Ashley’s POV

CHAPTER 3

It had been over an hour now. Over an hour since the doctors finished attending to me, assuring me I was fine, and also since I woke up only to be hit again with that devastating memory. The truth about everything I thought I knew.

The tears hadn’t stopped falling ever since then. Even now as I lie weakly against the stiff hospital bed, they keep slipping down my temples, soaking into the pillow beneath my head.

The air in the room was thick with the smell of antiseptic and something metallic.

From somewhere in the room I could hear the rhythmic beeping of the monitor, slow and steady, almost like it was mocking the chaos inside my chest.

My fingers twitched against the thin hospital sheet, gripping it weakly as if it might ground me.

Alvin.

The same Alvin I loved and trusted with everything in me... To think he had tried to kill me.

A shaky breath left my lips almost immediately, breaking halfway through.

It still sounded insane even till this very moment, and hell, if anyone had told me this before, I would have laughed in their face.

I swear I'd have called them bitter and jealous fellows, but the memory was there, sharp and unforgiving, reminding me this wasn't fabricated or made up; it had been all in my head. I had known it but had been deliberately made to forget.

Another broken sob escapes from me, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest the harder I thought about it.

Why?

The question echoed loudly inside my skull.

When and why did Alvin turn into this monster?

How had I missed it?

I squeezed my eyes shut, and another wave of tears spilled free.

I could still remember when I met him two years ago. Back when my parents were still alive. Back when everything still felt safe.

He had been the kind of man you didn't need to second-guess about being kind, gentle, and patient.

Even though he came from nothing, he carried himself with this quiet confidence that drew me in, and of course it didn’t take long before my family approved of him. Before they trusted him and allowed us to get married.

So what changed?

My jaw tightened the harder I thought, a faint tremor running through it as anger began to creep in despite the pain and grief I was feeling.

No. Crying wouldn’t fix this.

Of course that was the truth; no matter how much I cried, no matter how much I wailed and lamented, it wouldn’t change what had happened. It wouldn’t erase the truth, nor would it undo the betrayal.

I draw in a shaky breath, my fingers slowly loosening from the bedsheet before I force my body to move. Every muscle protested as I reached toward my purse on the bedside table, but I forced myself to push through.

Alvin wanted me gone, right?

Fine.

Then I would meet him on that battlefield.

My fingers slipped into the purse, brushing against the phone before I pulled it out, my hand trembling slightly as I unlocked it.

For a brief second, I stared at his name on the screen, my heart racing wildly in my chest, then slowly I pressed call.

Surprisingly, he picked up on the first ring.

Loud music blasted through the speaker almost immediately. The collective sounds of people laughing and clinking glasses filled up the air so loud it made me pull the phone slightly away from my ears. My stomach twists sharply in irritation.

Of course. He was out celebrating; this wasn't a surprise.

“Shit, Ashley,” his voice cut through after a brief second, slightly slurred but still recognizable. “I told you when I get home we’ll talk—”

“I want a divorce, Alvin.”

The words left my mouth sharp, clean, and final just before he could finish, and silence took over immediately.

Not complete silence, though, because the music was still there, pulsing faintly in the background. But I felt him; he went still. I could almost picture it… the way his posture must have stiffened, the confusion flickering across his face.

“What…?” he finally breathed out. His voice sounds so confused and shaken. “Wait, you’re kidding, right? You can’t possibly mean that, Ash. What are you—”

“I’ve told you my decision, Alvin.”

My voice came out colder and steadier than I expected. Does he think this is a joke? Well, good for him.

“I would send someone with the paper to Elena's place right now. Make sure to sign them immediately.”

I paused, my grip tightening around the phone.

“And unless you want problems, then don't go against me.”

There was a small hitch in his breathing now, almost like he was panicking.

“Y… yes, but Ash… could I at least know why you were doing this?”

The audacity. from someone who was mistreating me, from someone who treated me like trash and also tried to kill me

A bitter laugh almost escaped me at his guts, but I swallowed it down and instead ended the call, my thumb pressing on the screen harder than necessary, and the line went dead.

For a moment, I just stared silently at the phone. My reflection stared back faintly from the black screen. Pale, tired, broken, and at the same time pleased with myself, but then I wasn't done yet, not close.

Inhaling slowly, I dialed another number; this time it was my company lawyer, Bethel, who picked up.

“Ma Ashley… are you really serious about this?”

Her voice was filled with confusion, shock bleeding through every word as I disclosed my next move to her.

And I could almost imagine her sitting upright at her desk, brows drawn together, eyes rolling in her socket as she thought things through.

I closed my eyes briefly.

“Yes, Bethel. I know this is sudden,” I said, my tone firm despite the exhaustion weighing on me. “But Alvin had gone too far this time, and I don't think I can keep up anymore with his bullsh*t.”

My fingers curled slightly into the bedsheet.

“So now I want everything back. The company, the shares, all of it. I wanted everything re-signed under my name. Not co-joined with his. I want everything to be mine and mine alone.”

There was a pause on the other end for a while, followed by papers rustling faintly, and then finally.

"I understand you, Ma Ashley, but I think—"

"Bethel!!" I cautioned.

"I… alright, Miss Ashley.” Sure, I didn't need to say much; I guess the warning in my tone was enough. “I'll proceed with the documents right away and then send them to you.”

"Yes, do that." My voice came out firm as I spoke, and then I proceeded to end the call, however—

“Wait… hold on a minute, Ma Ashley!”

Her voice suddenly came sharply from the other end, worry and panic slicing through it.

My heart skipped a beat, the panic from her end making my grip tighten even more on my phone.

“Yes, Bethel? What's it?” I asked, my voice lowering, tension creeping in.

There was a brief silence. I could hear her typing quickly now, the frantic clicking of keys coupled with her uneven breathing.

“Are you… are you absolutely sure you want to reclaim your company from Sir Alvin?”

My brow pulled together immediately, a faint tic pulling up in my jaw as another wave of irritation rose through me.

“I told you already Bet—”

“No,” she cut in before I could finish, her voice trembling slightly now. “Because… with what I'm seeing here while processing the necessary documents…”

She trailed off, and my stomach dropped.

“What's it, Bethel?” I pressed, my voice sharper now. There was another pause, then she exhaled slowly.

“Ma Ashley… according to these records… you had already signed the complete ownership transfer to Mr. Alvin.”

My breath caught immediately at her words; for some reason, the room suddenly felt smaller.

“What…?” I whispered. Praying that somehow my ears were playing tricks on me.

"Yes, Ma Ashley, and it's permanent,” she continued carefully, each word slow and deliberate. “Legally binding. As it stands… there's no way for you to reclaim the company.”

A sudden ringing started in my ears in that instant, although the monitor beside me continued its steady beeping, but somehow it sounded distant now.

Permanent transfer?

My lips parted slowly, but hell, no sound came out.

My mind raced, as I tried to remember… I tried to find something that explains this. When and how did I sign something like that?

“Unless…” I heard Bethel say from the other end, forcing my attention back to her.

My fingers tightened so hard around the phone that my knuckles ached as I pressed it harder against my ears.

"Yes, unless he willingly gave it back.”

Silence fell immediately after that crushing whatever hope I thought I had found.

Just what the hell is this?

Me signing my company over to Alvin?

For the first time since waking up… the full weight of Alvin’s betrayal truly settled in.