The Secrets We Bury

Carter mansion stood constructed entirely of gleaming glass and crude steel but its foundation rested precariously on dark obscure secrets. Every polished floor hid whispers of past darkness beneath ornate chandeliers and vibrant painted walls in surprisingly quiet opulent rooms. Ava felt like one of those hush-hush secrets carefully curated beneath surface tension trembling quietly just beneath gilded narrative facades. She stood rather rigidly in front of a nursery Ethan had started preparing with considerable enthusiasm and laborious attention. Pale blue wallpaper adorned walls with clouds and stars frolicking across its surface quite vibrantly under soft dim lighting. Baby clothes lay folded rather neatly inside dresser drawers while a crib stood awkwardly half-built in that one corner. Ava harbored weighty feelings inside that had nothing whatsoever to do with child she was carrying. Fear lurked beneath each step forward in this house dragging her deeper into labyrinthine deceit slowly. Test was thoroughly done yesterday. Results would surface slowly in a matter of several days. Truth would either implode whole existence or set her free suddenly with profound consequences afterwards in utter chaos. Zayn lounged quietly in his penthouse office with glass windows giving a hazy view of city skyline at dusk. Today his gaze wasn't sidetracked by view outside. His phone buzzed frenetically with calls from clients and lawyers and partners yet none of that stuff really mattered at all. One thing mattered deeply and that was a child standing alone somehow. He'd oftentimes vaguely convinced himself that having a family wasn't something he desperately needed or even truly desired somehow. Everything had seeped into his psyche bitterly his parents' marriage frosty as a morgue his brother's treachery still rankling and Ava vanishing without warning. He had acquired a stake in a life that wasn't exactly part of his original blueprint. He had perplexing queries that only Ava could possibly decipher accurately. What prompted her rather sudden and somewhat inexplicable union with Ethan? Why didn't she just show up at his place anyway? Why did his heart still throb painfully whenever gazing at her with lingering affection amidst considerable emotional turmoil? Ethan took Ava out rather surreptitiously for dinner that evening as a complete surprise. Upscale restaurant ambiance reigned supreme on secluded candlelit terrace surrounded by lush greenery and soft luminescence under starry night sky. He played a flawless spouse effortlessly charming her with tender gestures holding her hand with practiced gentle affection.“You’ve been quiet,” he said, pouring her sparkling water. “Everything okay?”

She nodded. “Just tired.”

He studied her. “Do you regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“This marriage.”

Ava’s breath caught. He said you've been mighty quiet pouring her a glass of fizzy water.“Everything okay?” She nodded hesitantly with eyes downcast.“I made my choice,” she said.

He gazed at her intently. She looked utterly drained.“That’s not an answer.”

She reached for her drink. “I don’t think anything in life is that simple.”

He tapped his fingers on the table. “You’ve been seeing Zayn.”

She froze.

“I saw the call. Do you regret it? Regret what exactly? This wretched marriage apparently. Ava's breath caught in her throat suddenly.“I didn’t lie to you. She felt like ground beneath table had sort of vanished suddenly from under her.“No.”

Ethan’s eyes turned darker. “What does he want from you?”

“He wants the truth.”

“And what about you, Ava? She managed a rather subdued smile nonetheless. She declared her decision pretty firmly and with considerable finality afterwards. He leaned forward awkwardly onto one elbow. She reached rather languidly for her drink and muttered under her breath that's not really an answer at all.“I’m going home.”

Later that night, Ethan sat in his study, swirling a glass of bourbon. He drummed fingers rapidly on a nearby table. Life rarely unfolds in straightforward ways he thought suddenly. She stood stock still upon hearing accusation that you had been secretly meeting Zayn. I saw a call eerily hovering nearby. Ava looked up slowly. I didn't fib or deceive you terribly. She lingered uncertainly and I sensed she hadn't obtained it. I recalled telling her about needing some sort of closure desperately. And did she get it afterwards somehow? Ethan's eyes turned a shade darker suddenly. What does he want from you?

