Chapter 11
A week later, Ethan and I went to pick up my wedding dress for the ceremony we were planning for close friends and family.
The boutique manager greeted us with a smile sharp enough to cut diamonds.
Then her eyes shifted past me, and I knew before I turned.
Cole.
And Selena.
Selena was trying on couture.
Cole looked like hell.
He had lost weight. The stubborn steadiness he used to wear like armor was gone. His eyes were shadowed, his expression coiled and brittle. Selena, on the other hand, was radiant as ever, though the smile she gave me was slightly too tight around the edges.
“Well,” she said softly, “what a coincidence.”
Ethan glanced at me. “Friend of yours?”
“My ex-husband,” I said. Then, after a beat, “And the woman he picked over me.”
Selena’s face flickered.
Cole took one step toward us. “Ava.”
Ethan moved just enough to place himself half a pace in front of me.
Cole noticed.
His gaze dropped to our linked hands.
Then to the garment bag the sales associate was carrying behind us.
Then back to my face.
“What is this?” he asked.
“My fitting,” I said.
Selena’s eyes sharpened. “You’re getting married?”
Ethan answered for me. “She is.”
Cole laughed once, short and cold. “To him?”
I tilted my head. “That usually is how marriage works.”
His jaw flexed. “You’re moving fast.”
“Yes,” I said. “I wasted enough time already.”
For a second, something ugly flashed across his face. “You expect me to believe this is real? You post a selfie, suddenly the whole world is chasing you, and now you’ve got a new husband? What is this, Ava? A stunt?”
I looked at him calmly. “Not everyone is performing all the time, Cole.”
That landed.
Hard.
Selena stepped in, wrapping her arm through his like she was staking a claim. “Mrs. Sterling—”
I looked at her.
She corrected herself, a beat too late. “Sorry. Old habit.”
Ethan smiled pleasantly. “That would be Ms. Vale.”
Selena’s lips pressed together.
Cole’s eyes went dark. “What did you say?”
Ethan’s tone stayed easy. “She’s my wife.”