ASHLEYI could feel it on my breath. I could feel it on my skin. I could taste it on my lips and it made it so difficult to swallow the saliva that had pooled in my mouth because it felt like a thousand needles were suddenly stuck in my throat and it made it such an impossible thing to gulp. I could see it whenever I shut my eyes and it tugged at the strings that held my sanity in place, wanting to rip it away from me.The horror.The dread.The blood.I could feel everything. It was as though the switch that controlled my emotions flickered to its highest. Heck, it felt like it was completely detached from the wall that housed it, stomped on repeatedly, and broken into pieces, leaving me with no control over how I felt. The air in the room felt hotter and tighter, closing in on me as I struggled to get a hold of my breath that was slowly leaving me. I was sitting on the cold tiled floor in the room, my knees bunched up to my chest. My chest was constricted in pain and my breath came

ASHLEYSatisfaction trickled through my veins as I tucked my lips between my teeth, gazing at the masterpiece that was sleeping beside me. He was shirtless. In the past few weeks that I have been married to him, I have come to notice that he hates wearing a shirt to bed. His flawless ivory skin was out in the open, only for my eyes to see. He didn't have all the muscles in the world, but he was ripped enough to make my mouth water at the sight of his abs.His chest fell and rose with ease, the bags under his eyes seemed to be fading. He had come back home late at night and even though he thought I was deeply asleep, I saw him walk in with a bloodied shirt. He rushed to the bathroom to change because he didn't want me to see him, but I did. And in truth, I didn't know how to feel seeing him with blood on his hands and his chest. So, I just didn't allow myself to feel. I turned my emotions off because if I didn't shut them out, they would overwhelm me. I exhaled, my eyes flitting to hi

ASHLEYBy the time I was done dressing up, Arden was in the shower and it was a good thing because I was dead sure he wouldn't let me move an inch from this room because of what I was wearing. Not like it was bad, but the possessive beast in him will come out to play when he sees me in this outfit. It was a look I have always wanted to try with my casuals. I was clad in army green cargo pants with a black corset bralette that did so little in hiding my boobs. My cleavage was out in the open and the bralette stopped a few inches below my breasts.I paired my outfit with cute white sneakers and a matching shoulder bag, my hair tucked securely in a sleek low bun, not to mention the bold red lipstick on my lips. I had one of his numerous black shirts draped around my shoulder in case I got cold, but it was a cute fit and Arden was an ass! So, I did the one thing I knew I could do. I ran out of the room before he was out of the showers, racing down the staircase.I released a breath I didn

ASHLEYI was puzzled. Stupefied, even.I sat in the egg chair for a while, trying to collect my thoughts and also trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone just waltzed into my house like she owned the damn place. With the speed of light I could barely comprehend, I jolted upright and grabbed my phone, marching into the house. Pushing the door open, I walked in to see relief washing over Alberta's face, causing me to furrow my brows."Mrs. Gray, you are here." She took in some air, and for some weird reason I couldn't decipher, I gave Alberta a mental pat for addressing me the way she did. It just sounded right because of the lady in red who struck me as an imminent threat. On cue, she whirled around and took off her shades.Nothing could have prepared me for the monolid set of deep hazel eyes that clashed with mine. I let out a soft gasp at the sight of the siren-like lady who stood a few feet away from me, utterly short of words.Her eyes…They had to be her most beautifu

ASHLEY"So, Duncan, huh?" I sparked up a conversation, rinsing the knife in my hands in the sink. The girl beside me stiffened, her hands growing numb as she set the knife in her hands on the chopping board. I was bored out of my mind and my grump of a husband was in one of his asshole moods. He had been holed up in his study all day with his men and I knew that because Duncan was nowhere to be found. I didn't want to think about what he might be up to in that study, so I decided to make dinner for us. I knew I was going to have to play the boss card and that was what I did with Alberta when she tried to get me to give up on cooking dinner. I knew I had to get her out of the house and she couldn't say no to me when I told her to go with the driver on grocery shopping. So, I was stuck with Zelda who insisted on helping out. I have been eating Alberta's meals for a while now and I just wanted to do something different. It was tiring having someone make my meals. I wanted to eat someth