My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 119

Chapter 119: I’ll act the part of your wife.

Ava slipped into the villa, the soft sound of her steps echoing faintly through the quiet space. As she crossed the foyer, her gaze landed on a shadowy figure sitting on the sofa in the dimly lit hall. Her breath hitched, her body stiffening in alarm. ‘Did someone break in?’ she thought.

But as her eyes adjusted to the low light, the familiar silhouette came into focus. Her tension eased slightly, though her surprise remained.

“Dylan! Why are you sitting in the dark?” She moved toward the light switch, flipping it on and flooding the room with brightness.

Dylan’s face became fully visible, his expression dark and unreadable as he swirled the amber liquid in the glass he held. “Are you disappointed to see me here?”

He downed the rest of his drink in one swift motion, then slammed the glass down on the coffee table with a loud thud.

Ava didn’t like his coldness. She wouldn’t have returned there if it were not for Lilianna. “I am tired of these arguments,” she muttered. Turning on her heel, she started toward the bedroom. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Stop right there!” Dylan’s sharp, growling voice cut through the air, freezing her mid-stride.

Her body stiffened, her muscles taut with tension. She didn’t turn around, though. She kept her back to him.

“Where were you?” he asked, his tone sharp and accusatory. “I thought you would go back home. But when I arrived home, you weren’t here. I had an accident—do you even care about me?”

When he saw her beside him in the morning, he thought she still had feelings for him. But now, that hope was crumbling. She had neglected him, choosing to spend her evening in a cozy restaurant with Nicholas. ‘Have I already lost her?’ His heart trembled at this thought.

Ava turned to face him, keeping a stern look. She eyed him carefully. “You seem fine to me,” she said coolly, her tone detached, almost dismissive. “If you weren’t feeling well, you should have stayed at the hospital.” Her next words were sharp, laced with sarcasm. “When you tried to force yourself on me, you didn’t seem weak at all.”

Dylan’s stern gaze faltered, regret flickering in his eyes. However, he was still disappointed with her. “It’s not entirely my fault,” he muttered defensively. “I expected you to visit me after work. But you went to see Nicholas. I was mad.”

He closed the space between them. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I can’t see you with another man. Can’t you understand that? Just… stop seeing him.”

“Nicholas is just a friend,” she snapped. “He helped me expose Gianna. I’m grateful to him. That’s why I went to thank him.”

Her words landed like a hammer blow, shattering Dylan’s composure. “What did you say?” he exclaimed, shocked. “He helped you!”

“Yes,” Ava confirmed with a firm nod. “Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to expose Gianna. You would’ve kept believing her lies, thinking she was innocent, and that I was the cunning one.”

Dylan stared at Ava, his disbelief etched into every line of his face. ‘She thinks Nicholas did it all?’ His mind raced with frustration.

He had painstakingly gathered every piece of evidence against Gianna. He could have punished her on his own, but he had given Ava the opportunity to take her revenge, to see the satisfaction and vindication on her face. He had worked in the shadows, giving her the power. If he had known she would give all the credit to another man, he wouldn’t have shared that proof with her anonymously.

“What about me?” he blurted out as he clasped her arms firmly. “I also helped you.”

“You helped me!” Ava scoffed, laughing bitterly. “When? I didn’t see you around when Brian and Gianna tried to hurt me. Nicholas was the one who came to my rescue. He saved me from those goons! If it hadn’t been for Nicholas, I would have been kidnapped. Gianna’s twisted plan to harm me would’ve worked perfectly. He was there for me when you weren’t. You…” She sneered. “You were too busy accusing me, doubting me, and siding with Gianna.”

Dylan fell silent as he realized why she was saying that Nicholas had helped her. He appreciated that Nicholas had saved Ava from those goons, but it was Dylan who had dismantled the local gang and tipped off the authorities. It was Dylan who had pressured Brian into confessing against Gianna and ensured his imprisonment. But unfortunately, he hadn’t mentioned anything about this.

“I now understand everything,” he stated calmly, hoping to tell her everything. “I am thankful that he helped you…”

“That wasn’t the only time he helped me,” Ava interjected, not allowing him to speak. “He recovered the video footage that Brian tried to destroy. Without him, we wouldn’t have had that crucial evidence. And remember the get-together party where I was drugged? It was Nicholas who caught the waitress and got her to confess.”

Dylan nodded slowly, the memory of the waitress’s confession flashing in his mind. It had been clear Nicholas had taken an active role in helping Ava. This was why Ava had this thought that Nicholas had given her all the evidence.

How would she know he had also helped her? He had kept it a secret. For the first time, Dylan regretted not telling her sooner. The depth of her trust in Nicholas—the reliance, the gratitude—was a dagger to Dylan’s heart. His regret soon transformed into desperation.

“There is more to this—things you don’t know. I also helped you.” He needed her to understand, to see the truth he had kept hidden.

“Yes, I know,” she interrupted him yet again.

Dylan’s heart skipped a beat as he thought Justin might have told her. But her next words dashed that hope.

“You showed me the surveillance footage of that party,” Ava said, her tone softening. “And I’m grateful for that. I’m also grateful to you for saving me from that fire. I owe you, Dylan. And that’s why I’m here…to repay that favor.”

Dylan froze, her words slicing through him. ‘She thinks it’s all about repaying a debt,’ he realized bitterly. He wanted more than her gratitude, more than her sense of obligation.

“I assure you,” Ava continued, “I won’t do anything to distress Lilianna. As long as she is here, I’ll act the part of your wife. I won’t behave impulsively like I did today.” Her expression changed, and her tone sharpened. “But don’t mistake that for submission. You don’t get to tell me what to do—or who I can see.”

She walked away, leaving Dylan standing there numbly.

As he watched her walk away, he could feel the distance between them widening. He had initially ignored her, walked away from her just like this, and never paid attention to her. While she had been waiting for him at home, he had been with his friends.

At the time, he hadn’t realized how much it might have affected Ava emotionally. Now, when he experienced the same, he could feel the pain, and that was unbearable.

“I am sorry, Ava,” he murmured. “I didn’t know I hurt you so deeply.”