6. Bitter Conversation

After calming down enough to regain her composure, Ashley slowly opened her eyes. Her hand reached out for the bath glove.

This time, she rubbed her entire body gently—not filled with anger like a moment ago. After all, her face still felt a bit burned, and the scratch marks on her skin stung every time they were exposed to soap.

Normally, the source of her suffering came from one thing only—her family. Outside of that, her life for the past twenty-five years had gone pretty well. So she hadn't expected to encounter misfortune at the hands of a pair of ignorant lovers.

The girl had scratched her face the first day they met, while the man had smeared insults on her—pride and also face.

Ashley clicked her tongue, a bitter taste still settling in her mouth. It felt like her anger would boil over again just thinking about how roughly Josh had kissed her earlier.

She had no idea what to do next.

She was already too tired and fed up to deal with Josh again. But thinking about it, if she insisted on shutting herself in here forever and refused to face him, he would probably see her as a coward running away from conflict out of fear.

She had been humiliated enough today—this afternoon and tonight. So she decided that she didn't want to be weak and refused to let him win.

×××

Josh sat quietly on the large sofa in the living room. The television in front of him was on, the glow casting flickering shadows across his face. A high school romance drama that had been trending lately played on the screen. It attracted many viewers with its lighthearted, refreshing, and innocent love story.

But he barely saw it.

Only his eyes followed the storyline—while his mind was elsewhere.

Everything inside his head became a battlefield, shifting from one to another. He reflected on the guilt from his recent out-of-control behavior toward Ashley. But his thoughts were also consumed by relentless worry for Sharon.

What happened between him and Sharon this afternoon had not gone well. She had left angry and in tears. Dozens of voice calls from him had gone unanswered. His messages remain unread. Moments ago, he had tried to contact her again, but his calls were still ignored.

As his thoughts drifted between Sharon and Ashley, his parents’ voices echoed in his mind—reminding him of their agreement. Warning him to be careful, to remember his precarious position in their relationship with the Song family.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of the bedroom door opening.

His head turned, eyes locking onto the dimly lit corridor connecting the bedroom to the living room. He had been waiting for quite some time, uncertain if Ashley would even come out. But as soon as he saw her figure appear and stepped forward, he felt a small sense of relief.

To be honest, there was a lot they needed to clarify and settle—just between the two of them, without their parents' interference.

Previously, he had thought would be able to cover up his relationship with Sharon alone. That no one, not even Ashley, would ever know. But since she had already found out, he needed to change his plans.

Josh smiled as Ashley lowered herself into the chair across from him. He grabbed the remote and turned off the television, plunging the room into silence.

"Isn't that a little too far? Can you hear me from there?"

Ashley kept her expression fierce. "Of course," she said, her voice as cold and firm as possible. "You're the one who wanted to talk. So make it quick. I'm tired and want to rest."

Josh studied her. He could tell she was still angry. He wouldn't blame her if she hurled something at him this time. What had happened earlier was inexcusable. And from Ashley’s perspective, accidentally uncovering his secret must have been an unpleasant surprise. Having another woman in their marriage would be a scandal that would be just as damaging to both of them.

Worse, what had just been done to the girl in the room was certainly not ethical.

"I apologize for everything that happened to you today."

Ashley scoffed, disgust flashing in her eyes. "As you should. You were in the wrong. Instead of being sorry, you made it even worse."

"I know. I shouldn't have forced you like that."

"Forced? That was more than just force. Don’t you realize that what you did could be considered sexual harassment?"

Josh frowned. "Harassment? We're married, Ash. How can a husband harass his own wife?"

Ashley’s eyes widened. "Married? Husband? Wife? Somehow, those words sound ridiculous. We're not really married—it's just for show. And yes, doing something like that without mutual consent, even between husband and wife, is still harassment. You could be charged."

Josh listened and nodded. "So you think so? Do you actually know anything about the law? Do you have any lawyer friends? Or did someone tell you that?"

"So what?" Ashley hesitated at his question. Truthfully, she had only followed the logical assumption that if there was no consent, then it was harassment. But whether that applied in a marital relationship and whether it was actually prosecutable… she wasn’t sure. She knew Josh had never studied law either, so he was probably just as clueless.

Even if he did know, she was already prepared with any counterargument. Earlier, when she had decided to open the door and come out to face this man, she had already made up her mind—she would win every argument with Josh. At any cost.

"What I said wasn’t wrong," Ashley said, her shoulders shrugged and her chin lifted. She folded her arms across her chest, trying to look intimidating.

Josh merely smiled slightly. "Alright. In that case, I sincerely apologize. I admit that I was wrong. So, will you accept my apology?"

‘Suddenly?’ Ashley was surprised that it was that easy for the man to apologize.

After all his bad behavior and the threats he had made using her family—he apologized as easily as that? How funny.

She had never expected to witness Josh’s complicated nature and unpredictable way of thinking like this. It was impossible to guess what he was truly thinking and where he’s headed.

"What guarantee do I have that you won't do something like that again?"

Josh paused, considering for a moment before responding. "I guarantee myself. I'm not the kind of person who breaks promises. So you can take my word for it."

Ashley burst into laughter, "How is that supposed to be a guarantee? That’s ridiculous."

"Then what do I have to do to make you believe me?" Josh asked calmly, trying not to be provoked.

"Why would you even want me to believe you? From what I’ve seen today, it doesn’t seem like you care about other people’s opinions at all. You do whatever you want, cross boundaries, lie—"