Chapter 7 Disaster bowling
Bradley’s cold gaze locked onto mine, calculating and distant, as Jeff and Hallie trailed behind him, their presence a stark reminder of everything I was losing. Jeff’s frustration was palpable, and Hallie’s smug, lingering presence made my stomach churn. I forced myself to face Bradley again, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to suppress it.
“You know what, Bradley?” I spat, the decision burning through me. “I’m done. We’re finished. Do whatever you want with her. Congratulations on your new arrangement.”
I moved to step past him, but Bradley was faster. He blocked my way, his grip firm on my arm, pulling me back. His jaw clenched,
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5 Trointe
and the look on his face sent a cold shiver down my spine.
“Ashley, what the hell are you talking about?” His voice was low, dangerous, his hand tightening as though he was unwilling to let me leave.
I wrenched my arm from his grasp, locking eyes with him, my breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps as frustration surged within me. “I’m talking about you and Hallie. Every single time she calls, you drop everything. How am I supposed to trust you? She runs your life, Bradley. Not me.”
The air around us grew thick with tension as I continued, words tumbling out of me in a rush I couldn’t control. “Do you even remember what happened two days ago? It was my birthday, Bradley. I asked you to come home early. But what did you do? You
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left. For her.”
His response was a growl, as if that excuse could erase the betrayal. “It was business.”
“Oh, I’m sure it was,” I retorted, my voice sharp, slicing through his feeble justification. “Every ‘business meeting‘ you have with her, I hear about it. But when she calls, you don’t hesitate. You don’t question it. You just go. Drop everything. You act like her damn lapdog, Bradley”
I jabbed a finger into his chest, each. word punctuated with the weight of my disappointment. “And when I ask for just a little bit of your time, I’m the unreasonable one? I’m the one being ‘difficult‘? Maybe the real problem is that I didn’t ask like she does -no demands, no ultimatums.”
Bradley stood frozen, his eyes narrowing
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as my words landed. For once, he was speechless–unable to defend himself. I shifted my attention to Jeff and Hallie. Jeff looked uneasy, caught between stepping in or staying out, while Hallie stood there, her lips curling into a smug little smile. That smile ignited the fury already simmering inside me.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. My voice dropped, cold and dangerous. “You think this is funny, Hallie?”
For a brief second, Hallie’s smirk flickered, but she quickly masked it with a sugary tone. “Ashley, you’re overreacting. There’s nothing between me and Bradley. We’re just handling business, that’s all.”
“You’re right,” I shot back, my voice as icy as the silence between us. “There’s nothing between you and Bradley–at least nothing
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worth saving anymore.”
Finally, Bradley spoke up, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. “Ashley, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” His words were softer than usual, and for just a moment, I felt a flicker of doubt. He rarely apologized, and it almost made me want to believe him.
“Hallie’s like family, you know that.”
I turned to face him, my heart aching but my resolve solid. “It doesn’t matter, Bradley. Whatever she is to you, whatever excuses you make for her, I’m done with this.”
He reached out toward me, but I slapped his hand away, the weight of finality heavy in the air. “Don’t touch me. Don’t come looking for me. We’re finished.”
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- 5 Painte
Without another glance, I spun on my heel and walked away.
I shoved open the back exit of the restaurant, the night air cutting into me like a sharp breath. The sounds of the city buzzed around me, but all I could hear was the frantic thud of my own heartbeat–pounding, not from physical exertion, but from the emotional turmoil threatening to overtake me. As I walked down the street, a few people shot me curious looks, but I didn’t care. Let them talk. Let them gossip.
When I got home, I knew exactly what had to be done. I needed to erase him. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through our photos, each one a reminder of everything I was now walking away from. With each photo I deleted, I felt a bitter sense of relief, as if I were washing away the last remnants of a lie.
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Bradley. Jeff. Hallie. All blocked. They no longer had the power to invade my thoughts, to taint my peace with their casual betrayals. Yet, as I stared at the empty screen, a hollow ache spread through my chest.
Why hadn’t I done this sooner? How had I allowed myself to be so entangled in a relationship with someone who never truly saw me?
With Bradley out of the picture, I threw myself into work, desperate for a distraction. My office had always been my sanctuary, a place of control and order, and right now, I craved that more than anything.
Work became my refuge, my way of drowning out the chaos of my thoughts. I took on project after project, keeping myself so occupied that there was no room for my
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mind to stray back to him. William, my boss at the publishing house, noticed the shift immediately.
“Ashley, you’ve been turning in outstanding work lately. What’s going on with you?” he asked one evening, his voice laced with curiosity and a hint of concern.
I shrugged, forcing a smile. “I’ve just realized how much I love my work. That’s all.”
William studied me for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if he wasn’t entirely convinced. “Well, whatever it is, keep it up. Just make sure you’re not burning yourself out.”
I nodded, though deep down, I knew I was already running on empty–just in a different way. But that didn’t matter. As long as I kept moving, kept pushing, I wouldn’t have to
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think about Bradley, Hallie, or any of it.
Late that evening, long after the office had emptied, I packed up my things, preparing to head home. The silence was heavy, and the darkness outside the windows seemed to echo the emptiness inside me. As I walked toward the door, William’s voice broke through the stillness.
“Hey, Ashley. Need a ride home? It’s late.”
I hesitated for a second, but something in his tone made it clear he wasn’t taking no for an
answer.
“Sure, thanks.”
The drive was quiet, the night air pressing in around us. When we pulled up to my apartment, something felt off. A sleek black sedan was parked across the street, its
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tinted windows hiding its contents. My heart sank. I didn’t need to see his face to know
who it was.
Bradley.
Even from a distance, I could feel his presence, like a shadow lurking in the dark. He was waiting, watching, just as he always did. I clenched my fists, my stomach twisting with a mixture of anger and dread. I didn’t need this–especially not tonight.
“Ashley?” William’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“Yeah. Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled, quickly exiting the car.
As I walked toward my building, I could feel Bradley’s eyes on me, but I refused to look back. Let him wait. Let him wonder. This
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el bowling
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time, I wouldn’t be the one glancing over my shoulder.
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