CHAPTER FIVE
KYLE
The universe has a twisted sense of humor. First, my therapist decided to shift my appointment from the usual calm of early morning to the chaos of late night. Annoying, but manageable. What I wasn’t prepared for was stumbling across someone I hadn’t seen in two years.
Ashley.
It had been two years. Two long years of silence, regret, and a void I couldn’t fill no matter how hard I tried. And now here she was, standing just a few feet away, as if time had folded in on itself and placed her back where she used to belong—in my orbit.
She hadn’t changed much. Those same fiery eyes I used to get lost in, the graceful frame that once felt like it was made for me. But there was something else too, a guardedness in the way she held herself, a weight in her expression that hadn’t been there before. It made my chest tighten in ways I didn’t expect.
I froze for a second, caught between disbelief and the overwhelming urge to close the distance between us.
I wanted to say something. Anything. Her name, a question, an apology. But my throat tightened, locking the words inside me.
She finally averted her gaze…I should say something, anything but I couldn't bring myself to talk till she turned away and headed back in.
What was she doing here? Why now?
I scrubbed a hand down my face, exhaling hard as I tried to gather my thoughts. Oh, she was probably here for Violet. Of course. She gave birth recently. That made sense.
But the thought of her being back in New York—of her being so close—sent my thoughts spiraling.
Two years hadn’t dulled the guilt or the longing. Seeing her again had only sharpened them.
Shaking my head, I locked the car and headed into the hospital for my therapy session. If there was ever a night I needed it, this was it.
““...and while progress takes time, you’ve been consistent, which is commendable, Mr. Blackwood. Have you noticed any changes in how you approach high-pressure situations?”
Dr Harper's words barely registered, fading into a blur as my thoughts wandered. My mind had no space for corporate pressures tonight—not when a certain redhead with hazel eyes was still burned into my vision.
“Mr. Blackwood?”
The sharpness of her voice jolted me out of my spiraling thoughts. My gaze snapped to hers, and I forced a nod, adjusting my posture. “I’m with you,” I lied.
She arched a brow, clearly unconvinced, but continued anyway. “As I was saying, the need to control every outcome is often rooted in fear—fear of failure, fear of vulnerability. You’ve worked hard to recognize those patterns. But have you taken a moment to consider how letting go of that control might feel?”
Letting go of control. I almost laughed at the irony. I couldn’t even control my own thoughts tonight, let alone the ache that seeing Ashley had reignited.
I shifted in my chair, uncomfortable with where this conversation was heading. “Control is… important. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. Letting go isn’t an option for me.”
Dr. Harper’s gaze softened slightly, but there was still a quiet insistence in her voice. “I understand that it’s difficult. But when everything in your life feels like it’s slipping away, you might find that loosening your grip can lead to a greater sense of freedom, even if it’s uncomfortable at first.”
I rubbed my hands together. I knew what she meant. I knew it was a common topic our therapy—letting go of control, surrendering to things beyond our reach. But it felt like a distant idea to me, something I couldn’t afford. “I’ve already lost too much,” I muttered, more to myself than her. “I don’t have the luxury of letting go.”
Her pen scratched against the paper, her eyes not leaving mine. “You’ve mentioned before that you’ve had trouble… letting go of important people to save your business. Is it still it?”
Her voice droned on but I couldn’t focus. All I could see was Ashley’s face. The way her lips parted, like she was going to say something but chose silence instead. The way her eyes—once so familiar and warm—were now shuttered and distant.
Why the hell was she back? Why now?
“Mr. Blackwood.”
I blinked, realizing the room had gone quiet. Dr. Harper’s expression was patient but pointed.
“Apologies,” I muttered, dragging a hand down my face. “Long day.”
She nodded, her pen tapping lightly against the edge of her notepad. “Sometimes, long days bring old wounds to the surface. Would you like to explore that?”
“Not tonight.” My response was immediate.
Dr. Harper didn’t push, her gaze steady as she made a note. “Very well. We can pause here. But remember—the more you avoid difficult emotions, the more power they hold over you.”
She wrapped up the session as I nodded along mechanically. By the time I stepped out into the crisp night air, her advice was already fad
The only thing holding power over me tonight was Ashley.
My phone buzzed in my pocket interrupting my train of thought. Pulling it out, I saw my assistant’s name flashing on the screen.
“Blackwood,” I answered, my voice sharper than I intended.
“Sir,” he began, the excitement in his tone unmistakable, “I just got word—the deal with Lexington Industries went through. It’s official. We’re back in the game.”
For a moment, I let the words sink in. A deal I’d spent months chasing, a deal that had the power to stabilize everything I’d worked for, had finally come through.
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips, faint but real. I had known it would work out. Atlas had reassured me it would.
Atlas…
When my company was drowning in financial ruin, and all the options seemed to slip away, I was approached by her. She was well-connected, charming even, with promises of resources that would pull us out of the red and back into profitability. But there was a cost—one I didn’t want to pay.
She coerced me into crossing a line I swore I would never cross.
To secure the deal, I had to sleep with her.
And so, I did.
It wasn’t the man I wanted to be, but in that moment, I saw no other option. I couldn’t let Blackwood Enterprises crumble. Not when I had worked my whole life to build it, to make it something solid. I couldn’t make the same mistake my father had made—failing, losing everything.
So I took the deal even when it meant losing her.
It was a price I had to pay. A price I had already paid. The loss of the woman I had loved more than anything. Ashley.