123. War in The Head

Not long after, Josh entered their bedroom. The scorching afternoon breeze slipped in through the window that had not been properly closed, carrying the scent of dust and silence into the room. Outside, the city of Los Angeles grew busier and more crowded, as if no one out there was not in a battle against time. No sound from the vehicles below reached their penthouse floor, but the density of the atmosphere down there could be felt by anyone.

Josh walked with brisk steps. He had stopped by the house briefly to retrieve a written document. The moment he opened the bedroom door, he naturally turned toward the wardrobe room on the right side of the spacious master bedroom. But his steps halted halfway.

Something on the bed caught the corner of his eye as he walked. His feet stopped instinctively, and his body turned to make sure of what he had seen.

A mound was visible beneath the blanket, on the right side of the bed. At first, Josh only frowned. But then, faintly, he heard a sound. A sound like something wounded trying to breathe softly. A sob so faint, as thin as rain thread in the midst of fog.

He approached, slowly. Then with a bit of hesitation, he pulled the edge of the blanket.

There it was—Ashley’s hair peeked out from under the blanket.

Her small body lay curled up, her back to him, nearly like a child seeking protection in the womb of fabric. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks wet. The face that was usually so full of life now looked fragile, like a letter that had been folded for too long.

"Ashley?"

Josh spoke softly, almost a whisper. But there was no answer.

"You're crying? Why are you crying?"

Ashley did not respond. Her hand instead pulled the blanket back over her face, as if the outside world was too painful to face. Josh sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm himself even though his heart was starting to churn.

"Hey, what’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to still be at the office? Why are you home, and... like this. What happened?"

Ashley remained silent. Her voice had been left somewhere, buried along with her fear and the pile of questions that were too many for her to answer.

Meanwhile, Josh, who felt he could no longer contain his patience each time Ashley ignored him, began to feel frustrated.

He pulled the blanket again, more forcefully. Ashley resisted by clinging to herself tighter, as if if she held onto the blanket hard enough, all the terrible realities would vanish. But Josh didn’t back down.

"Please, tell me. What’s going on? What’s the problem? Did someone hurt you?"

Still no answer. Only the sound of increasingly rapid breaths.

"Ash, you can't keep doing this. I don’t understand why you’re crying. I don’t know why you’re home when you should be at work. I don’t know what to do if you won’t talk to me!"

Josh’s voice grew sharper, more pressing. But in her own head, Ashley was still drowning in Josh’s voice from earlier—the voice she had heard from the staircase, the talk about shares, a baby boy, and a secret agreement with her parents.

And that was exactly why she chose to stay silent. Her instinct somehow told her to be cautious and to build a wall against everyone. Considering the awful things that had happened to her in quick succession, she might not be able to trust a single soul—not even Josh.

"I have a headache," she finally said, her voice faint like shards of glass falling onto ceramic tiles.

Josh fell silent for a moment, not expecting a response at last.

"My head hurts. I... I just want to sleep. I'm tired. I miss Korea. I don’t feel at home here... in LA."

A made-up excuse, whatever crossed her mind flowed out just like that, like morning mist. A lie, of course. But a lie that saved her from greater chaos. The terror of the bloody package at the office, threatening messages, and horrifying photos sent by someone unknown—she kept them all in the darkest corner of her heart. For now, they did not belong to Josh.

She truly wasn't sure she could trust anyone after this. Especially Josh—the man she now perhaps needed to be most wary of.

Especially after discovering how important those shares were to him. How this entire relationship, more than just a mutual symbiosis, might be a calculated game. And she was truly a pawn, manipulated not just by her own parents but also by Josh and his family.

Josh at that moment seemed to sigh. Maybe in relief. Maybe in confusion. But he didn’t ask further. He just sat there, staring at the lump of Ashley beneath the blanket, as if looking at a mystery he might never solve.

"Then... rest. I’ll be in the living room. If you need anything... just call me."

Then Josh stood, walked to the wardrobe to get the document he needed, and quietly left the room.

Ashley remained silent. Her eyes stared into the darkness behind the blanket she pulled back up to cover her entire face.

Her heart was like a half-burned blank page—unfinished, impossible to rewrite.

But when the bedroom door clicked shut and Josh’s footsteps faded away, Ashley slowly sat up. She sat on the bed, her back resting against the headboard, and took a deep breath. Her heart was still beating like a bell in a storm. She didn’t know how long she could keep pretending like this.

She unlocked her phone. Looked at the message page containing the photos of herself from earlier. And once again, with extraordinary recklessness, she pressed the call button. But the sound remained the same—a machine voice informing her that the sender still had their phone turned off.

Ashley sat there, gazing into the air. Unfocused. And ended up sinking into an empty daydream.

Silence began to engulf the bedroom. Making everything in the atmosphere feel even more ominous.

Ashley bit her lip. She tried to recall Josh’s tone during the phone conversation that afternoon. Too cold. Too strategic. No guilt. No regret. Like an enemy pretending to be kind only when in front of her. She didn’t know how many percent of the shares had been promised to Josh by her parents. But she knew that no matter how great the value, it became sickening when exchanged for the presence of a child.

By that point, Ashley, with the chaos and shock still flooding her mind, couldn’t think clearly about what her parents might be planning with such an unreasonable agreement.

Strangely, there are moments in life when one must choose between trusting someone else or trusting their own instinct. And tonight, Ashley chose her instinct. She knew she didn’t yet have enough evidence. But her heart, which had long lived in the shadows of uncertainty, refused to be silenced tonight.

The wall clock hung on one of the bedroom walls ticked rhythmically. But time seemed to move very slowly.

From outside the room, the sound of Josh’s footsteps returned. Ashley quickly lay back down, pulled the blanket up over her head again just like before, and closed her eyes.

The bedroom door creaked open slightly, and Josh peeked in.

Ashley didn’t move.

The door closed again.

Ashley remained still. Her body curled into stillness. Trying to hold in the turmoil of so many things warring inside her head at that moment.