3 Weeks later“Finally, I feel better,” I groaned out with a chuckle as I brushed my hair while looking at the mirror.I was standing there, trying to put on my shirt. My body still felt a little weak, but I was determined to go back to work. I was tired of being treated like a baby when I was a full-grown man.I picked out my suit carefully. It was a simple black one, nothing fancy, but it looked good. I buttoned it up slowly, making sure I didn’t strain myself.My mom was sitting nearby, watching me.“Are you sure you should be doing this today?” She asked, frowning.“I’m fine, Mom,” I replied, trying to sound calm. “I’ve been stuck at home for too long. I need to go out. I have work to do and money to make.”She shook her head. “You still need more rest. You’re not fully healed yet. Remember what the doctor said.”“I’m not a kid anymore, Mom,” I countered, smiling a little. “I can handle a meeting. I’ve been resting enough. It’s time I get back to work.”Upon all my assurances, she
I was just walking around the room, my mind was everywhere and I was really pissed. “I really don’t take any of this lightly at all!” I yelled at the top of my voice. “No matter what… What sort of rubbish is this?”Ashton’s mom, sitting on the edge of the armchair, flinched but quickly composed herself. She placed her hands in her lap and maintained a calm, gentle expression. “Rose, calm down. Let’s talk about this.”“Calm down?” I repeated, trying to hold my laughter inside. “Do you think it’s that easy? I’ve been made to look like a fool! A fool, do you hear me? And I won’t take it anymore.”She stood up slowly, her silk dress gracing her movements. “Listen to me, Rose,” She said, her voice calm and steady. “I promise you, what happens, Ashton goes to no one else but you. You have to believe me on this.”I stopped walking around; I could feel my heart pumping blood faster than it was supposed to. “How can you promise that? How can you even say that when Helen is still lurking aroun
I finished the scene; my voice was actually filled with lots of emotions. Seeing I was done, Mr. Riley called out, “That was great, Helen! Really felt that!”I nodded, trying to pull myself back to reality. Back to the set.We ran through the scene a few more times, making sure all the parts were on point, including the delivery of the lines. Each time, it felt a little easier to separate myself from the character, to just focus on the acting. But everything just kept on reminding me of everything good I once had with Ashton. Between takes, people would come up to me, offering their condolences about Ashton, asking if he was okay. I answered their questions politely, keeping my answers short and vague. I didn’t want to get into it. Not here. Not now.Some people were genuinely kind, their concern clear in their eyes. Others… others were just nosy. Trying to get the latest gossip. I could see it in their faces, the way their eyes were all over me. I knew for sure that was what they
“What a day I’m going to have,” I murmured as I pulled up in the studio’s parking lot. It was the next day, and I had to be back on set. My head was really aching, and so was my heart, after everything that had happened over the weekend. The hospital drama, Ashton collapsing, the phone call… It was all too much.I knew everyone’s eyes would be on me today. The news about Ashton being poisoned would be everywhere, and because I was with him, people would talk. Some might think I wanted him dead, others would be surprised, and some might even believe I was the one who did it. But at this point, I didn’t really care. All I knew was that I was here to do my job, play my roles, and then go home. I wasn’t going to let whatever anyone said get to me or make me angry.As I parked my car and turned off the engine, I saw someone standing just a few meters away from me. Mr. Riley. The director. The man who talked… a lot.“Shit,” I said to myself as I rested my forehead on the steering wheel fo
I opened my eyes slowly. The black veil that I was feeling was all gone. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out where I was. The last thing I remembered was… talking to my mother, Rose, and Helen. In the hospital lobby. And then… nothing. Just black.I coughed, a deep cough that really made me feel so much pain in my chest. Immediately, I saw a figure rushing towards my bed. It was my mother. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with worry.“Oh, my son,” She cried. She reached out, trying to raise my head a little.“Ma’am, you can’t do that,” a nurse’s voice said nearby. “Just leave him.”My mother shot the nurse an intense look, as though she wanted to burn her up with her eyes. The nurse backed away slightly, but her eyes were still on my mother, ready to intervene if necessary.“Mum, what happened?” I asked, my voice so weak that it was thin. I was trying to piece together what had happened, why I was back in bed.My mother turned back to me. “It was that bitch Helen tha
“What a day,” I sighed, kicking off my heels and letting them drop to the floor. I sank onto the soft cushions of my sofa, feeling completely drained. Back at the hospital, Ashton had been rushed back to his room, as he found it difficult to breathe and even almost started to choke on blood. The doctor had told Rita and I that we had to leave, saying we could come back later. Rita had agreed, but I knew she was still fuming with all that had happened. Even now, sitting here in my living room, her face was still tight with anger as though she was ready to punch me in the face.“What is it, Rita?” I asked, looking over at her, as I wanted her to say what was bothering her instead of having a squeezed face all day.Rita then started ranting. “So you’re telling me… All this time you were married to Ashton… this was the type of torture you endured, and you never told me?!” Her voice was loud, full of disbelief.“I… I didn’t see there was a need,” I said softly, trying to sound calm and a
“You know what? Rita, let’s just leave this place,” I said, as I didn’t want to have any arguments with these people again.“I don’t have the strength for all this rubbish,” I added, keeping my voice low to make sure I didn’t create any scene again.I grabbed Rita’s arm gently, ready to walk out of the hospital lobby. My heart was really shattered, but I wanted to leave in peace. I just wanted to get away from all the chaos, all the yelling, all the fighting.But then I heard it.“WAIT!”I froze. My heart stopped for a second. I turned around slowly. That voice was so fucking familiar.And there he was.Ashton.He was coming out of the hallway, holding crutches under his arm. He looked tired and weak, but from the look on his face, I knew all he wanted was to hug me. His face was really pale, and his eyes looked tired but full of something else — happiness to see my face.He tried to walk toward me, slowly, carefully.I took a step closer, but before I could even say anything, his mo
He nodded, looking at his notes. “We’re wrapping things up, but it will take a bit of time. You’ll need to wait until I receive the final results.”I leaned back against the pillow, blowing air out through my mouth. “Fine. But I swear, if this takes more than an hour, I’m going to find a way to walk out of here.”The doctor smiled slightly, partly amused. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I promise we’re working as fast as we can. As for now, to help me make your stay better, we will turn off the machines that make the noise disturbing you.”I watched him as he walked over to the door, and just before he left, he turned back to me. “Ashton, you realize your health is the most important thing right now, right? Please, let's just do our job.”“Whatever you say, Doc,” I agreed reluctantly, lying down hopelessly.“Once you leave here, trust me, you will be fine and good.”I nodded, silently cursing my current situation. I didn’t want to be stuck here but knew there wasn’t much I could
My head was really banging. The noise from the machines connected to my body was unbearable as they kept getting louder. I tried to open my eyes, but the bright hospital lights were making it almost impossible, and in turn making my headache worse. I looked around, but there wasn’t a doctor or nurse in sight. “Where is everybody?” I asked myself, wondering why I was left alone. Even my mom wasn’t here.Frustrated, I tried to sit up, hoping it would relieve some of the pain in my head. As I shifted positions, I felt a little bit better, but I was still weak and dizzy. I could feel the pins and needles from the IV line in my arm—those annoying needles I'd hated since I was a kid.“Damn it,” I said to myself, reaching to remove the IV that was hooked up to me. “I’m fine now.”Just as I was about to yank the needle from my arm, a nurse burst into the room. “Sir Ashton! No! Please don’t touch that!” She shouted, rushing over to me and gently pushing my hand back down. “You can’t do that