He didn’t ask Mrs. Fitzgerald for further details because he knew if he did he wouldn’t be able to control himself from killing Michael that instant. Daniel plopped on the couch while gesturing to her to do the same."Will she come out?" Daniel asked Mrs. Fitzgerald who appeared to be lost in her own thoughts. However, his voice managed to reach her ears as she replied promptly while nodding, “She will.”“Thank you for coming on such short notice. But if you want to leave you can. I’ll tell my driver to drive you back to your place,” Daniel offered politely.“Well, as much as I want to. I don’t think it would be a good idea to leave her like this,” Mrs. Fitzgerald protested.Daniel didn’t disapprove of her point. In fact, he felt relieved as he knew how much Ashley needed support at this moment. Mrs. Fitzgerald was a kind woman who had persuaded her to speak up and report her husband to the police.

"Pregnant?" that's all he managed to utter in his state of disbelief.His palpitating heart stopped working for a moment. A sharp pain arose in the center of his chest. The news shouldn't have affected him at all but somehow it managed to rip his heart into pieces. Into tiny little pieces. He couldn't fathom how to take this piece of information. Should he smile? Should he express his genuine feelings? Or should he just let it go?"Mr. Smith?" a feminine voice broke him away from his thoughts.He peeled his gaze off Ashley and latched it back on Mrs. Fitzgerald. The woman was staring at him with a concerned expression. Maybe the condition of his heart was reflecting across his face. Maybe this time he failed to conceal his feelings. But did he care? No. It was least of his concern right now when his heart was suffering yet another blow.But why was he feeling like this? Why the news of her pregnancy managed to induce fear in him. Fear of what? Losing a part of hi

AshleyThe last time she had stood up for her right was the day she had earned a slap from Michael for the first time. Silencing her for good. She had accepted her misery and had learned to trudge through life. She had also learned to made peace with her fate that never showed an ounce of mercy on her.And when she was least expecting, a fresh breeze of hope came swaying into her life and turned it upside down.Had someone told her a week ago that she would lodge charges against her husband, she would have brushed it off and called it impossible. But today, all her far-fetched dreams were coming true.Freedom was all she craved. Freedom from misery. Freedom from pain, and freedom from invisible shackles that were digging into her soul.Ashley hadn’t planned about what she would do after getting a divorce. Where would she go? None of these questions mattered to her anymore. All she wanted was to sever her tie with Michael. Especially no

NINE MONTHS LATERAshleyThe sun had been just up and was still unfurling its wings when her alarm went off. Ashley groggily shot her hand out of the duvet and pressed the stop button. She rubbed the lingering sleep off her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position. A new day had started. Ashley was a morning person who liked drinking coffee while basking in the soft warmth of the sun in the early hours of the morning. She stretched to shake lethargy off her body and stood up. She was all set to start her day.Her lips tugged into a smile when her orbs caught sun rays dancing on her window. She pulled the drapes and unlocked the window to let the warm beams filter in.After finishing her morning ritual she headed towards the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. It had become a routine now. Her morning began with a cup of coffee and some time spent alone lounging in the backyard. After finishing her coffee she would

DANIELDo you know what is the worst feeling out there? It is regret! Because It never leaves you. It surreptitiously but effectively keeps hollowing you out from the inside destructing your confidence and belief in the process. It doesn't feel like a sudden sharp stab but feels as if someone is slashing your heart piece by piece. You know what is the worse thing about it? you can't point fingers at others for feeling like this because Regret breeds from your own actions. It leaves you vulnerable and helpless. And what makes it even more dangerous is the fact that there is no salvation from it. No way out. IT STAYS FOREVER. Forever at your service to crumple your soul like a piece of paper.Regret was among many emotions he got struck by when Daniel peeped in through the glass window. The sight of her lying almost lifeless on the bed was too heart-shredding to bear. He whipped his face to the side and stepped away. The sharp pain searing his inside inten