A few weeks later

You look down at the mail in your hands. Bills, junk, a flyer for a new steakhouse. But one letter is different. It's a crisp white envelope with a logo embossed in the corner, the county courthouse. Your heart gives a little lurch. You rip it open.

It's not what you expected. It's not a subpoena or a warrant. It's an invitation for the mayor Masquerade ball that's happening this upcoming weekend. It looks like a golden ticket out of this suburban nightmare. A chance to be someone else for a night.

The thought of Ava in a formal gown, the elegant lines of her body, the way she holds a glass of champagne. The thought of Kyler and Jason, cleaning up nice for once, seeing them through the eyes of strangers, not as the messy, complicated kids you live with, but as the handsome, charming offspring of a power couple. It's a shot of pure fantasy right there in the kitchen. Jason with his girlfriend and your daughters looking pretty in their dresses make you smile.

The memory of that computer screen. Fuck that, fuck cheating. This is better. Classier. You can have your escape without the degradation. You can pretend without ever having to touch the flame.

You stride out the back door into the late afternoon sun. Ava is in the garden, on her knees, weeding a bed of petunias. Dirt smudges her cheek, her hair is pulled back messily, and she's never looked more beautiful.

"Hey," you say, holding up the invitation with a flourish. "Look what we got."

She takes it, her brow furrowed in concentration as she reads. A slow smile spreads across her face. "You're kidding me. A masquerade ball? At the mayor's mansion? That's..." She looks up at you, her eyes sparkling with a light you haven't seen in months. "That's amazing."

"Right?" you say, grinning back. "The kids can get dressed up like up standing citizens. We can have a real night out. Be us as a big happy family."

"Be us," she repeats, and the words hang in the air between you. She looks down at the invitation, then back at you, her expression softer. "Okay. Yes. Let's do it. You'll look so dashing honey."

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