CHAPTER TWO

ASHLEY

My chest tightened as I stood there, rooted in place, unable to move or speak. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving me gasping for breath.

Kyle’s head turned, and his eyes met mine. For the briefest moment, there was shock in his expression—followed quickly by something else. Was it guilt? Annoyance? I couldn’t tell, and I wasn’t sure I cared.

The woman noticed me next. Her reaction was far more deliberate. Her initial surprise morphed into a smug smirk as she adjusted herself, making no effort to stop or even feign modesty.

The sound of my heartbeat roared in my ears, drowning out everything else. My hands trembled at my sides, but I didn’t cry. Not yet. Something colder and sharper had settled inside me—a numbness that threatened to crack at any moment.

Kyle bolted upright, shoving the woman off him as he scrambled toward me.

“No! No, freckles, please. I can explain! I’m so sorry—I...” His words tumbled over each other, desperate

“Don’t. Don’t you dare call me that.”

I raised a hand, silencing him. My voice was colder than I thought possible.

His face crumbled, but I didn’t stop.

“Was this why you couldn’t show up tonight? Why you've been so busy?” My voice wavered, but the hurt cut through each word. “God, Kyle. I trusted you.”

He reached for me, his eyes frantic. “Please, it’s not what it looks like. Just listen to me—”

I stepped back, out of his reach. “It’s exactly what it looks like, Kyle. Don’t insult me by pretending otherwise.” My voice broke on the last word, but I wouldn’t let him see me fall apart. Not here.

Out of the corner of my eye, the woman leaned back in the chair Kyle had abandoned, watching the scene unfold with casual amusement. Her gaze flicked to my hand—my left hand. I followed her eyes to the diamond ring glinting under the office lights, the same ring Kyle had placed on my finger when he promised me forever.

I faltered for a split second before I set my jaw and slipped the ring off my finger.

Kyle’s eyes widened in panic. “No, wait—please don’t—”

I dropped it. The diamond hit the floor with a faint clink, and for a moment, the room felt deathly silent.

Then I finally did what I should’ve done a long time ago.

I left.

I turned on my heel and walked out. My vision blurred, but I didn’t care. The stares of his employees barely registered as I stormed through the hallways.

Maybe Kyle was chasing me. Maybe he was calling my name, but I didn’t care. I shoved through the glass doors and into the cold night air, my breaths coming in sharp gasps. It felt like I’d been punched in the gut, the pain radiating through every inch of me.

I reached my car, yanked the door open, and collapsed into the seat. The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over, hot and relentless.

How could this happen?

How could he do this to me?

Through the blur of tears, I caught a glimpse of Kyle’s figure in my rearview mirror. He had followed me outside.

No

Not again.

I don’t want to hear his lies. I’m done.

My hands fumbled for the keys. His voice grew louder, calling my name as he approached. But I didn’t wait.

I reversed out of the parking lot, his shouts echoing in my wake. The tears came harder, faster, as I drove aimlessly through the streets, away from him, away from the betrayal, away from the only home I’d ever known.

I had nowhere to go. Not to my parents'—they weren’t here. And certainly not to Violet’s place—Kyle would know to look there first, and I couldn’t bring myself to burden her with the wreckage of my marriage,when hers is still so lovely

I was alone. Truly alone. For the first time in my life, I had no one to lean on. No one to help me make sense of the mess I was drowning in.

A hotel. I could go to a hotel, stay there until I figured out what the hell to do with my life. Yes, that seemed like the only option.

"I love you more than words can say, Ashley. You're my everything."

"You mean the world to me, and I promise, I'll never hurt you."

"I may not be perfect, but I will spend every day showing you how much I love you."

Those were Kyle's words then. The words that once comforted me now felt like a cruel joke. His voice, the promises, all twisted in my memory, mocking me.

I drove aimlessly,tears blinding me as I sped down the highway. As I turned a corner,my tires screeched and before I could notice,the car swerved and for a moment,I felt weightless,free from the shackles of my heartache. But freedom was short-lived.

The car slammed into the guardrail with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves through my body. The seatbelt dug into my chest, forcing me back into the seat, and the airbag exploded in my face with a loud pop. Pain radiated through my abdomen, sharp and unforgiving, as I tried to move but found myself frozen in place. My mind was a blur, struggling to process what had just happened.

I reached for my phone, but it was buried in the wreckage, out of reach. Panic gripped me as the pain in my lower belly intensified, a cruel reminder that something was terribly wrong. The sound of sirens was distant yet promising, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that rescue was far too late.

Blood trickled down my forehead from a gash, mixing with the tears that flowed freely, blurring my vision. I closed my eyes, feeling the darkness closing in, my breaths shallow and frantic. This could be the end. This might be my end.

But there's something more I could feel. Blood…blood under me,blood around me.

But then, through the haze of my fading consciousness, a voice broke through the silence.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

It was the last thing I heard before I surrendered to the darkness.