She’s Long Been Forgotten

The first person I ran into after getting out of prison was Ava.
I was squatting on the curb, shoveling down a cheap box of takeout.
And there she was, the woman who once had to grovel before everyone, now towering over me in a perfectly tailored, expensive dress.
Her first words were, Ethan, youve lost weight.
I looked up at her but said nothing.
Dont you have anything you want to ask me? Ava pressed, a flicker of anxiety she couldnt quite hide in her voice.
I just shook my head slightly.
There was a time when I did, right after shed sent me to prison. But five years is a long time. The unspoken questions had long since faded into nothing, taking my feelings for her right along with them.

My silence made her face stiffen, though she recovered quickly.
She handed me a bottle of water she must have just bought, her movement awkward. Dont choke.
It was free, so I didnt refuse. I thanked her in a low voice.
I could see she was holding something back, but she didnt speak, and I didnt ask.
I mechanically finished the last few bites of food, then stood up and swung my leg over my beat-up electric scooter to continue my delivery route.
As I put on my helmet, she called out my name.
Ethan!
I turned back out of habit. Her voice was laced with an almost desperate plea. If you ever need help, you can call me.
I managed a small smile. I dont think there will be an occasion for that.
I delivered food until midnight.
Back in my cramped, rundown apartment, I rolled up my pant leg and expertly applied ointment to my knee.
Unlike most peoples, my kneecaps are deformed.
Five years had passed, but the memory of the bones being shattered into splinters was still sharp. The pain always came backon damp, rainy days, in the humid darkness of my cell, after the numbness of a long day running around on my feet.
It would awaken suddenly, tormenting me over and over.
Just like the memory from six years ago, the one that felt like my soul being sliced apart, piece by piece, when I learned I was just a pawn in Avas meticulously crafted game.
But time, thankfully, grinds everything down. My wounds were slowly healing.
The next morning, I woke early.
It was the anniversary of my grandmothers death.
She was the only person in this world who had ever truly wished me well.
I requested the day off, changed into a faded old shirt from seven years ago, and went to the cemetery.
I brought her a bouquet of roses, still wet with morning dew.
Roses aren't typical for gravesites, but this was the first time Id come to see her, and I wanted to bring her something she would have loved.
I knelt before her headstone and talked for a long time, only stopping when I heard footsteps behind me.
Deep down, I think I knew who it was.
But when I turned and saw Ava, my breath still caught in my throat.
She had shed the designer clothes for a simple white dress. So simple it made my head spin. For a fleeting moment, she wasn't the ambitious, power-hungry Ava I knew.
She was just the girl from my childhood. Clean and pure.
Ava and I were practically childhood sweethearts.
Before I could even form proper memories, I was abducted by traffickers. It was my grandmother, who scraped by collecting recyclables, who saved me.
After that, she raised me as her own.
Its doubly hard for an old woman to raise two children, but she never let me go without. Whatever Ava had, I had too.
Ava was smarter than me, so Grandma would have her tutor me.
When Ava went out to play, Grandma made her take me along, telling her to hold my hand tight.
When Ava got new clothes, Grandma would have a matching set ready for me.

We were inseparable in those years. The neighbors would always tease, calling me Avas little groom-to-be.
Ava never denied it. She would just ruffle my hair and say softly, Then youll have to marry me when you grow up, okay?
It was around then that I started to notice her feelings for me, the love hidden in her actions.
How her things were only for me to touch.
How she would appear at my side the moment I needed her.
How she would kiss my forehead as if I were a precious treasure while I slept.
The year we finally let things fall into place and got together was the year everything started to fall apart.
I was found and taken in by my biological family, the Prestons, and Ava started her own business.
Her world expanded overnight. I was no longer the only one in it.
Now, there was my younger brother, Caleb.
Ava once asked me tentatively, We dont have as much time alone now. Does that upset you?
I still remember the answer that has haunted my nights ever since.
Not at all, Id said. Im happy that you and my brother get along so well.
My words became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Ava and Caleb grew closer at a suffocating pace. They joked, they argued, they sulked, and I, the older brother, was always the one who had to play mediator.
