---- Chapter 5 Mark scoffed, his charm curdling into disdain. "Don't be so dramatic, Ava. Your family owns a successful catering business. Leo isn't exactly deprived. Asummer camp? He'll get over it. You're just being petty." Callous. Insulting. He truly believed her pain was insignificant. Mark felt a tiny twinge of guilt, but quickly suppressed it. Chloe's father had given him his start. He *owed* Chloe. Ava and Leo... they were resilient. They could handle a little disappointment. It was a necessary sacrifice to maintain his connection to Chloe, who understood his ambitions in a way Ava never had. He needed Chloe's energy, her belief in him. Frustrated by Ava's continued coldness, Mark turned and left, slamming the door just a little too hard. Ava rubbed her temples. The constant tension was giving her a headache. Fatigue settled deep in her bones. Despair was a familiar companion. Ava must have dozed off, because she was jolted awake by a cry. Leo. A distressed, painful sound. ---- She shot out of bed, her heart hammering. "Leo?" She found Mark in the living room, not with Leo, but cooing over Maya. Chloe was there too, looking smug. Leo stood to the side, tears streaming down his face, his little hand bright red and swelling. A scratch, long and angry, marred his cheek. Ava rushed to Leo, her fear turning to fury. "Leo! What happened? Are you okay?" She gently took his injured hand. He sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at Maya. Chloe immediately interjected, her voice sharp and accusatory. "Your son, Ava, is a brute! He hit Maya! Look at her, she's terrified!" Maya, on cue, started to sniffle, hiding her face in Mark's shirt. Outrage. Blatant manipulation. Ava knew Leo. He was gentle, kind. He wouldn't hit another child without extreme provocation. "That's a lie, Chloe!" Ava snapped. "Leo would never! You apologize to him, right now!" Her voice was shaking with anger. Mark immediately stepped in front of Chloe, shielding her. "Ava, stop it! Can't you see Maya is upset? Leo has been acting out ever since you started this divorce nonsense. You ---- need to control your son! Chloe was just trying to protect Maya." Further betrayal. Disgust churned in Ava's stomach. He praised Chloe for "protecting" her child while ignoring his own son's obvious injury and distress. Leo, his voice choked with tears, finally managed to speak. "She... she broke my robot! The one Grandpa made for me! | just tried to get it back, and she... she scratched me! He held up the remains of a beautifully carved wooden robot, a gift from Ava's late father. It was splintered, its arm snapped off. Mark hesitated for a split second, looking at the broken toy. Then Chloe murmured, "Oh, Mark, Maya just wanted to play with it. She didn't mean to break it. It was an accident. Kids will be kids." Mark nodded, accepting Chloe's excuse without question. "See, Ava? An accident. Leo, you need to learn to share. Maya is like your little sister now. You need to be nice to her." Callous denial. Blatant injustice. He was demanding Leo sacrifice even his most treasured possessions. Ava's breath hitched. Fury, hot and raw, surged through her. "That... that robot... my father made that for him! Before he died! It's irreplaceable!" Her voice trembled, the words stuttering out. A sacred violation. ---- Maya, seeing her mother's signal, let out a loud wail. "Daddy Mark, Leo's mommy is scary! She's yelling!" Annoyance. Such obvious, cynical manipulation. Mark glared at Ava. "Now look what you've done! You've upset Maya. And Chloe is my guest. If you can't be civil, Ava, then maybe you and Leo should find somewhere else to stay. | mean it." The final betrayal. The power dynamic had completely shifted. He was threatening to evict her and his own son from their home to appease Chloe. He then scooped Maya into his arms, murmuring comforting words, and led a smirking Chloe towards the master bedroom, leaving Ava and Leo alone with their grief and the broken pieces. Ava felt like she was choking, the injustice constricting her throat. Suffocation. Despair. She sank to the floor, pulling Leo into her lap. She remembered the old Ava, the one from before this second chance. That Ava would have screamed, raged, thrown things. This Ava felt a cold, dead calm. Complete disillusionment. She carefully gathered the broken pieces of the wooden robot. Her fingers fumbled, trying to fit them back together. ---- A sharp splinter pierced her thumb. Blood welled, a bright red drop. Futility. Accidental self-harm. A memory surfaced, sharp and clear. Her father, on his deathbed. "Ava," he'd whispered, his voice weak, "that Mark... he's charming, but he's weak-willed. And that Chloe girl... | saw her at his office party once. She's got a manipulative streak. Be careful. Protect your heart, protect your family." Regret. Validation of past fears. Sorrow. She had dismissed her father's warning back then. "Oh, Daddy, you're worrying too much. Mark loves me. Chloe is just an old friend of his, and her father helped him." The bitter irony. Her naive denial. She had trusted Mark. And he had broken not just a toy, but her heart, her spirit, her family. Ava stood up, the broken robot pieces clutched in her hand. "Come on, Leo," she said, her voice surprisingly firm. "Pack your favorite things. We're going to a hotel." Resolve. A desperate desire for escape. They were checking into a nearby hotel when Mark found them. He strode into the lobby, his face a mask of anger. "Ava! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Annoyance from Ava. Surprise from Mark. ---- Leo flinched at Mark's loud voice and hid behind Ava, clutching her leg. "Mommy, I'm scared," he whispered. The child's fear fueled Ava's protective instinct. Ava turned to face Mark, her expression unyielding. "We're checking into a hotel, Mark. It's pretty obvious. | chose to leave." Defiance. Finality.