LOGINAshley’s POV (One year and three months later)“Mommy! He smiled at me again! The baby smiled at me!” Aurora’s excited voice came seconds before she came running into the kitchen at full speed, almost slipping in her haste.“Careful, honey!” I chided instinctively, before following her out of the kitchen at her insistence to witness the groundbreaking miracle.She led the way to where her two-month-old baby brother was lying in his cot, half awake. He blinked up at us sleepily before his small lips stretched into a gas-induced smile, but I didn’t have the heart to tell my daughter what the cause of the ‘smile’ was.Aurora shrieked aloud and declared proudly. “See! I told you. He likes me the most.”Footsteps sounded, and I looked up to see Jeff, my beloved husband, approaching us, a happy and contented smile on his face. His hair was slightly messy, and he was dressed casually in gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt.For someone who had barely slept through the night several days in
Jeff’s POV“Oh, that's true. I can't believe I forgot to tell you about him. Yeah. They found out who he was the very next day.”I was relieved to hear that. I still remember how that man had asked me to help his wife and kids in his dying moments, and it saddened me a great deal. I intended to find them as soon as possible and fulfil his dying wish."Oh, that's good. So who was he?”“His name was Sean, and he was the brother of one of the policemen at a station you and Will went to.”My brows furrowed. “You mean the one where Will and I almost got into a fight?”“Yeah, late Sean's wife mentioned that. Anyway, according to the interview she gave, Sean became obsessed with me and Janet's case after Will offered a monetary reward to anyone with information about our disappearance. The woman said her husband confided in her that he had overheard Will tell the officers that you were my bitter ex who couldn’t accept that I had moved on with him. He also told them that you were mad at Janet
Ashley’s POV Surprisingly, aside from the tons of visitors who showed up at the hospital to show their support, Claire also visited to offer her condolences for what happened.She looked pale and drained … nothing at all like the confident, self-assured woman I knew, who had put me through hell.Instead, she looked like a lost little girl. Her family had been hit hard by the scandal that was affecting Will’s family, and her parents were under investigation by the authorities as well.Also, the media was crucifying her and refusing to believe she had nothing to do with the scandal, plus reports of her past treatment of me had surfaced, and suffice it to say, people hated her, so it wasn't a surprise that she looked the way she did.She sat with Eliza and me in the waiting room for several uncomfortable moments, while some of the other visitors filled the silence by chatting away about trivial stuff.After a respectable amount of time had passed, Claire made her excuses and hurried
ASHLEY'S POV I had always hated hospitals, and this time was no exception. The last time I was in one was when Janet was hospitalized and came down here for treatment after the car accident she had with Aurora. Now it was Jeff who was hospitalized. There was nothing I could do to help him other than sit here, wait, and pray that he recovered fully.The sound of the hospital room door opening jolted me out of my reverie. I looked up to see a nurse stepping into the room. She gave me a small smile and went on to check something on the monitor beside Jeff’s bed.“He’s stable. You should try to get some rest too, Ashley, because he’ll need someone to take care of him by the time he’s discharged.” She told me in a soft, sympathetic tone. By now, everyone in the country knew our story. It was all that the media talked about. Jeff had been branded a knight in shining armor, and it was no less than he deserved. Till this moment, I still found it surreal to believe that he actually cared
ASHLEY'S POV"Jeff, what are we going to do?” I asked tremulously.“I... I honestly don't know, Ashley. I'm still thinking. There are too many people around, so we can't get out of here without being noticed. If we hold this idiot hostage and try to use him to get out of here, it would be too risky. One of us could easily get hit. If we remain here, someone will definitely come by looking for him soon enough."He was right. Will didn't say anything. In fact, he was crying silently and looked very subdued, which was a good look on him, as far as I was concerned. The door was still closed, although of course, it didn’t lock from the inside, so we were literally sitting ducks. In the end, Jeff asked me to stand behind him and Will, whom he was still holding tightly and pointing the gun at.It took all of five terrifying, suffocating minutes for someone to come looking for Will. I heard the sound at the door and stiffened, as did Jeff. Then the door creaked open, and one of the guards
ASHLEY'S POV“No!” I screamed as Jeff shoved me behind him.The force of the push, as well as the fact that I was unprepared for it, sent me stumbling backwards onto the floor, my butt scraping painfully against the cold concrete floor.Before I could even recover or process what was happening, he was already almost in front of Will.Jeff’s shoulders … those strong, proud shoulders that I knew so well, were now slumped in defeat.How could he give up so easily, after everything he had done to get here? From Will's expression, it was clear that he could also tell that Jeff had accepted defeat."So you finally understand your situation, then? That's a smart choice, I must say. There's no need to fight it. You're very much outnumbered. No one who comes in here leaves alive, except I want them to, and you already know that I would never let you leave here alive. I refuse to give you an easy death like the others, because I intend to have some long-awaited fun with you. The least you can d
Ashley’s POVThe evening breeze was cool, and I loved the sound it made as it rustled the leaves on the trees in the garden. Janet and I were sitting in the garden, watching Aurora run, while we talked about random things.Janet looked much healthier than she used to, and I was so happy to see it.
Ashley’s POV“She's also your sister.” My father told me wearily.Sometimes, I suspected that this man regretted cheating on his first wife with my Mom, as well as having me. He clearly loved those self-righteous assholes, Dan and Daniella, more than he loved me.I glared at him in irritation. “No,
Tom’s POVThe rest of the drive passed by in a blur that was filled with stunned silence. No other headlights of cars carrying gun-wielding criminals who wanted to eliminate us chased after us for the rest of the drive.Lena was slumped against the car door on her side, against which I had propped
Ashley's POV“Hmmm … I’m all ears,” Will said easily.For some reason, I found it more difficult than I realized it would be to tell him about it.Nobody except Jeff, Claire, Janet, and I knew that I once dated Jeff … not even people at the office, and honestly, I wanted it to remain that wayHowev