The first real alarm bell went off when I noticed how, in the middle of some casual banter, Ava would remember Calebs preferences with unnerving precision. She knew he was allergic to peanuts, that he hated cilantro, that his favorite vegetable was enoki mushrooms.
Once, when the three of us were out for dinner, the first thing she ordered was garlic butter enoki mushrooms baked in foil.
But Ava had forgotten.
Im allergic to garlic.
In the space of a single month, Caleb had replaced twenty years of my life.
The pent-up hurt and panic finally boiled over, and I confronted her.
She just looked at me with cold eyes. Ethan, she said, her words sharp and deliberate, youre being ridiculous. Do you hear yourself?
It was the first time I had ever seen that coldness in her. Before, she would have pulled me into a frantic hug, whispering over and over, Im sorry, its my fault. I made my Ethan sad.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but she remained unmoved. Her expression even soured with annoyance before she turned and left me standing there, walking upstairs alone.
I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob.
A moment later, I heard footsteps on the stairs again.
I froze when I saw it was Caleb. But my vision was clear enough to see the triumphant glint in his eyes.
He walked right up to me and roughly wiped the tears from my face. Aww, big brother, it breaks my heart to see you cry, he sneered. But what can you do? Nobody cares about you anymore.
Whether you came back or not, Mom and Dad only ever had eyes for me. And now, even Ava is on my side. Tell me, how are you going to compete with me now?
My world tilted. The words wouldnt come out right. Caleb, you
Dont call me that! he snapped, the polite facade shattering. Every single day I had to pretend with you made me sick.
If it wasnt for Ava, do you really think youd ever have the chance to call me brother? You idiot!
He spun around and went back upstairs.
The same stairs, the same confident stride, but two different people.
In a single day, I had gone from the cherished center of the universe to a complete and utter outsider.
The raw betrayal and malice left me stunned. I couldnt accept it, and I was terrified that the next words I heard would be Ava telling me it was over.
So, I started avoiding them. Frantically.
Ava noticed. She cornered me, waiting outside my door, leaving me no room to escape.
Ethan, we need to talk.
I shook my head and backed away. For every step I took, she advanced, until my back hit the wall. I was trapped.
The moment she opened her mouth, I wanted to clap my hands over my ears. But her words came out in a rush, too fast for me to react.
If we got married, would you stop all this worrying?
Ava was a woman of her word. The very next day, she took me to the city hall.
With the marriage certificate in hand, we moved into the small bungalow my biological family had given me. My so-called parents had no real feelings for me; they barely tolerated my presence. The house was just a formality, a way to keep up appearances.
I once suggested we bring Grandma to live with us, but Ava refused. She gave no reason, and I chose to remain silent. I chose to trust her, making time to visit Grandma whenever I could.
I thought the marriage certificate was our final safeguard, that Ava would finally draw a line between herself and Caleb.
But in reality, they started seeing each other even more often. So often that I began to doubt every word that came out of her mouth.
Before I could even recognize the precarious state of my own mental health, my bottled-up emotions erupted.
It was my birthday. The same Ava who had once promised to spend every birthday with me chose to leave me behind to attend a gala with Caleb.
The last thread of my sanity snapped.
I stormed into the ballroom, ignoring the shocked stares, and confronted Caleb.
You know what she is to me! Why do you always have to get between us? I yelled, my voice shaking with rage and despair. Shes your sister-in-law! How could you keep trying to seduce her?!
Caleb looked at me with wide, terrified eyes. Ethan, I I dont know what youre talking about. Youre scaring me.
Stop pretending! You admitted it yourself, didnt you? That you only got close to me to get to her!
Whispers spread through the room. What brought me back to reality was the sharp sting of Avas hand across my face.
I know youre paranoid, Ethan, which is why I married you! But that doesnt give you the right to push your luck and slander Caleb! she hissed. Security, get this madman out of here!
The guards were fast. They roughly clamped a hand over my mouth and dragged me out. I struggled, but it was useless. As I got closer to the exit, the chatter of the high-society guests grew clearer, drilling into my ears.
