Louis shot John a glare, hinting him to give Ashton and me some time alone. The others did not say a word after that.
Ashton’s furrowed brows did not relax even after he and I had headed upstairs.
Since he was not in a good mood, I dragged him from our room to the baby room next door.
The nanny stopped playing with the babies when we entered. “Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, the kids are very playful today.”
“That’s great. Thanks for attending to them. We’ll take over from here,” I said.
“Of course,” the nanny replied and left the room promptly.
Gregory held out his hands when he felt I was close. I picked him up and carried him in my arms.
After a few months of diligent care, both children looked healthy and strong.
When I looked at Ashton again, the frown on his face had disappeared, and he was holding Audrey securely in his arms. There was love and gentleness written all over his face as he looked at our daughter.
I let out a sigh of relief at the sight.
Children were the purest beings on earth. They could certainly heal any pain and hurt in the world.
“Ashton,” I called out to him softly. He cast his gaze on me, and our eyes met. “I’m fine,” I continued.
It took him a while to finally understand what I meant.
“I don’t want you to make your life miserable for my sake. Life has already been hard enough for you. I don’t care about the poison, so you don’t have to worry about it. I’m happy to simply have you and the kids by my side. I only want to spend the rest of my life with you and our children.”
A frown played on Ashton’s brows again, but he remained silent.
I avoided his gaze and looked at our children. “You don’t have to take what John said to heart. We can go and live in a place where no one can find us. I’ve already thought about it. None of us owe each other anything, so we should just put all this behind us and live a happy life.”
If we could not face it head-on, we could always run away. There must be a place on earth where Nicolas could not find us. That would be our home.
I might not have much time left, but Gregory and Audrey could still keep Ashton company. They would love him and take care of him.
Both of us had been so busy for the past ten years. We never really had time to slow down and enjoy life.
Just as we were deep in thoughts, the baby girl in Ashton’s arms began mumbling.
Both of our gazes turned towards Audrey simultaneously. Ashton met her gaze, and she broke out in a wide smile, snuggling in his embrace.
This elicited a smile on Ashton’s face, and he held her closer to his face. “I’m here, Audrey. I’ll stay with you and Mommy forever,” he told her in an endearing tone as if Audrey could understand what he was saying.
“You’d better keep your word,” I teased with a smile.
Ashton looked up at me in a determined manner. “When have I ever broken a promise to you? Let’s get ready. We’re going to see the Hall family.”
“What? Why? Aren’t we going into hiding? Are you sure you want to go to the Hall residence?”
“I’m sure,” Ashton said with a warm smile on his face, “You can’t always expect me to be the bigger man. I want to be selfish and greedy this time around. I can’t just go and hide somewhere. I want to keep you by my side for as long as I can. I want to stay with you and the kids. I’m not letting anyone go.”
He drilled his gaze through me, and his tone turned commanding. “Scarlett, you’re not ditching me and running away this time. I’ve endured the past twenty years, and I don’t want to lose you at the end of this journey. I will make sure all the suffering I went through is worth it, so let’s go to the Halls and reclaim the life we’re supposed to have.”
Three days later, we brought the kids and the nanny along to the Halls’ private island.
