Chapter 162: Ashton's POV

"I'm out of here," I muttered under my breath, slipping off the barstool like it had suddenly turned into hot coal. The ice in my glass had melted, the whiskey watered down, and so was my will to stay in this damn club.

The music was still blasting, loud, thumping, chaotic. Bodies still moved like they were possessed by the beat. But all I could think about was her.

Helen.

God. I didn’t even know if it was really her I saw. Could’ve been someone who just looked like her. But something about the posture, the hair, the way she shifted closer to that guy — yeah, that did it.

It dug into me like a hook, pulling something raw to the surface. I couldn’t breathe in here anymore. I couldn't think.

So I headed toward the exit, the heavy bass pounding in my skull like a second heartbeat. My steps weren’t exactly steady — the whiskey I’d had earlier was starting to turn on me, mixing with the ache in my chest.

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the flashes of smiles, the perfume trails, the