Tsk, tsk. What a lunatic.
More than that, hes completely unhinged. I feel sorry for whoever married him. Hes completely ruined Avas night!
If it wasnt for Avas competence, this whole project would probably be dead in the water
I was the one on the marriage certificate. I was the victim. Why didnt anyone believe me?
I closed my eyes, tears streaming from the corners. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I didnt have the strength to fight anymore.
I went home.
For the first time, I didnt touch the glass of milk the housekeeper always prepared for me on Avas orders.
I showered and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
I dont know how long I lay there before the tears started. I cried until I drifted into a heavy, exhausted sleep.
In the hazy space between sleep and waking, I felt a heavy weight press down on me.
Even after our fight, my body reacted instinctively, moving to welcome her.
Until my hand, fumbling in the dark, touched the thick, fleshy waist of a woman.
My heart plummeted.
It wasn't Ava. Avas waist was soft and slender.
The woman clearly hadnt expected me to wake up. Her face was a mask of shock and panic.
In the faint moonlight filtering through the window, I saw the grotesque body. Overweight, stout, and radiating a cloying, suffocatingly sweet perfume. A single glance sent my stomach churning.
The woman scrambled to grab her clothes and run, but she tripped and tumbled down the stairs.
It was only then that my mind caught up. I went insane, grabbing a fruit knife from the nightstand and chasing after her.
Seeing the knife in my hand, she shook her head, begging. Im sorry, please dont kill me, Im begging you.
My entire body was trembling, bile rising in my throat, but I started to laugh.
So, you can feel fear? I whispered, my voice ragged. Why would you be afraid? You shouldnt be afraid at all.
I was rambling. By the time I came to my senses, the womans face and body were covered in a crisscrossing web of cuts.
I dropped the knife in a panic and stumbled into the bathroom.
I couldnt stop washing myself, trying to scrub away the memory of her touch from every inch of my skin with soap and water.
I was still standing under the shower when Ava came home.
She froze in the doorway as if turned to stone. After what felt like an eternity, she wrapped her arms around my waist, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
Its okay, Ethan. Its okay. Im here now.
It was the first time I had ever been assaulted. I was terrified and disgusted.
I wanted to push her away. Her embrace felt suffocating.
But besides Grandma, she was the only person I had ever trusted without reservation.
For the next few days, Ava didnt leave the house. She cut off all contact with Caleb. She started taking care of me around the clock.
When my fever wouldnt break, she changed the cool cloth on my forehead countless times.
When I woke up screaming from nightmares, she would soothe me back to sleep.
When I became afraid of seeing people, she severed all business ties with the outside world.
A pathetic fantasy began to bloom in my mind: maybe Ava really did care about me.
Until Caleb showed up with a stack of contracts, and a series of photos of strange women.
You probably dont recognize this face, he said, holding up a picture, but your body it certainly does, doesnt it?
Thanks to you, she green-lit Avas project.
He laid them out one by one. Each photo corresponded to a contract. By the end, my head was roaring.
What what do you mean?
Caleb let out a low chuckle, a sly, malicious glee in his eyes.
Still dont get it, my dear brother?
Ava she's using you as a stepping stone to climb to the top! Your marriage certificate is a fake. Do you have any idea how many people have slept in your bed?
There was a deafening crash, as if something inside me had collapsed.
Youre lying! I screamed.
Am I? Why dont you take a look for yourself and find out?
Caleb gave me one last look, a mixture of pity and contempt, then tossed a USB drive on the floor and left.
I scrambled to pick it up, plugged it into my laptop, and clicked on the video file
On the screen, a parade of unfamiliar women appeared, one after another.
They keyed in the password to my front door like they owned the place and walked straight into my bedroom.
My body in the videos was flushed an unnatural red. Then the camera would shake, and the scenes that followed were too vile to watch.
No, this cant be right. I was with Ava
My chaotic gaze swept across the room and landed on the empty milk glass on the nightstand. It froze there.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
All the kindness Ava had ever shown me twisted into sharp blades and plunged into my heart.
Just then, the door opened. Every emotion I had suppressed exploded at once.

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