Chapter 64
Picking me up, Ashton glanced at Mrs. Eriksen, who had rushed out after hearing the commotion. “Get a cab for Ms. Larson!”
Mrs. Eriksen nodded profusely.
Rebecca, still recovering from the shock, stared at us, her face pale. “Ash,” she implored.
“Go back home,” Ashton told her firmly before carrying me into the villa.
Behind us, I heard Mrs. Eriksen say, “Ms. Larson, here’s your cab.”
Back in the bedroom, Ashton placed me gently on the bed. His gaze lingered on me before he pressed a light kiss to my forehead. “Don’t act recklessly anymore. Otherwise…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he leaned in, and when his cool lips pressed against my shoulder, he left his mark with a deliberate bite. I frowned slightly but said nothing.
After pulling the covers over me, his phone started ringing on the bedside table. I glanced at the screen—it was Rebecca.
Ashton took one look at it but didn’t answer. The phone continued buzzing until it stopped, only for a message to appear moments later:
Ash, please don’t leave me alone. After losing my brother, you’re the only one I have.
A bitter smile threatened to form on my lips, but a lump lodged itself in my throat, making it impossible.
Ashton saw the text, too. He didn’t reply. Instead, he picked up a cigarette and walked onto the balcony, smoking in silence.
Perhaps I was exhausted from the earlier incident because I soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Thunder rumbled ominously when I woke up. I had assumed the rain had stopped, but outside, the storm raged on, lightning flashing ominously across the sky. The bedroom felt emptier than usual.
I switched on the lamp, scanning the room. Ashton was nowhere to be found, though the balcony bore evidence of his presence with the scattered cigarette stubs.
He wasn’t in the bedroom, so I got up, barefoot, and made my way out. Perhaps he was in his study.
But I was too naive.
Downstairs, in the dim glow of the living room, Rebecca stood drenched, her soaked dress clinging to her frail frame. Her large eyes were locked onto Ashton, pleadingly.
“Go back home,” Ashton said, clearly exasperated.
“No!” Rebecca smiled, a fragile, helpless curve of her lips. “You know I’m afraid of thunder.”
Her drenched form made her seem even more delicate, fragile as glass.
After a long silence, Ashton relented. “Go take a shower.”
Rebecca nodded but hesitated. “I don’t have any clean clothes here.”
“Your clothes from before are still in the guest room,” Ashton replied casually.
I stood silently at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Rebecca disappeared into the guest room.
I scoffed inwardly. This villa was meant to be a family home—a place George had prepared in case Ashton and I had children. But that day seemed further away than ever.
I hadn’t even realized when Rebecca had moved her clothes in.
How ridiculous.
A sudden shriek echoed from the guest room. “Ah!”
Ashton frowned, his body tensing as he took a step forward. But then he hesitated, his gaze shifting to me at the top of the stairs. “You’re awake?”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “She’s hurt. You should check on her.”
His brows furrowed. “Scarlett—”
“Go,” I insisted.
I couldn’t make him love me. But I had no right to stop him from loving someone else, did I?
Without waiting for his response, I turned back to the bedroom. The storm raged outside, wind howling against the windows. I stepped onto the balcony, allowing the rain to drench me. The cold seeped into my bones, but my heart felt numb.
I collapsed to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself as silent tears streamed down my face.
Fairy tales didn’t exist in the real world.
No one could save me. No one owed me salvation. I had to endure this pain on my own.
After a while, my head grew heavy, and my body trembled from the cold. Yet, the physical discomfort paled in comparison to the ache in my chest.
Footsteps sounded from behind me.
I lifted my head slightly, and there Ashton stood, his face livid with anger.
“Is it fun to torture me?”
I blinked up at him, my lips parting slightly. “Are you happy?”
He exhaled sharply before scooping me up into his arms. “Scarlett, there are responsibilities I can’t turn away from. Don’t use yourself and our child to punish me.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “I wasn’t trying to punish you,” I whispered. “The pain was just too much to bear.”
He carried me into the bathroom, turning on the warm water. Without a word, he began undressing me, his expression unreadable.