Ashely POV

CHAPTER 5

Ashley POV

The moment the door clicked shut behind the strange man, the room fell silent the silence so loud and deafening.

I let out a shaky breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding, my fingers tightening around my hospital gown as I stared around.

Hell, everything still hurt not physically. No. it wasn’t the kind of pain that came with bruises or blood, but the kind that came from betrayal from the kind of truth you wished you could unlearn.

Alvin…

My fingers curled tighter into the gown, nails digging into my lap as his name echoed in my head like a curse I couldn’t escape, just as the words from Bethel hit me again.

'Ma Ashley, your company has been handed to Sir Alvin, and you can’t get it back again unless he signs it over himself.'

Of course, Alvin had done it yet again. He had taken everything. As if trying to kill me wasn’t enough, he had stolen my company my hard work as well as my life.

A broken laugh slipped past my lips, dry and hollow at the thought.

To think it was the same company that I had spent years years of sleepless nights, years of hard work and perseverance trying to keep standing after my parents left it for me. And in the end, it took just one man.

I repeat one man. And not just any man, but the one I loved and trusted so much… to destroy it all.

My vision blurred as fresh tears gathered in my eyes, but I forced them back, blinking rapidly.

No.

I wasn’t going to cry again.

I had done enough of that. If I kept crying, I would drown in it and hell, I refused to drown.

My breathing came out slow, uneven, as I leaned back slightly against the cold headboard. The sterile smell of the hospital filled my nose, sharp and suffocating, and the continuous beeping of a machine somewhere in the room only made the tension inside me worse.

God, I hated this place.

I hated it so much because of how helpless it made me feel.

Subconsciously, my gaze drifted to the other side of the bed where the man had sat just minutes ago before he stepped outside to answer his call.

That man.

The stranger who almost ran me over. The stranger who brought me back to the hospital when I passed out but also chose to stay.

A small frown tugged at my brows as that thought hit.

Why did he stay?

From what I knew, men like him didn’t stay and I could tell just by looking at him. The way he carried himself. The way he spoke. The expensive watch on his wrist, as well as the sharp cut of his suit and the controlled authority in his voice.

Power.

Of course, that was what he was made of.

Men like that didn’t sit around hospitals waiting for broken women.

And yet… he did. A flicker of something uncomfortable suddenly stirred inside me.

Guilt.

I exhaled slowly, my gaze dropping to my hands.

To think I hadn’t even looked at him properly the whole time he had been here like I had outrightly ignored him, brushed him off like he was nothing.

The memory of the way he had sat there careful, almost cautious, like he didn’t want to scare me replayed in my mind, making something twist faintly in my chest.

He didn’t deserve that. He was a kind man kind, at least kinder than I expected.

And when he said he wasn’t going to hurt me.

My throat tightened slightly.

I believed him. That was the strange part. Hell, for some reason, I believed him. But then I knew I couldn’t afford to trust anyone anymore.

Not after Alvin.

My expression hardened instantly at the thought, whatever softness trying to creep in disappearing quickly.

Trust. Hell, that was what got me here. Trust that was what ruined me and turned me into this crippled version of myself. And I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Ever again.

A slow breath left my lips as my eyes moved again, scanning the room once more.

The door. The window. The wheelchair. Every possible exit.

My heartbeat picked up slightly in pace as I made my decision.

I couldn’t stay here.

I swallowed as the thought that had been sitting at the back of my mind since I woke up began to take shape with each passing second.

I wasn’t safe. Not here in this city. Not anywhere Alvin could reach me.

If he had gone as far as attempting to kill me, as well as taking my company, then there was nothing stopping him from finishing me off next and I wasn’t going to sit here and wait for that.

No.

I had to move.

I had to disappear.

if I hadn’t lost my legs things would have been different. I would have been able to stay back and fight him to reclaim what he stole from me, to avenge what he did.

But hell no… I was on a chair. I could barely do anything on my own. And if I weighed the situation right now, he was in a better position than me. He would easily crush me and turn the tables on me if I made the wrong move.

So this was the best option. I needed to leave to at least regain my life back before even thinking of fighting Alvin.

My fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the bed as I leaned forward slightly, ignoring the faint dizziness that followed.

Think, Ashley.

Think.

I willed myself to think of what to do I didn't have money on me now since Alvin already took everything and without money this running away plan of mine was completely useless...

And then the thought suddenly hit me.

I had a secret funds stashed up in a secret money savings organization the one I used to save up in randomly it wasn't my personal savings account.

Just an account I had opened just to help a friend who run the organization and I had completely forgotten about until now else why would I beg Alvin money for my medications. Immediately, I pulled out my phone and dialed the familiar number.

“Hi, Ash. It’s been so long.” Kayla voice immediately rang through.

“Yeah Kayla, it's been really long. You do remember the money I had been saving with you right? Well I want it now.”

“What?” I felt her go still at my words. “But I thought you said it’s a savings account and you’re saving it for your future kids.”

At the mention of her words, I couldn’t help the sharp chuckle that escaped me. But that was the truth. That was how much I had planned to spend my future with Alvin I had even been saving up for our kids.

“Yeah, I know I planned all of that, but something came up, and I need the money now.”

“Alright, Ma Ashley. I’ll process the transfer right away.”

It didn’t take up to thirty seconds before the money landed.

Ten thousand dollars. I wowed in awe at the large sum. Hell, I didn’t know that was how much I had been saving, since I was always putting the money there little by little but thankfully I did, because now it would go a long way.

Though I didn’t know where I was going yet or how the rate of survival would be there, I knew the money would go a long way.

Shortly after I received the money, the divorce papers also arrived with Alvin’s signature already on them. I felt something tighten in my chest on seeing it, but then I forced myself to remain calm. Then I signed it.

After the lawyer left, I started calling the immigration office to process everything.

Afterward, I got onto my wheelchair, gripped the wheels, and stared at the door. The strange man wasn’t back yet and this was my chance to escape this hospital. And of course I knew I would.

I gripped the wheels tighter, then moved toward the door.