LOGINAshley’s POVThe two of us stood there for what felt like an eternity staring at each other, while I racked my brain for something … anything, to say. Absolutely nothing came to mind.“I … I …” I began to say, stammering, but there was nothing I could say that would explain away why I was standing in the middle of his room in his empty home and holding envelopes containing stuff that he definitely wouldn’t want anyone to ever lay eyes on.“Yes? You what, Ashley?” He asked in a deceptively quiet and calm voice, smiling at me as pleasantly as though he was asking if I wanted some tea.“I … Janet called me, so I came to see if she was alright, but she’s not here. She seemed down the last time I saw her. I came here the other day to see her, you know, and we had a fight. So I came to patch things up with her. I was just leaving.”He nodded as if he understood and agreed with what I just said. “I see … and is she?”“Huh?”“Is she alright?”I stared at him helplessly, thinking fast. This ps
Ashley’s POVAt first, I didn't find anything suspicious or weird-looking. Most of the papers that were littered around on the floor were official files, invoices, and other official-looking documents.I dropped my phone on the floor, using it to secure the stack of envelopes containing the threats, and moved like a robot around the room, my eyes scanning the mess of papers on the floor.I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had found identical threatening notes to the ones I used to receive in Will's bedroom. So what was the theory here?Now wasn't the time to ponder on any of that. I was looking for something, but I didn't know what. All I knew was that I had to find it and leave this place before Will came back.My gaze landed on the only drawer in the room that hadn't been pulled open. It was almost untouched, but not quite. A few sheets of paper peeked out from the gap inside it.They were crumpled and uneven, as if they had been shoved inside it in a hurry. My pu
Ashley’s POVThe further I advanced up the stairs, the more pungent the smell of perfume and air freshener got, and the more convinced I was that whoever sprayed it was trying to mask another smell.The master bedroom door creaked softly as I pushed it open, and if I thought the smell was strong before, then I had been mistaken. In here, it was overpowering and literally choked me.Despite how powerful it was, I could still sense that underlying smell, which I still hadn’t been able to place. It didn’t matter, though, because in the next second, I got distracted as I stepped into the master bedroom.It was in total disarray and looked like a tornado had passed through there. Several drawers had been pulled open, and documents and all sorts of papers were scattered everywhere on the floor.At first, panic gripped me as I wondered if someone had tried to rob the house. The whole chaos looked deliberate … as if someone had been desperately searching for something. I looked around the roo
Ashley’s POVMy breath caught in my throat. I stared at the message, which was sent less than two hours ago. Help me? What on earth was going on? Why would Janet of all people need my help, considering how we parted the last time we saw each other?I quickly dialed her number and raised the phone to my ear. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. I pulled the phone away slowly, staring at it and wondering what was up with that.If she had been desperate enough to send that message, then why wasn't she answering her phone? I called her again, but still, the phone went unanswered. Maybe it was nothing then.Maybe she had sent the message in a moment of panic, but enough time had passed that everything was fine now, and she was back to not wanting to hear from me. I could just go home and forget all about it.After all, I didn't owe her anything … not anymore. But even as the thought crossed my mind, different scenarios, none of them good, kept springing up in my mind.What if she wer
Ashley’s POVNot long after Clara and I finished talking, I left her place, my heart heavy with the things that I had learned. Being in that tiny living room that smelled of sickness had me feeling depressed and suffocated.So, after a reasonable time had passed, I made some flimsy excuses and got the hell out of there, assuring Clara that I had forgiven her and I bore no grudges against her, which was true.That phase of my life was firmly behind me, and I only wanted closure from it, as well as justice, if possible. I walked out of the building slowly, my thoughts racing, and made my way back to my car.There wasn’t anything more to gain from the conversation, as Clara had already given me more than enough information to confirm what I had suspected ever since Jeff told me about Claire and her obsession with him when they were younger, as well as explained how that letter came to be.Also, Jeff hadn’t fought with anyone, not to mention killing them, as my captors claimed. It had all
Ashley’s POVHer shoulders sagged, and shame entered her eyes, but she shook her head. “I wish that were the case, because maybe it would make what I did less morally wrong, but the truth was that I did it because I was offered money. I should never have accepted, especially considering how nice you were to my children and me, and once again, I am sorrier than you would ever believe or imagine.”“I see,” I said coldly.“The only excuse I have is that at the time, things were very bad for us. My son was very sick, and I didn't have the money to take him to the hospital. I didn't know what to do.”“I want to know how it happened. Who were the people who offered you money? Did you know why they wanted you to tell these lies?”“I'm sorry, but I don’t know the answer to either question. I do remember that there were two men. They told me that if Jeff ever came around asking about you, I should tell him that you had confided in me about leaving him for a rich man. They didn’t give any expla
Ashley’s POVThe sound of the slap echoed loudly through the empty office, snapping Jeff’s head to the side and causing him to stagger again on his feet as he had done earlier.It was then that I realized that he was actually drunk. No wonder he was spewing such hateful words to me, instead of igno
Ashley’s POVLater that night, after Aurora had gone to sleep, I told Janet every single thing that had been happening with me at work, starting from the beginning when I got here, till now that I found the death threat note.I told her everything about the demotion, about Claire and Jeff, and how
Jeff’s POVPeople thought I had everything … they always thought that. As far as they were concerned, I was Jeff Wilson after all.I had money, power, and status, as well as all the other things that a lot of people dreamt of having. The truth, however, was that I didn’t ask for any of this. It was
Ashley’s POVI tried my best not to think about that dreadful note that I found, but that turned out to be an impossible feat.I’d have loved to think that it was a tasteless prank that someone was trying to play on me, but I didn’t know anyone who could play such a prank.So on that first night af





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