Although I made it up that Joseph’s ears would flinch, his hesitance had betrayed him entirely.
Inwardly, I knew that Joseph was loyal to Ashton and refused to reveal anything to me because Ashton warned him against it. Well, both the master and the subordinate are stubborn. I don’t think Joseph will say anything even if I torture him.
Besides, since we had let go of the past, I thought I could persuade Ashton to open his heart to me.
“Fine, fine. I’ll let you go this time. Get in.”
After Joseph left, I returned to my room and sat on the couch for a while.
When Ashton came out of the bathroom, I looked up at him and saw that he only covered the lower part of his body with a towel. I reckoned he would then put on some clothes to cover his body.
However, when Ashton saw that I stared at him, he narrowed his eyes and grinned with naughty intentions. “I have reasons to believe that you’re hinting something at me.”
As his wife, I certainly knew what was on his mind when he glanced at me that way.
Just as expected, Ashton walked toward the wardrobe once he finished.
“You wish!” I immediately dismissed his naughty thought.
At that moment, it came to my mind that I had never seen Ashton change his clothes for a long time. Apart from the fact that he always came home late, we rarely spent time with each other in these years. Perhaps that was also why I only noticed his gunshot scar earlier on.
With that, I stood up and followed him to the wardrobe. Then, I leaned against the door frame and scanned him without embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Ashton saw that I came closer when he put on his pants.
When we were young, it was difficult for us to look into each other’s eyes. As we grew older, we got used to it and felt comfortable about it. Pursing my lips, I didn’t show any emotions. At that moment, all I cared about was the scar on Ashton’s left knee.
Meanwhile, Ashton looked into my eyes and realized that I was gazing at his left leg. In no time, he could tell that I had noticed the secret that he had buried deep in his heart for many years.
Inwardly, I had to admit that Ashton didn’t hide it from me purposely. On the contrary, I didn’t notice his scar earlier because I didn’t care enough for him.
I didn’t ask Ashton right away, for I wished to find out if he was serious about our promise—we had to open our hearts to one another.
Although Ashton wouldn’t deliberately keep his secrets from me, he wouldn’t take the initiative to tell me either. After all, he wouldn’t tell me about the unpleasant things that he went through. Despite that, I thought it was time for Ashton to confess his feelings.
As they said, the first step is always the hardest.
“Back then, you were kidnapped when you carried our first kid. I received news from K City that the truth about my parents’ accidental death had come to light. When I rushed to the city, I was ambushed and shot in the leg. Although Zachary’s subordinates successfully rescued me, I still spent two months lying on the bed.”
Ashton sounded relaxed, as though he was talking about someone else. Besides, there was a sense of self-mockery in his tone.
It felt piercingly painful to me when I recalled what happened back then. Apart from the despair over losing my kid, I had not forgotten about the two months when I was unconscious.
During the darkest time in my life, I felt depressed because Ashton was absent when I needed him the most. I didn’t feel any better even though many people cared about me, to a certain extent that I was reluctant to mention his name for a long time.
Back then, Ashton was overwhelmed by vengeance. Despite the possibility of falling into a trap, he willingly risked his life to seek revenge and neglected the baby and me.
Since we had eventually walked out of the bitter past together, I believed we ought not to be entangled in it ever again.
“Needless to say, Rebecca was the one who took care of you for two months. That was why you wanted to repay her kindness by agreeing to marry her.” I put on a faint smile and teased him.
Upon hearing that, Ashton shrugged and didn’t answer my question directly. “Well, it’s not the whole story. She always cried and even threatened to commit suicide, and I wasn’t strong-willed enough to reject her. Besides, I had no other choice because I owed Parker. Anyway, since we were only engaged, any of us could back out anytime.”
“Hmph—” I snorted in disdain and said sarcastically, “Well, it seems that I lost back then because I wasn’t coquettish enough.”
