Ashley’s POV( A stranger Beside Me)

CHAPTER 7

The rain continued to fall long after we left the hospital.

Tiny droplets slid lazily down the car window, blurring the city outside until everything became nothing more than moving lights and faded shadows.

I rested my forehead lightly against the cool glass.

Neither of us spoke.

The silence inside the car wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was… unfamiliar.

After everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I had almost forgotten what silence without shouting sounded like.

No accusations.

No insults.

No one asking me to explain myself.

Just…

Silence.

I slowly glanced toward the driver’s seat.

Dominic kept both hands on the steering wheel, his attention fixed on the road ahead.

He hadn’t looked at me once since we left the hospital.

Strange.

Most men would have tried to start a conversation by now.

Or asked questions.

Where are you going?

What happened?

Why were you in the hospital?

He hadn’t asked a single one.

It should have made me feel relieved.

Instead…

It made me curious.

Who exactly was he?

The question lingered in my mind before I quickly pushed it away.

It didn’t matter.

After tonight, we’d go our separate ways.

That was the agreement.

I intended to keep it.

Outside, the rain became heavier.

The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers filled the silence.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Almost soothing.

Until my stomach growled.

Loudly.

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

Seriously?

I closed my eyes for a second, pretending I hadn’t heard it.

Maybe he hadn’t either.

“I think,” Dominic said without taking his eyes off the road, “that’s the loudest stomach I’ve ever heard.”

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

“I’m not hungry.”

The words left my mouth far too quickly.

Almost defensively.

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“I didn’t ask.”

I looked away, suddenly fascinated by the rain outside.

Great.

Now I looked both hungry and embarrassed.

As if my stomach hadn’t already betrayed me enough, it growled again.

Even louder this time.

I sighed.

“Fine.”

“I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

The confession came quietly.

Almost too quietly.

For a brief moment, Dominic’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“You skipped breakfast?”

I gave a dry laugh.

“I skipped everything.”

I wasn’t trying to make him feel sorry for me.

It was simply the truth.

Between the divorce papers…

The hospital…

The pain…

Food had been the last thing on my mind.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again.

“We’re making one stop.”

I immediately turned toward him.

“No.”

His brows lifted slightly.

“No?”

“I told you earlier.”

“I don’t want any detours.”

“I’m not trying to change your destination.”

“Then keep driving.”

“I will.”

He nodded toward the fuel gauge.

“After I get you something to eat.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“You also said you weren’t hungry.”

I opened my mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because he was right.

I had lied.

Still…

Accepting kindness felt strangely difficult now.

Every favour came with expectations.

Every smile had a price.

At least…

That was what life had taught me.

“I don’t have enough money for expensive restaurants,” I said after a while.

The words surprised even me.

Why had I said that?

Dominic finally looked at me.

Just for a second.

“I wasn’t planning to take you to one.”

Ten minutes later…

The car slowed in front of a small café tucked away on a quiet street.

It wasn’t flashy.

No expensive signs.

No luxury cars parked outside.

Just warm yellow lights glowing behind wide glass windows.

A few people sat inside, laughing softly over cups of coffee.

For a moment…

It looked peaceful.

Dominic turned off the engine.

“I’ll only be five minutes.”

I frowned.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

He shook his head.

“It’ll be easier if I bring the food out.”

I looked at him, confused.

“Why?”

His answer came without hesitation.

“Because you’ve spent enough time today being stared at.”

My breath caught.

I hadn’t realized he’d noticed.

But he had.

The nurses.

The visitors.

The taxi drivers.

Every lingering glance at my wheelchair.

Every expression filled with pity.

He had seen all of it.

And somehow…

Without making a big deal out of it…

He’d decided to spare me from more.

Something tightened quietly inside my chest.

Before I could thank him…

He had already stepped out into the rain.

I watched through the windshield as he jogged toward the café, disappearing inside.

I was alone again.

The rain drummed softly against the roof.

I leaned back against the seat.

Finally allowing myself to breathe.

This morning…

I had still been Alvin Wellington’s wife.

Now…

I was a divorced woman with no home.

No company.

No destination.

No idea what tomorrow would look like.

A lump formed in my throat.

Was I scared?

Yes.

Terrified.

But beneath the fear…

There was something else.

Something I hadn’t felt in weeks.

Hope.

Small.

Fragile.

Barely alive.

But it was there.

Maybe…

Just maybe…

My life wasn’t over yet.

A sudden flash of headlights pulled me from my thoughts.

A black SUV rolled slowly past Dominic’s car.

Too slowly.

The windows were heavily tinted.

The vehicle continued down the street…

Before parking across from the café.

My heartbeat slowed.

Probably nothing.

I told myself that.

People parked on streets all the time.

Still…

For reasons I couldn’t explain…

I couldn’t look away.

Then…

The driver’s door opened.

A man stepped out.

He didn’t head toward the café.

He didn’t enter any nearby shop.

Instead…

He leaned casually against the SUV.

His eyes fixed on Dominic’s car.

On me.

A chill crawled down my spine.

Without realizing it…

My fingers reached for the door lock.

Click.

I locked it.

The man didn’t move.

He simply stood there.

Watching.

And somehow…

That frightened me more.

The man didn’t move.

He simply stood beside the black SUV, one hand tucked inside the pocket of his jacket while the other rested casually against the roof of the vehicle.

It should have looked ordinary.

Instead…

It made my stomach tighten.

His eyes never left the car.