He wants truth anyway.

And what about Ava now? She opened her mouth but words stubbornly refused to emerge. What she yearned for existed only vaguely in her mind and wasn't feasible under existing circumstances. Her deepest desires had been obliterated already by forces beyond her control somehow. She rose very suddenly from amidst shadows. Ethan sat in his dimly lit study very late that night swirling bourbon in a glass. Fireplace crackled loudly but his mind remained frostily sharp as ice inside his skull. Years were spent by him meticulously crafting a life that was pretty much flawless in every single regard. A pretty flawless spouse exists quietly somewhere. A flawless representation exists somewhere.“You look like the kind of girl who reads the ending first,” he’d said.

“I don’t,” she had replied. “I like to suffer through the middle.”

He had laughed. “Then you’re the brave kind.”

But that girl no longer existed.

Zayn his older brother turned rogue was now threatening it all with a certain reckless abandon quite suddenly. Ethan yanked open a drawer in his cluttered desk and pulled out a rather thick file rapidly. Ava figured she was alone in concealing some deeply personal secret rather quietly.“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“No.”

He rested a hand gently on her shoulder and joined her beside the flickering lamp post outside.“I was thinking,” he said. “Let’s get away. He said I was thinking. Let's get away quickly from here. Just us two alone.“We need to reconnect. Silence fell suddenly. Ava just sat there unmoving. Baby's arrival loomed ominously. Gently he pressed his lips softly against her tangled locks. Reconnecting seems sorely needed now. Ava whispered huskily do you recall why we started this. Ethan remained silent. Fragments of memory floated obscured beneath his gaze. Zayn stood pacing in his balcony pretty high up across city streets.“Hello?”

A voice on the other end. “Mr. Carter. His phone vibrated loudly on the worn wooden table beside him.“We ran the test three times to confirm. Somebody's calling from a hidden number with utmost secrecy. He responded rather quietly with an answer. A strange voice crackled on other end of line hesitantly murmuring hello. Mr. Carter stood quietly. Breathing stopped suddenly in his chest. We ran a test thrice already for confirmation purposes. His heart stopped suddenly down deep inside. Pounding commenced suddenly with extreme ferocity. He utterly failed to thank caller afterwards. She didn't slam down receiver right away and instead held it limply in her hand for a few awkward seconds. He stood there quietly absorbing silence that followed his sentence. He became a father quite suddenly overnight in rather unusual circumstances. Ava harbors inside her a child his.“Zayn—”

“It’s mine,” he said. “Don’t lie. Ethan remained utterly clueless about the situation.“You can’t be here.”

“I can’t not be here. Zayn showed up uninvited at Carter mansion next morning.“Is this a bad time?”

Ethan stood in the doorway, calm, composed.

Butler attempted stopping him quite vigorously behind closed doors. He barely seemed bothered at all.“You knew?”

Ethan smiled. “Not officially. He stormed furiously through house until finding her curled up with book in sunroom very quietly and utterly absorbed.“Stop. She looked up suddenly with a startled expression on her face.“He doesn’t deserve you, Ava.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “And you do?”

“I never lied to her.”

Ethan’s smile vanished. “You didn’t have to. He said it's mine abruptly. Stop uttering falsehoods right now very quietly.“Go. Please.”

He looked at her. “Say the word. She stood with her face deathly pale.“You’re already fighting the wrong battle.”

And with that, Zayn turned and left.

You're not supposed to be here. I literally can't not exist in this precise location right now somehow. I possess a certain right.

You'll ruin everything!

Everything was ruined utterly that day you abandoned me for him.

A voice sliced through their argument like shards of ice. Ethan stood in doorway remarkably calm and utterly composed. He asked if this was a really bad time. Extremely hazardous situations can unfold suddenly and without much warning often resulting in catastrophic outcomes mercilessly. Zayn turned slowly underneath flickering fluorescent lights.

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