John was the one who helped me out of depression back then. On the other hand, Ashton’s salvation came a bit too late.
After pondering over it, I thought it was better late than never. After all, many people were entrenched in their toxic mindset and couldn’t escape from it. In comparison, both of us were considered lucky to be blessed by God.
Meanwhile, Ashton felt a little uneasy and embarrassed as I stared at him. Nevertheless, he pretended to be cold and said, “Joseph is aging and suffering from memory problems. I don’t blame him.”
It seemed to me that Ashton had acquired another skill acquired by most married men—lying through their teeth.
I crossed my arms, behaving like I wouldn’t let him go until I got an answer. Then, I narrowed my eyes and glared at him as though I was telling him that I wouldn’t believe his nonsense.
After scanning me from head to toe, Ashton rested his forehead on his palm and laughed aloud. “I can’t hide anything from you now.”
Ashton then placed his arms on his waist and heaved a long sigh. Then, he beckoned at me with his finger smilingly and said, “I’ll tell you everything. Come here.”
Knowing that I got my way, I wasn’t in a rush and refused to do as he said right away. Instead, I merely raised my eyebrows and shrugged. I wouldn’t move an inch if he didn’t give me a satisfying answer.
In the end, Ashton had no choice but to explain everything.
“On the same day you were abducted, there was a guest in Rebecca’s birthday party who knew my parents’ whereabouts. Since he left the party midway, I rushed over but was ambushed. The Moore family’s subordinates rescued me.”
Ashton paused for a while and continued, “Back then, Dad thought Rebecca was his biological daughter, and so he wanted me to get engaged with Rebecca to repay him. He felt humiliated after I refused. When I was about to leave, he shot me in the left knee with a gun. Hence, I had no choice but to rest in the Moore residence under their surveillance.”
Although Ashton remained composed, I noticed that he instinctively moved his body a bit as he talked.
Perhaps worrying that I wouldn’t believe him, Ashton added, “My knee was shot, but the nerves on my leg were not injured. Since Dad loved his daughter so much, he wouldn’t be heartless enough to cripple me. That is also why I can still stand and walk before you now. After that, problems came one after another, and your emotions were rather volatile. Hence, I chose not to bring it up for the time being.”
With that, Ashton went on in a self-mocking manner. “Since I brought everything upon myself, I wouldn’t mind if I were to become a cripple. At the very least, I can treat it as my redemption.”
Immediately, I knew that he wished to seek redemption for our first kid—Macy.
It was perhaps true that Ashton was stubborn and obsessed with seeking revenge. However, no one knew that Ashton was under immense torture deep down.
Also, no one could foresee the terrible consequences that a wrong decision could bring about to others. Since we had come so far, I believed God wanted us to cherish our future instead of punishing ourselves with the past.
After taking a deep breath, I tiptoed toward him and kissed his lips gently.
Instantly, Ashton was stunned as though he was struck by lightning. A few seconds later, he lifted his arm and touched his lips.
“Consider it a small prize.” Gazing at him, I grinned and said, “I’m rewarding you for opening your heart to me. Mr. Fuller, expect more rewards to follow when you’ve finally reconciled yourself to letting go of the past.”
Ashton opened his heart to me not because he failed to hide his secrets. On the contrary, he chose not to hide them from me anymore.
None of us could claim that we didn’t do anything wrong in the past. Hence, I believed we didn’t have the right to put someone under torture permanently. Instead, we could choose to let go of the past and embrace each other.
I competed with Rebecca and resented Ashton in the past. However, it turned out that I gained nothing from it. Now, I knew that nothing could change if we refused to free ourselves from the chains of the past. Instead, we ought to calm ourselves down and treat our loved ones gently and sincerely.
