Standing in front of the lamp, Ashton’s shadow enshrouded my view as though a giant was right in front of me. We used to be one, but our future would depend on his answer.
After a long while, he looked at me with his brows arched in confusion. He placed his hands on my shoulders and announced, “Scarlett, I love you to the extent I have been deceiving myself to forget your identity as the granddaughter of the person who brought upon my parents’ demise. Vengeance used to be the only thing keeping me alive, but your presence has given me a brand new reason to live.”
I returned the favor and placed my hands on his shoulders, replying in a hushed voice, “Can you please put the grudge you held aside for the time being for our family’s sake?”
The only thing keeping us apart was the secrets we had been keeping to ourselves. Since we had let the cat out of the bag, I wished not to allow anything to get in the way of our relationship anymore-neither of us wished to be apart from one another.
Nonetheless, moving on was easier said than done. Ashton, who had been pretty patient, went dead silent.
I refused to give up just yet. I placed his hand on the baby bum[ and uttered softly, “Ashton, Macy is dead, and Jackson is heavily injured. Armond has gotten you over because he wants to figure out if we’re on good terms with one another. If you keep going after him, we’ll all end up dead. Is that really what you want?”
The man before me remained silent. It would be extremely difficult for him to get rid of the pent-up grudge that had built up within him over the past three decades.
Although I was conscious of his feelings, leaving him to hold onto the anger was a risk we as a couple couldn’t take.
I took a deep breath and moved away from him to collect my thoughts. After regaining my composure, I looked at him in the eyes and said, “I know I’m supposed to support you as your wife, but as a mother, I don’t think it’s wise to stay by your side because our children’s lives are at stake. If you insist on exposing us to unnecessary risks, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.”
When I was eighteen-year-old, I married someone who wouldn’t take me seriously. When I was in my mid-twenties, I forsook everything and devoted myself to our relationship. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bear to lose my children when I was in my mid-thirties.
At that point, John couldn’t take it anymore. He yelled, “It’s not up to him anymore! The ones behind the scenes must have been alarmed after we waged war against the Ziegler family. We have reached the point of no return. In short, filing for divorce is the only option available to keep you safe.”
I was reluctant to give up on our marriage that had lasted for a decade, yet John’s words worked like a charm and reminded me of our dire situation. If it was merely a showdown between Ashton and his foes, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Unfortunately, it had morphed into a feud between two families, and that included my children and me.
It was evident Armond, who had gone into hiding and showed up out of nowhere, came prepared. As Ashton had broken Mitchell’s arms and waged war against the Ziegler family because of me, Armond could easily verify my relationship with Ashton. Perhaps he wouldn’t show me any mercy the next time he got his hands on me.
When Cameron and Zachary walked into the foyer, they were startled by the silence in the spacious living room.
“What’s going on?” Cameron, who was quite a distance away, asked before making her way into the living room.
When we heard her innocent question, we snapped out of confusion and snapped back to our senses.
I returned to my seat and massaged my swollen temples, feeling exhausted. “It’s nothing. Why are you guys here in the middle of the night?”
Cameron and Zachary exchanged glances casually. “We’re merely here to visit you and Summer because it has been quite some time since our last meeting.”
It wasn’t the best time to visit. It was evident those were merely excuses they had made up to disguise the actual goal of their visit. Perhaps they had come for Ashton.
Should I consider myself lucky or not? They’re trying to keep me in the dark with Ashton for my sake, yet it feels like I’m the outsider when they’re my biological parents.
“It’s not necessary to keep it from her anymore.” Halfway through his sentence, Ashton turned around and looked at me. “She has already figured out everything on her own.”
Although I was startled by his statement, it was the right thing to do. It would be a waste of time and effort to keep me in the dark when I was already conscious of everything.
