Chapter 25
The next morning, Jake stood by the window and waved Ashton over. “Ashton! Hey, come here. Is that Giselle down there?”
Toothbrush still in his mouth, Ashton froze. He bit down slightly, shuffled over to the window, and looked outside.
Sure enough, there Giselle was, confidently standing downstairs, waiting.
Despite knowing she couldn’t possibly see him from up there, Ashton felt a little shy for some reason.
Jake, standing beside him, smirked as he commented like a seasoned gossip, “Damn, what a hopeless romantic, showing up bright and early just to see her boyfriend.
“What did you do to her, Ashton? You’ve gotta teach me sometime, man. Seriously!”
As soon as he said that, he burst into laughter, and Ashton’s face turned beet red.
Ashton quickly changed the subject, mumbling, “Hey, why don’t you come grab breakfast with us later? We can head to the studio after.”
Jake grabbed a loaf of bread off the table and took a huge, exaggerated bite before saying, “No, thank you. I’m not gonna be the third wheel while you two lovebirds make googly eyes at each other.
“I’ve got stuff to do later anyway.”
At that, Ashton could only watch him go, He hastily washed up, changed his clothes, and strode toward Giselle.
“What brings you here so early today?”
Giselle looked at him with bright, unwavering eyes. “Woke up early–didn’t have anything to do. So… I came to see you.”
In truth, she hadn’t slept a wink the entire night. Not because she wasn’t tired, but because she was afraid.
Afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would wake up and realize everything had just been a dream.
So, before the sky even began to tum bright, she had rushed over, just to see Ashton a little sooner and make sure it was all real.
After breakfast, she walked him to the front door of his studio.
Ashton had been in a great mood…. until a woman stepped in front of him at the door, instantly dragging him back into reality.
“Hi, Mr. Gill. My name is Victoria Huxley, Claire’s friend. She’s been in a car accident, and I thought you should visit her. You two have dated for so many years, and it’s only right for you to do so, right?”
Though Victoria’s tone sounded polite, her stance made it clear–if he didn’t agree to go to the hospital today, she wasn’t planning to leave.
Given how everything had affected the studio, the last thing Ashton wanted was more unnecessary drama. He just wanted to put an end to this once and for all.
“Alright. I’ll come with you,” he said.
Victoria visibly relaxed, even letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
So, he wasn’t as heartless as he pretended to be, after all. In her mind, he must’ve regretted his decision and been too proud to admit it. Now, with the perfect excuse, he could finally reconnect with Claire.
On the way to the hospital, Victoria kept talking, trying to chip away at him with carefully chosen words.
“Every couple argues sometimes. It’s normal! There’s no such thing as a perfect relationship, right? Why let things get so ugly?
“You two have been through so much together. That kind of bond isn’t easy to find. Don’t throw it away over one rough patch. You should really cherish what you have.”
Victoria talked nonstop the entire ride. Every word and sentence was aimed at one thing–getting Ashton to take Claire back
However, Ashton said nothing. He simply sat in silence, eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.
When they finally stepped into the hospital ward, Claire was lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The moment she saw Ashton, a flicker of hope lit up in her
eyes.
“Oh, Ash. I knew you didn’t mean those words! There’s no way you could’ve fallen for someone else. Anyway, once I recover, we’ll get married, okay? I promise I’ll be good to you-”
The next second, Ashton shattered her delusion.
“When did I say I was going to marry you? If I remember correctly, you’re still not divorced from Curtis. The only reason I came here today was to make one thing clear.”
He stated, “Stop showing up in my life. I’ve moved on; I have a new life now. I don’t want any more ties to you.”
With that, he turned without hesitation, ready to leave. Before he could reach the door, a few of Claire’s friends stepped in front of him, blocking the way.
“Sure, she and Curtis were married, but she didn’t cheat on you! Why do you have to hold it over her?”
“Exactly. Besides, she got fired because she tried to clear your name online. Look, she even almost lost her life in the car accident.
“Have a conscience. Just let go of whatever happened in the past. Let bygones be bygones!”
For the first time, Ashton truly understood the phrase “birds of a feather flock together.” It finally clicked to him why Claire could do something so absurd and still expect to be forgiven without a shred of guilt.
To people like her and her friends, none of it had ever seemed like a big deal. They didn’t see betrayal; they saw inconvenience.
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That was why reasoning with them was pointless. Thus, he gave up on courtesy, too.
“I’ll agree,” he said coldly, “but on one condition…”
Claire’s eyes instantly welled up, her voice trembling with anticipation. “As long as you’re willing to marry me, I’ll do anything you want!”
Ashton gave a slow, mocking smile. “Sure. Find me when I’m getting remarried. Perhaps then, I’ll think about it.”
Before Claire could even react, her friends snapped first. Their expressions twisted with disbelief and fury.
“Are you insane? Why would Claire marry a divorced man? How shameless can you be? Gosh, I can’t believe you actually said that!”
One of them barked, “Just take the olive branch and get over yourself. You don’t have to make this uglier than it has to be. When it all blows up, you’ll be the one who’s gonna look pathetic.”
Another chimed in with a sarcastic sigh. “Forget it, Claire. We’ll find you someone better. By then, he’ll regret everything.”
So… they did know how shameless those words sounded? Funny, he thought.
When it came to Claire, they had no problem spouting this self–serving logic, demanding forgiveness as if it were a right, not a privilege.
The moment the tables turned, the double standard showed itself.
Ashton gave a cold, scornful laugh and turned to leave without hesitation. Just as he reached the door, Claire’s hoarse voice rang out, trembling with desperation.
“I will!”
