Papers Literally 5 When Avery regained consciousness , she found herself lying in a hospital room . Elijah was slumped awkwardly by her bedside . As the pain in her forehead flared up , Avery couldn't help but wince . The noise stirred Elijah from his sleep . His bloodshot eyes met hers , heavy with exhaustion . He gripped her hand tightly and asked , " Are you okay ? Tell me where it hurts . " She endured the pain and shook her head . But seeing the worry etched on his face , she froze . His tousled hair and scruffy beard spoke volumes . He had clearly been keeping watch for hours . Avery hesitated before asking , " Have you ... been here with me all this time ? " Elijah shifted uneasily , avoiding her eyes . " I'm just here to take responsibility on Lara's behalf . After all , it was us who talked you into bungee jumping . " Hearing that , Avery breathed a sigh of relief . After all this time , she was glad he hadn't fallen for her . She certainly didn't have the energy to get caught up in their complicated love triangle . Meanwhile , Elijah's gaze remained fixed on her . He knew Avery's fear of heights , yet she had taken the risk just to please Lara . He couldn't help but compare Avery's love to Lara's . Despite his efforts to convince himself otherwise , he couldn't confidently say that Lara's love for him outweighed Avery's . If only Avery had been the one who saved his life . Her calm , submissive demeanor stirred something in Elijah . Before he knew it , his hand was already reaching for her pale cheek . Suddenly , the door burst open , and Walter stepped inside . Shaking off his thoughts , Elijah pulled back his hand and rubbed his temples in frustration . How had he let his mind wander so far ? Without looking back at Avery , he stood and left the room . " Ave , you did very well this time . Driven by guilt , Elijah has decided to increase his investment in McPherson Group , " Walter said , barely glancing at the wound on Avery's head . " By the way , the paperwork for your name change is already taken care of . It should be finalized in a few days . " Before Walter could continue , the door slammed open once more . Elijah's cold voice cut through the air . " So , this was all part of your plan , huh ? " Walter scrambled to his feet . " No , it's not what you think . " He glanced at Avery , lying calm and composed on the hospital bed . " I'll leave now . Ave will explain everything . " In an instant , Elijah kicked the IV stand over , sending it crashing to the floor . The needle was ripped free , causing Avery's blood to flow backward through the IV tube . Avery winced , a sharp breath escaping her . " I don't know what he's talking about . " Elijah let out a sharp , bitter laugh . " Alright , let's forget about that for now . What's this nonsense about a name change ?" Avery's heart skipped a beat , her throat going dry . " I thought if I changed my name to Lara , maybe you'd finally care about me . " Elijah's lashes fluttered , and a mocking laugh escaped his lips . " Keep dreaming . Even if you turned into a perfect copy of Lara , I still wouldn't love you . " With that , he stormed out . The nurses stood there in silence , unsure whether to comfort Avery after everything that had happened . Meanwhile , Avery didn't cry or cause a scene . She simply turned over and lay down , her face a mask of indifference . In truth , Elijah's love meant nothing to her . The wound on her forehead hadn't fully healed , but with Elijah's birthday fast approaching , she had no choice but to attend the celebration . After all , she was still his legal wife . At the party , Elijah and Lara wore matching outfits . They paid no attention to Avery whatsoever the rightful Mrs. Tarver . The two of them flirted openly , oblivious to the crowd around them . The onlookers held back their laughter , throwing sly , mocking looks at Avery . Soon enough , Avery was summoned into the study by Elijah's parents , Edwin Tarver and Ivy Daigle . Their faces were dark with displeasure . The moment the door shut , Ivy struck Avery hard across the face . " The only reason we let you marry into this family was to make Elijah forget about that vixen . Chapter 5 Three years have passed , and you still failed to achieve even that much ! " Avery stood silently by the door , not a flicker of concern crossing her face . 373 Once the name - change paperwork was finalized , maybe she should take it a step further and change her first name too . " Zoe " had a nice ring to it . The name translated to " life " , symbolizing her determination to thrive . After a long silence , Edwin spoke up . " If you can't win Elijah's heart , then maybe it's time for a divorce . We'll find someone else to take your place . " He slid a document across the desk . " These are the divorce papers . Elijah's already signed them , though he doesn't have a clue what he's agreed to . " Chapter 6 Chapter 6