Chapter 2: Shattered Illusions

Ashley remained at the kitchen counter long after Harvey had left. The house was too quiet, the flowers too bright. Her dress hung upstairs like a forgotten dream. 

Slowly, she pulled herself to her feet and walked to her bedroom, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Her phone was still buzzing with messages from Harvey. She turned it off and put it aside. 

The next morning she packed a small bag and drove out of the city. The sky was gray and heavy with clouds. The road was empty. She drove to her grandmother's estate, the place she lived outside of town that she hadn't seen in months. 

The caretaker greeted her pleasantly when she arrived. The old house was big but it was also warm. It smelled of her grandmother's lavender perfume and the stories she had told Ashley as a child. Ashley slowly walked the length of each room, running her fingers over her grandmother's furniture, her books, her curtains sewn by hand. 

She sank into the parlor's plush chair where her grandmother used to read to her. 

"I wish you were here," Ashley whispered. "You always knew what to say." 

Her grandmother's home was more than just a house. It had been a part of the fortune that Ashley had inherited when she had died. But no one in the city had really known that. Not even Harvey. He thought Ashley was just a bright girl who he had managed to win over. He never really asked about her family. Not truly. He must not have wanted to know. 

Ashley leaned back in the plush seat, closing her eyes. The memories came flooding back to her. Not the memories of Harvey as he had been yesterday. But of the first days they had met. 

She remembered the day he had found her in the auditorium, almost asleep through the mundane college speech about leadership and perseverance. The way he had met her eyes as he spoke to the crowd, as though there were no one else in the room. How, after the meeting had ended, he had cut through the crowd to find her, smiling. He had asked her questions about her studies, about chemistry, about life. 

She remembered the way he used to bring her coffee during finals week, staying up with her while she studied even though he had work the next morning. She remembered him standing outside in the rain one night when she had refused to come out to him because she was angry. He had waited for an hour in the downpour until she forgave him. 

There had been birthdays with surprise cakes, small notes left in her locker, flowers sent to her lab. She remembered the way she used to feel safe with Harvey, how sure she had been of his love. 

A tightness gripped Ashley's throat. "Was any of that real?" she asked aloud. 

The house did not answer her. 

In the evening, she called her best friend, Mia, and told her what had happened. 

"He asked for what?" Mia's voice was shocked. 

"An open marriage. And an NDA so I can never talk about it if he cheats." 

"Oh my God. Ashley, that is horrible. But maybe he is just scared of commitment. You two love each other. Maybe he will come around." 

Ashley stared at the floor. "He is not scared. He was calm. Like it was just business. Like I should have expected it." 

"Maybe he was testing you. Maybe he wants to see if you will stay." 

Ashley shook her head even though Mia could not see her. "That is not a test. That is a choice. And he already made his." 

Mia was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure you are not just upset about the prenup? You always said you hated signing things like that." 

Ashley felt a bitter laugh rise in her throat. "I do not care about the prenup. I told him I would sign it. But this... no. I cannot sign this." 

"Then what will you do?" 

"I do not know yet," Ashley admitted. "But I cannot marry someone who plans to betray me." 

The next day, Harvey had called Ashley from the airport before his flight. 

"Did you think about what I said?" he asked.

"Yes," Ashley said. 

"And?" 

"I am still not signing." 

Harvey sighed. "I am going to give you time. When I get back, we will sit down and talk about this again. I do not want to lose you over something so small." 

"Small?" Ashley asked. 

"Yes. This is practical. It does not change how I feel about you. You are still my future, Ashley. You are still the woman I want to marry. Nothing else matters." 

"Then why do you need other women?" she asked softly. 

Harvey did not answer. 

After the call ended, Ashley stared at her phone until the screen went dark. 

Two days later, one of Harvey's friends had sent her a photo. At first Ashley thought it was a joke. But then she looked closer. 

The picture showed Harvey in an airport lounge. He was leaning close to his secretary, his hand on her knee as he smiled at her in a way that had once been reserved for Ashley. 

Ashley's stomach dropped. She called Mia again. 

"He did not even wait," Ashley said, tears brimming in her eyes. 

"What do you mean?" 

"He is already with someone. His secretary. Look." Ashley sent the photo. 

Mia swore under her breath. "Ashley, I am so sorry." 

Ashley pressed her palm to her forehead. "I cannot do this. I will not be like my mother, waiting for a man to stop hurting me. I will not be her." 

Mia's voice softened. "Then you know what you have to do." 

"Yes," Ashley whispered. 

She walked through the house, past the wedding dress she had brought with her in the backseat of her car. She touched the fabric one last time before covering it up again. 

Ashley's heart hurt, but at the same time, she felt something new. A small, quiet strength. 

When Harvey returned from his trip, she would end it. 

She would not marry him. 

She would not sign his papers. 

And she would not cry for him again. 

Ashley turned off the lights and stood by the window, looking out at the garden her grandmother had loved so much. The moon was high in the night sky, casting silver light over the flowers. 

"Tomorrow," she whispered. "Tomorrow I start over." 

For the first time since Harvey had stormed out of the house with those papers in hand, Ashley felt a little lighter.