurt. Not because I'm angry. But because you are simply beneath me now. You always were. I just didn't know it."
I watched the words land. Watched his face shift from hope to confusion to barely contained rage.
There it was. The real Daniel. It took less than five minutes to surface.
"You think you're better than me because of your new family?" His jaw tightened. "You're still the same girl who couldn't cook a proper dinner without burning it."
"And you're still the same boy who needs daddy's money to keep his company afloat," I replied, standing up. "Speaking of which—I'm calling that debt next month. Get your finances in order."
His face drained of color. "You can't—"
"Watch me."
I walked out of the restaurant, my heels echoing against the floor.
Outside, the evening air was crisp. I breathed it in.
Then I noticed a familiar black car parked across the street. The window rolled down, and Nathan Reed raised a coffee cup in a small salute.
I walked over.
"Stalking me?" I asked.
"Protecting my investment," he said. "How'd it go?"
"He wants me back."
"Of course he does." Nathan opened the passenger door. "Get in. I have something to show you."
I hesitated for only a second before sliding in.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"My office. I found something about Cross Industries that you're going to want to see."
"What kind of something?"
Nathan glanced at me, his expression serious for the first time since I'd met him.
"The kind that puts people in prison."
I chose the restaurant. I chose the time. I chose the table by the window where anyone walking by could see us.
He arrived ten minutes early. That told me everything. Desperate men are always early.
"Ava." He stood when I approached, pulling out my chair. Gentleman mode. Three years of marriage, and he'd never once pulled out my chair.
"Daniel," I said, sitting down. "You said you made a mistake."
"I did." He leaned forward, elbows on the table, his expression carefully arranged into remorse. "Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life."
I nearly laughed.
Not because it was funny, but because I remembered every night I spent crying in that cold guest room. Every time he told me I was nothing. Every bruise on my arm from where he grabbed me too hard.
And now here he sat, eyes soft, voice gentle, trying to crawl back because my bank account had more zeros than his.
"Which part was the mistake?" I asked pleasantly. "The part where you slept with my stepsister? The part where you called me barren in front of your mother? Or the part where you threw divorce papers at my face on our anniversary?"
He flinched. "I was wrong. I know that. But Ava—we had something. Before everything went sideways—"
"Nothing went sideways, Daniel. You went sideways. You chose Lily. You told me to sign, and I signed."
"Because I was an idiot!" His voice rose. Heads turned.
I sipped my water, unbothered.
"Lower your voice," I said quietly. "People are watching."
He composed himself with visible effort. "Give me another chance. I'll prove I've changed."
"You haven't changed. You've just realized you chose the losing horse."
"Ava—"
"Let me be clear." I set my glass down. "I am never coming back to you. Not because I'm hurt. Not because I'm angry. But because you are simply beneath me now. You always were. I just didn't know it."
I watched the words land. Watched his face shift from hope to confusion to barely contained rage.
There it was. The real Daniel. It took less than five minutes to surface.
"You think you're better than me because of your new family?" His jaw tightened. "You're still the same girl who couldn't cook a proper dinner without burning it."
"And you're still the same boy who needs daddy's money to keep his company afloat," I replied, standing up. "Speaking of which—I'm calling that debt next month. Get your finances in order."
His face drained of color. "You can't—"
"Watch me."
I walked out of the restaurant, my heels echoing against the floor.
Outside, the evening air was crisp. I breathed it in.
Then I noticed a familiar black car parked across the street. The window rolled down, and Nathan Reed raised a coffee cup in a small salute.
I walked over.
"Stalking me?" I asked.
"Protecting my investment," he said. "How'd it go?"
"He wants me back."
"Of course he does." Nathan opened the passenger door. "Get in. I have something to show you."
I hesitated for only a second before sliding in.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"My office. I found something about Cross Industries that you're going to want to see."
"What kind of something?"
Nathan glanced at me, his expression serious for the first time since I'd met him.
"The kind that puts people in prison."