Chapter 2 - The Men Outside the Door
Ethan climbed to his feet.
“Do not open that door.”
Ava stayed beside the gym bag.
“Why?”
“You don’t know who they are.”
“I invited them.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You planned this?”
“I prepared for it.”
The pounding came again.
“Mr. Cole, this is building security. Open the door.”
Another voice followed.
“Detective Warren, City Police.”
Ethan’s face went pale.
Ava had expected building security.
She had not expected a detective.
That meant the cloud recording had triggered the emergency alert exactly as her attorney promised.
Ethan moved toward the kitchen.
Ava shifted into his path.
“Stay where they can see your hands.”
He laughed once, but the sound was thin.
“You kick me, then call the police?”
“You raised a belt at me after threatening me for eight days.”
“No one will believe you.”
Ava pointed toward the hallway camera.
“They don’t have to believe either of us. They can watch.”
Ethan looked toward the red light.
During their honeymoon, Ava had received a message from a woman she had never met.
Do not let Ethan take you home without cameras.
At first, she had thought it was a cruel prank.
Then the woman sent an audio clip.
Ethan’s voice.
Calm. Cold. Familiar.
“A wife learns faster when no one comes to rescue her.”
Ava had spent the rest of the honeymoon pretending everything was normal while secretly arranging the recording system.
She had not slept properly since.
The detective knocked again.
“Mrs. Cole, are you safe?”
Ava answered loudly.
“Yes. He is unarmed now.”
Ethan glared at her.
“Unarmed?”
“You brought the weapon.”
“That belt is mine.”
“And you swung it at my face.”
“It was a warning.”
The lock clicked.
Ethan froze.
Ava had remotely authorized security access through her phone.
The door opened.
Two security officers entered first, followed by Detective Warren and a woman carrying a leather legal case.
Ethan recognized the woman immediately.
His expression shifted from fear to rage.
“You.”
She stepped inside and looked directly at Ava.
“My name is Lena Brooks.”
Then she turned toward Ethan.
May you like
“I was his first wife.”
👉 Ava had received warnings from a stranger—but she was about to learn Ethan had buried an entire marriage before meeting her.
