AVA'S POV
They say when you marry someone, you don't just marry them, you marry their world.
I hadn't realized how vast and suffocating Ethan's world was
until I found myself lost in it.
That morning, I woke up in a bed too large, in a room too cold. The silk sheets clung to my skin like reminders of the night before, lonely, uneventful, and perfectly distant. Ethan had not returned to our bedroom.
Again.
I stared at the ceiling, wondering what it would feel like to be in a marriage that didn't feel like a prolonged performance.
The media was still fawning over our wedding. Every headline
gushed over our chemistry, our elegance, our fairy tale. No one saw the truth. The press called us "The Golden Couple."
If only they knew how heavy gold could feel.
My phone buzzed beside me. A message from Diane.
Diane: Meeting with the charity board today at 11. Your dress is already laid out. Be ready by 10:30. Ethan will be picking you up.