Never left me.

I swallowed, trying to convince myself I was overthinking things.

You’re imagining it, Ashley.

Not everyone is after you.

But another voice answered almost immediately.

Isn’t that exactly what you thought about Alvin?

My fingers tightened around the seatbelt.

Trust.

That word had become dangerous.

I had trusted my husband.

Look where it got me.

The café door opened just then.

Dominic stepped outside carrying two paper bags and a drink tray balanced carefully in one hand.

The moment he appeared, the man across the street straightened slightly.

Almost… interested.

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

He wasn’t watching me.

He was watching Dominic.

Dominic reached the car and opened my door first.

“I hope you don’t mind sandwiches.”

His voice was calm, exactly as before.

“They were the quickest thing they had.”

I nodded.

“Thank you.”

He smiled faintly before handing me one of the bags.

The warmth seeped through the paper into my cold fingers.

Only then did I realize how freezing I had become.

Dominic walked around the front of the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.

He placed the second bag between us before starting the engine.

Neither of us noticed the camera hidden behind the tinted window of the SUV.

Click.

Another photograph.

The smell of freshly baked bread filled the car.

It reminded me of Sunday mornings.

Back when my parents were still alive.

My mother used to insist that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

“No matter how busy life becomes,” she’d always say,

“Never fight the day on an empty stomach.”

A lump formed in my throat.

I hadn’t thought about that memory in years.

Slowly, I unwrapped the sandwich.

The first bite almost made me close my eyes.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

Dominic quietly opened his own meal, pretending not to notice how quickly I was eating.

For some reason…

I appreciated that.

Halfway through, I caught him reaching for a bottle of water.

Instead of opening it himself, he handed it to me.

“You’ll choke.”

I blinked.

“Am I eating that fast?”

“You look like someone trying to make up for yesterday.”

Heat rushed to my face.

I looked down at the sandwich in embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

His words were gentle.

“You were hungry.”

That was all.

No judgment.

No pity.

Just a simple observation.

Strange.

Kindness still felt unfamiliar.

The rain continued as the car pulled back onto the road.

Streetlights reflected across the wet pavement like ribbons of gold.

I stared quietly through the window.

“Can I ask you something?”

The question surprised me.

I turned toward Dominic.

“I thought we agreed not to ask personal questions.”

“We did.”

A small smile touched his lips.

“This isn’t personal.”

I hesitated.

“…Alright.”

“What kind of music do you like?”

I frowned.

Of all the questions…

That wasn’t what I expected.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I haven’t listened to music in a while.”

The truth settled heavily between us.

There had been no music in my home.

Only arguments.

Silence.

Hospital machines.

Dominic reached toward the dashboard and turned the volume up slightly.

A soft piano melody filled the car.

No lyrics.

Just music.

Gentle.

Peaceful.

I found myself relaxing without meaning to.

“This is nice,” I whispered.

“It was my mother’s favorite.”

I looked at him.

For the first time…

I saw something change in his expression.

Sadness.

It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

He shook his head.

“You didn’t know.”

Silence returned.

But this time…

It felt lighter.

As though we had unknowingly shared something neither of us usually spoke about.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before I noticed something.

The same black SUV.

Again.

It appeared in the side mirror.

Not close.

Not far.

Just… there.

I frowned.

Maybe it was another vehicle that looked similar.

Cars passed us.

Traffic lights changed.

We turned twice.

The SUV turned too.

My pulse quickened.

I kept watching.

Don’t panic.

You’re probably imagining it.

Then Dominic spoke.

Without taking his eyes off the road.

“They’ve been behind us since the café.”

My breath caught.

“You noticed?”

“I noticed before we left.”

I stared at him.

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“I didn’t want to frighten you unless I was sure.”

A cold shiver ran through me.

“So… they’re following us?”

“I believe so.”

The words were calm.

Too calm.

Weren’t people supposed to panic in situations like this?

I looked behind us again.

The SUV remained three cars back.

Keeping the exact same distance.

“Do you know who they are?”

Dominic was silent for a few seconds.

“No.”

It sounded honest.

“I don’t.”

“But I intend to find out.”

For reasons I couldn’t explain…

Those words eased something inside me.

Not because they guaranteed safety.

But because he hadn’t lied.

He could have pretended to know everything.

Instead…

He admitted what he didn’t know.

It reminded me that he was human.

Not invincible.

Not perfect.

Just… calm.

The traffic light ahead turned red.

Dominic slowed the car to a stop.

The SUV stopped too.

My heart began pounding again.

The rain had become heavier now, making it difficult to see through the windshield.

Then…

The traffic light turned green.

Dominic drove straight.

The SUV followed.

He took the next right.

So did the SUV.

A left.

Again…

The SUV followed.

There was no doubt anymore.

They were being watched.

Dominic glanced once at the rearview mirror before speaking quietly.

“Ashley.”

“Yes?”

“I need you to stay calm.”

My fingers tightened around the bottle of water.

“What are you going to do?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead…

He made one unexpected turn into a brightly lit shopping plaza filled with evening customers.

Families.

Children.

Security guards.

People everywhere.

Only then did he finally say,

“If they’re following us…”

“They’ll have to do it in front of witnesses.”

I stared at him.

For the first time since meeting him…

I realized something.

This man didn’t rely on force.

He relied on strategy.

And somehow…

That frightened me even more than if he’d reached for a weapon.

Because calm people…

Were usually the most dangerous when they had to be.