---- Chapter 19 Ava laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "That's your idea of making amends, Mark? Letting a criminal walk free because of some ancient, misguided obligation? You haven't learned a thing. You're still prioritizing a dead man's memory over the well- being of your living son. You are truly shameless." Sarcasm. Disgust. His lack of genuine understanding was appalling. "| will not remarry you, Mark," Ava stated, her voice devoid of emotion, utterly final. "Not now. Not ever. We are done." Finality. Resolve. Her phone buzzed. Danny. "Everything okay? Leo's asking for you." Concern. Care. A lifeline. Mark reached for her, his eyes wet. "Ava, please," he begged, grabbing her arm, trying to pull her into a hug. "Don't say that. It was a mistake. A terrible mistake. But we can fix this. For Leo. For us." Desperation. Manipulation. Tears streamed down his face as he downplayed the severity of his past actions. Ava recoiled as if burned. She shoved him away, hard. Then, without thinking, her hand flew up and connected with his cheek in a resounding slap. ---- Rage. Physical aggression. Final rejection. "Don't you *touch* me!" "You talk about Leo?" Ava's voice rose, trembling with fury. "You left him when he couldn't breathe! You diverted an ambulance for *her*! He almost died that day, Mark! And later, in the park, when that maniac attacked, you saved *her* child first! Do you have any idea what that does to a little boy? To know his own father values him less than a stranger?" Fury. Profound hurt. Accusation. The near-fatal consequences of his neglect. Mark stared at her, his eyes wide with fear, his hand on his stinging cheek. "I... | didn't... It wasn't like that..." Fear. Denial. He tried to refute her accusations Ava's disgust was absolute. "Get out, Mark. Get out of my sight. And stay away from my son." Disgust. Finality. Direct command. Mark, however, was persistent. He lingered at the event, trying to approach Leo whenever Ava or Danny were distracted. He'd offer a toy, a hesitant smile. Leo would just cry and run away. Annoyance. Distress for Leo. Mark's interference was causing more harm. Finally, Ava had enough. Mark was trying to talk to a tearful Leo near the bouncy castle. Ava strode over, her voice ringing out across the playground. "Everyone! This man, Mark Thompson, is my ex-husband! He ---- abandoned his son for his mistress, Chloe Davis! He let her manipulate him, endanger our child, and ruin our lives! Now he shows up here, pretending to be a father!" Public humiliation. Revenge. A loud declaration of his specific wrongdoings. The other parents and teachers stared. Some gasped. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "That's disgusting!" one mother said. "What kind of man does that?" another exclaimed. Public outrage. Social shaming. The crowd condemned him. Mark's face turned crimson, then pale. He looked around at the accusing faces, the pointing fingers. He mumbled something incoherent, covered his face, and practically ran from the preschool, a chorus of disapproval following him. Shame. Humiliation. For the next few weeks, Mark became a ghost. He'd wait outside Ava's cottage. He'd leave gifts on the porch - expensive toys for Leo, flowers for Ava. Persistence. Desperation. Ava would find them and immediately throw them in the trash, sometimes right in front of him if he was lurking nearby. "We don't want your blood money, Mark! We don't want anything from you!" Anger. Rejection. ---- One evening, he caught her as she was taking out the garbage. "Ava, please," he begged, his voice raw. "Isn't there anything | can do?" Ava looked at him, her eyes like ice. "Actually, Mark, there is. You can know that | made sure Chloe Davis was arrested for fraud and child endangerment based on the evidence | had. She's awaiting trial. And your shares in Thompson Architects? The ones James Peterson bought? They gave him controlling interest. | hear the board is... restructuring. You might want to update your resume." Retribution. Finality. Specific details of her calculated revenge. Chloe's arrest. Mark's financial ruin. Mark stared at her, his face ashen. "You... you hate me that much?" Despair. Pain. Ava shrugged. "Hate is a strong word, Mark. | simply don't care what happens to you. You brought all of this on yourself." Coldness. Finality. A dismissive response to his despair. As Mark stumbled away, his phone rang. It was his mother. "Mark! Your father... he tried to... he took too many pills! We're at the hospital! Get here now!" Shock. Urgency. A new family crisis. Mark rushed to the hospital. His father was stable but weak. His mother, her face ravaged by tears and anger, rounded on him. ---- "This is your fault, Mark! All of it! Your scandalous divorce, your affair, the company collapsing! Your father couldn't take the shame! You've ruined this family!" She threw a plastic cup of water at him. Anger. Blame. Rejection from his own parent.