Egos

Chapter Nine

"We rise by lifting others."

-Robert Ingersoll

When she arrived at work after dropping Dani with the Dillions, Ava expected another typical day in the office. However, this day would bring her more pain, remembrance, and hesitant pride than she ever could've imagined.

For some time now, the firm had been working on a case for a middle-aged couple, who were currently going through a divorce. Although it wasn't their typical style, the high-profile names exceeded the desired capacity of family law attorneys in the area.

The Song brothers, eager to help and gain a profit, had intervened.

Although most of the work in this case had been through correspondence with the husband, the wife was the party in the office today.

When Ava arrived, she began taking notes of the heated interaction playing out around her. Hitting a little too close to home for Ava, a tall, frail, blonde woman screamed at the younger twin.

"I don't give a damn if he cheated or not, Zain is my husband! I will not testify, I will not testify, I will not testify!"

Ava struggled to keep up with the woman's speech, her fingers cramping against her laptop.

"It's absurd to think that any woman would ever turn her back on her husband, that's ridiculous!"

Ava noticed that the woman had foundation caked over her neck, but doubted it was to hide a hickey. The memories of her own traumas coursed through Ava's veins, taking her back to the moments where she, too, had defended her husband despite defending herself against him come nightfall.

Mr. Song, gently, began to speak. "Mary, if you choose not to testify, then you'll lose more than your financial power. Your son, your home-"

"Get out!" the woman screamed. "All of you, out! Let me have a moment."

As the woman sobbed into her hands, Ava stayed behind. Mr. Song, knowing that she was the most equipped to handle this situation, gave not a nod of approval, in case it went south. However, he turned a blind eye to her extended presence.

Knowing how difficult of a person she had been to reason with while attempting to cope with losing Charles, Ava knew not how to approach this woman. Instead of speaking, Ava merely sat beside her in a show of companionship.

"I said out," the woman spoke coldly. "If you're going to talk to me, woman to woman, then I really don't want to hear it." Mary cried tenfold. "Everyone says my husband doesn't love me, that he's selfish. But they just don't understand! Really and truly, it's not but a rough patch gone too long. I never wanted a divorce," Mary confided. "I just want him to be happy."

Ava let her statement linger in the air for a long moment. Before she spoke to Mary, she considered that for the first time, she was sharing her story. Not as a wife, but as a survivor.

"I didn't want a divorce, either." Ava said simply.

"Hmph." The woman said, not wanting to consider anyone's truth but her own. Mary was sure Zain deserved nothing but happiness, that the pain was her fault. She wouldn't make it worse by betraying him.

Ava continued to speak, knowing that deep down the woman had to be listening, her soul had to yearn for a release, despite the burden in her heart. "My husband is in prison right now. He cheated too, bringing strange women home and making love to them in the guest bedroom."