Ava’s married life to Peter was far from ideal. They had their ups and downs, but she still had a hard time letting go of him, until one day when she learned he had an affair with another woman.

It was almost past midnight when Peter returned home, all sweaty and tired, claiming he was at work, working on a project. Ava knew he wasn’t telling the truth because he seemed distant over the last couple of weeks. There was certainly more to his story that he wished his wife to know.

No matter how odd it felt, Ava decided to follow him the next day. Her heart was racing and she questioned her decision, convincing herself that she should put more trust in her husband’s words, but that felt harder said than done. Her intuition was telling her something was going on, and she wanted to be fully aware of it.

When Peter made a stop away from his office and stood at a house’s door, Ava felt a pit in her stomach.

A nice-looking woman answered the door and gave Peter a hug. The two chatted for a couple of minutes before he entered the place.

Ava’s world crushed into a million pieces. Peter was having an affair, and that was the obvious answer to his indifference towards her in the past couple of weeks.

Heartbroken, she contemplated her marriage to this man she believed she knew. But at that point, he felt like a stranger, as someone she has never met before.

The obvious followed. Ava decided to confront Peter, and she did that once he returned home, again way later than he did in the past.

“Are you having an affair with that woman?” Ava asked, hoping to hear the truth, which deep down she wished to be different than she felt it was. But Peter didn’t even try to deny it. He said he did fell in love with someone else. What was supposed to be a one-night stand turned into something deep and more meaningful for him. He confessed he fell in love with that other woman, but claimed he loved Ava as well.

Sadly, he was quick to blame Ava for his affair, claiming she was cold and unsupportive.

His words felt like a knife. Ava had it enough. As he stopped speaking, she said, “Peter, I want a divorce.”

But Peter was against that decision. He didn’t want to divorce Ava, although he was in love with someone else. He started yelling at her, threatening her, and telling her he would never sign any divorce papers.

That evening, Ava couldn’t stop crying. She felt like there was no way out of the situation she had found herself in. Living with Peter under one roof knowing he had feelings for someone else was something she could never imagine. As she kept her head on the pillow, tears rolling down her face, she heard Peter’s footsteps, and the sound of a door closing.

The following morning, he wasn’t in their bed. She looked all over the house, but Peter was gone. At that moment, her eyes laid to the safe. Something urged her to open it; it was completely empty. The money, the jewelry, his passport. It was all gone.

Confused, she started the car and drove to Peter’s mom’s place. There was Martha, standing at the door and blaming Ava for her son’s decision to leave the country. “If it wasn’t for you and your stupid demand for divorce, nothing of this would have happened. you ruined your marriage and chased my son away,” Martha yelled.

Ava couldn’t believe what she was hearing and asked Martha if she was aware that Peter was having an affair.

“So, what?” Martha said. “You should have never tell my son you wanted to divorce hi, this is all on you.”

Realizing there was nothing Martha could help her with, Ava went back home. She was greeted by a strange silence. Everything in the house she had shared with Peter felt as though it never belonged to her. She felt like an intruder in her own home.

Days gone by, and there was no sign of Peter. His phone was switched off and he hadn’t replied to any of Ava’s e-mails. She started losing hope of ever seeing him again, and she was desperate for a closure.

Then, as she was switching through the TV channels, she heard the news that left her in complete shock. A plane crashed and Peter’s name, as well as that of his lover, were on the list of people who were killed. Ava couldn’t believe her ears. Peter was dead. As she was doing her best to come to her senses, someone was at the door. It was Martha, crying and blaming Ava for he son’s passing.

Fast forward to present day, around two years after the tragic incident took place, Ava decided she needed a change, so she took a trip to a nearby city. The afternoon was quiet, so she decided to run groceries, never assuming that her life would change yet again.

As she was reading the label of a product she was hesitant to purchase, she looked around and spotted a familiar face. The man standing not far away from her resembled Peter so much, that her heart started racing. “Peter…” she mumbled, but the man didn’t respond. That resemblance was too striking to be just a coincidence.

With her legs shaking, she decided to go after him, when there, just around one of the aisles, she spotted Martha.

What was happening, how could any of this be true? Ava was in complete disbelief. She yelled Peter’s name, and he turned around. Looking straight at Ava’s eyes, he said, “I can explain everything.”

He begged Ava to get inside his car, promising to tell her the whole story. Unwillingly, she agreed. As the three drove to Peter’s place, he told Ava that he was indeed involved in the plane crash and that his lover died, but he survived and managed to escape, granting a new identity for himself with the money he had stolen from Ava. He then made sure he purchased tickets for his mother, who helped him start his life over.

Ava recalled all her tears and the grief she had been filled in after she learned of Peter’s passing.

While she was mourning his death, he was living his life to the fullest. Ava felt betrayed and like the biggest idiot. She started yelling at Peter who was trying to calm her down.

He asked her to enter his home while telling his mother to wait inside the car. Ava was confused, she didn’t know what was the right thing to do, but she was already at a place she had never been to, and didn’t know how to get back to her hotel, so she agreed to get inside the house. But Peter turned violent. He didn’t want his secret exposed. He was aware that if Ava spoke, he would end up in prison, and he had gone a long way to allow something like that to happen. As he was yelling and threatening, he grabbed a heavy object and hit Ava on the head. She lost consciousness, and when she was able to regain it, she realized she was locked in the basement.

Her cries for help couldn’t be heard, and she was losing all her strength. She begged Peter to let her go, convincing him she would never report him to the authorities, but he didn’t trust her.

After a couple of days, Martha entered the basement. She told Ava that she would let her leave if she promised she wouldn’t hurt Peter in any way. All Ava wanted was to get home, she didn’t care about Peter any longer, and she assured Martha that she would never tell anyone that he was alive.

Martha feared her son would get in trouble with Ava in the house, so she let Ava free.

Ava rushed towards Peter’s car and started it. Martha ran after her and told her to get out of the car and walk to the nearest road instead, but Ava drove as fast as she could. Sadly, she was too weak to be able to get far. As she was driving, she felt ill and crushed into a tree. She then lost consciousness and the next thing she remembered was being in the hospital bed, with an officer waiting her to be awake in order to question her about the accident and about Peter, whom they were able to track down thanks to the car’s plates.

“He’s been living with a false identity. Following the alleged plane crash, he took on a new name. We’re still working on putting all the pieces together,” officer Daniels told Ava.

She assured him she truly believed he died in the plane crash, and told him everything she knew.

Her testimony was the first step towards placing Peter in jail.

“The case is complex, but your testimony provides a strong foundation. George is looking at possible prison time for his actions, and Martha is also being investigated for her role as an accomplice.”

Ava felt relieved. She could finally start her life over, leaving the past behind.

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