Ashton pulled me into his arms and revealed in a husky voice. “For the past four years, I’ve always jolted awake at night alone. Once, I dreamt that you stopped breathing right by my side. After waking up in shock, I drove to J City and circled the city for the night before returning to K City the next day.”
I stiffened in shock. Looking at his features, I felt my heart twisting in pain.
A smile flitted across his lips. “When I ran into you in R Province, I was prepared to spend my entire life there. Remember the first night I spent at your house? I woke up at midnight and sneaked into your bedroom. To confirm you’re still alive, I checked for your breath before leaving.”
Never in my wildest dreams had I expected that Ashton would reveal his deepest and darkest secrets to me one day.
My heart clenched painfully as I struggled to breathe.
After a period of silence, I finally found my voice and uttered softly, “I’m sorry!”
The past four years had salvaged me, but it was a nightmare for him.
I would be lying if I said I’ve never missed him. There were instances where I woke up late at night as his figure and my child’s bloody flesh plagued my dreams. The memories and anguish were too much for me, so I kept everything buried deep down.
Those who suffered from depression wouldn’t have a full recovery, but as long as my mind was clear, I’d protect my loved ones without hesitation.
The scandal remained. After all, the reporters wouldn’t back down as it involved two influential companies. Both Ashton and Marcus were well aware of that fact.
That afternoon, the sun appeared all of a sudden. It seemed that it was about to snow in K City soon.
I sat in the lounge trying to read a book. However, I was worried about Hannah as John hadn’t replied to my text.
Putting the book down, I glanced at Ashton who was buried in work. I went to him and leaned on his broad shoulders.
Sensing his delight, I stated, “Ashton, I’d like to visit Hannah at the hospital.”
He came to a stop and offered, “Let’s do that tomorrow.”
He was clearly worried about my safety.
However, I refused to stay here and do nothing. “I insist on going today!” With that, I rose to my feet stubbornly.
He flashed a warm smile. “It’s cold outside—”
“You know how unreliable John is. Hannah had just given birth to his baby, so I’m the baby’s aunt. You’re the baby’s uncle. I’m free now. As long as I wear a mask and put on sunglasses, no one will notice me. I’ll be fine.” I told him honestly. Indeed, I didn’t know how John would treat Hannah now.
I couldn’t imagine how Hannah would feel if he wasn’t with her right now.
Ashton said nothing, so I thought he would refuse. I was about to convince him when he agreed.
“The bodyguards will go with you. Don’t go anywhere else, and I’ll pick you up later.”
Delighted, I nodded profusely. “Okay!”
I exited Fuller Corporation through the back door and got into my car, surrounded by the bodyguards. It was too ostentatious, but I knew Ashton wouldn’t allow me to leave his side if I refused to bring the bodyguards along.
At the hospital, I ran into Kristina.
Half of her face was covered by the sunglasses, but I recognized her immediately from her outfit.
We weren’t exactly friends, so we could’ve crossed paths without greeting each other.
Nevertheless, when she walked past me, her lips parted to utter a crude comment. “B*tch!”
How annoying.
I came to a stop and turned to look at her. “Ms. Ludwick.”
She swiveled around and met my gaze. I couldn’t see her expression under the sunglasses.
“Ms. Ludwick, do you know why Ashton won’t take another look at you even though you’ve become Jared’s girlfriend?”
People used to say if we got bitten by a dog, we couldn’t bite it back. The only thing we could do was to stay away from it to prevent from another misfortune.
But why couldn’t we kill the dog? After all, the dog would continue to snarl and bite every person who came to it. Hence, it would be best to deal with it once and for all.
As I had struck a sore spot, Kristina blew up. “That’s none of your business!”
“Why is it none of my business? You’ve in love with my husband.” I wasn’t that petty, but she had vented her anger on me. I couldn’t sit by and let her have her way. Gazing at her coolly, I remarked, “Ms. Ludwick, you should go home and reflect on yourself. Some things belong to you, and some don’t. You can be ambitious, but please don’t cross the line. You’ll end up ruining your own reputation.”
I knew she had harbored feelings for Ashton since that dinner four years ago. She schemed her way up and successfully became Ashton’s secretary.
