Chapter 5
Lila handed the man his promised five hundred thousand dollars, satisfied.
Clinging to Ethan Campbell’s arm, she returned to the center of the ballroom, the crowd naturally following
in their wake.
Wherever they went, they drew every eye–bathed in attention, wrapped in praise.
No one noticed Ashley, still crumpled in the bed of cacti.
No one noticed even when she passed out.
It was a janitor who eventually found her and called an ambulance.
It took several hours to remove the thorns from her body. There wasn’t a single patch of uninjured skin
left.
When she woke up, the first thing she heard was the nurse’s concerned voice.
“Miss Whitmore, were you assaulted? Do you need us to call the police? You’re pregnant, by the way. Thankfully, the baby’s okay.”
“Pregnant?” Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. She repeated the word, a sharp mix of ache and disbelief
twisting in her chest.
She had been married to Ethan for almost two years. She had always wanted a child with him. Ethan had
even picked out names already.
Regardless of the gender, the nickname would be “Love“-short for “Love Ashley.”
But now that the child was here, there wasn’t a trace of joy in her heart.
“Six weeks along,” the nurse confirmed softly. “Would you like me to contact the baby’s father?”
“No need,” Ashley murmured, her eyes reddening.
“The baby’s father is gone. No one’s waiting for this child.”
“What pregnancy?” Ethan’s voice cut through the room like a blade, startling both Ashley and the nurse.
She looked up in alarm.
He was dressed in a white suit, two buttons undone at the collar. The Y tattoo on his chest stung her eyes. His brows were furrowed, his dark eyes cold and irritated.
Chapter 5
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“You’re pregnant? I haven’t laid a hand on you in forever.”
“The nurse was talking about the woman in the next bed. She told me to keep quiet,” Ashley replied quickly, giving the nurse a pleading glance. The nurse understood and quietly stepped away.
Ethan visibly relaxed.
He walked over to her bedside, a document in his hand.
“Until you sign this, you’re still mine. If I catch even a whiff of betrayal, you walk away with nothing.”
Ashley’s chest ached at his words.
She took the file. A bank card slipped out.
And so did her tears.
He said he hadn’t touched her… but just days ago, he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
That was the last night he came home.
He had looked just like the man she married–bursting through the door, unable to wait, pinning her to the wall and taking her right there in the entryway.
In that dizzying moment, he had clung to her, whispering her name over and over.
“Ash… Ash, stay with me…”
He held her as if begging for his life. She had been so frightened by his desperation that she kept asking if something had happened.
He said nothing.
Just kept holding her, again and again, like he couldn’t bear to let go.
She had thought it was love–a wordless confession torn straight from his soul.
But now… he wouldn’t even admit it happened.
Her heart tightened, aching so badly she could hardly breathe.
“I added another half million. Consider it compensation for how Lila treated you. Sign the settlement. I
don’t want any scandals about her.”
“I know how you–you’ve always been the type to settle scores when the dust has long settled,” Ethan said
sternly, changing the subject.
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Ashley’s hands froze. She looked up at him, her vision blurry with tears. His words pierced her like a blade.
A memory flashed through her mind–back when she was treating a young boy with autism. Ethan had been waiting in the lobby when the boy suddenly began to cry. A panicked parent slapped Ethan across the face.
Ashley had filed a report and pressed charges. She demanded an apology for Ethan.
Back then, Ethan had held her tightly, kissed her, and told her she was the most caring, loyal woman he had ever met.
And now? He used that same incident to accuse her of being vindictive and petty.
Ashley gripped the pen tightly. Her knuckles turned white as she forced herself to swallow the pain.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Campbell,” she said quietly.
“I’ve changed. I won’t trouble you–or Miss Bennett–ever again.”
Because she didn’t love him anymore.
She would never waste so much as a heartbeat on him again. She would leave soon–and never come
back.
She signed her name at the bottom of the agreement and handed it back.
When their eyes met–hers calm and repressed–Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. Something about her expression unsettled him.
Had he gone too far?
After all, she had once saved his life.
Maybe… just maybe, he’d let her linger in his world a while longer.
Chapter 5
