Semua Bab The Wife Swap: Bab 131 - Bab 140

Ashley’s POVBefore I could even fully process what Alfred had just implied—that he wouldn’t have objected if I’d been the one Andreas brought home instead of Ashton—Andreas’s hand found mine. His touch was warm and grounding, but there was a tense urgency to it. He pulled me up from the chair, positioning himself subtly between me and Alfred, like he was forming a shield. “Father, we’ve already discussed this. I told you I’ll handle things. I have it under control,” Andreas said, his tone calm yet edged with an unspoken warning.But Alfred merely raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He looked more amused than anything, as though toying with us both. “Really, Andreas? From where I stand, it appears you’re barely holding on by a thread.”He let the words hang in the air before continuing. “I’ve had enough time to consider everything you told me this morning, and I’ve come to a decision,” he said, his gaze flicking to me, evaluating as though I were a part of his own ma

Ashley’s POVI felt the floor drop out from under me. My vision blurred as I tried to comprehend what Andreas had just said—Ashton might still be alive. The world had turned upside down, leaving me dangling and unable to find my footing. My chest tightened, and I fought to keep my breathing steady, but the walls felt like they were closing in. Everything was suddenly too loud and too quiet, all at once.I stared at Andreas, struggling to piece together how the man I had trusted—who’d become my only stability in the chaos since I first got news of that plane crash—could have hidden something so monumental from me. “How long?” I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper. “How long have you known, Andreas?”He hesitated, and the flicker of guilt that crossed his face twisted the knife deeper. “Not long,” he said, but his voice cracked, betraying him. His eyes darted away from mine for a fraction of a second, a moment that told me everything. “A few days, maybe a week—”“A wee

Ashley’s POVThe car ride had been silent, the kind of silence that felt too thick to break. I stared out the window, watching the blur of city lights, my mind racing through everything that had happened in the last hour. I could feel Andreas’s eyes on me occasionally, like he was waiting for me to say something, to shout, to accuse, to do anything—but I didn’t. I was too angry, too hurt, and too tired to unravel the mess we were in.By the time we pulled up to the house, I felt like a tight coil ready to snap. I got out of the car without a word, but just before I reached the front door, I stopped. I couldn’t go inside, couldn’t pretend everything was fine until I had more answers. My hand was on the doorknob when I turned back to face him, my voice flat and cold.“What exactly did the private investigator tell you, Andreas? What made you think Ashton might still be alive?”He looked startled by my directness, as if he had expected me to wait until tomorrow, or the day after that, or

Ashley’s POV“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper now, trembling with the weight of it all. “Why did you keep this from me?”“I didn’t know what to do,” he said again, and this time his voice cracked, raw and exposed. “I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to think that she could have done something like this, and I didn’t want to hurt you with something that might not even be true. I was hoping… I was hoping that I was wrong, that she was just another victim of the crash, that there was some other explanation.”“You were hoping I’d just keep playing along, that I’d never find out,” I said bitterly, the words lashing out before I could stop them. I saw him flinch, and a part of me felt satisfaction at the pain in his eyes, even as another part of me hated myself for feeling that way.“It wasn’t like that,” he said softly, desperately, and I could hear the truth in his voice, the rawness of his emotions, but I didn’t know if I could believe him anymo

Andreas’s POV “And if Ashley doesn’t…fall in line with whatever you decide?”I flinched, remembering the promise I’d made to her—the promise to let her go if that was what she wanted. I’d held back what the investigator had found, knowing it might tempt her to stay. As much as I wanted her by my side, it couldn’t be under false pretenses.“She doesn’t have to,” I replied, defiance lacing my voice. “If she wants to leave, I’ll respect that.”An eyebrow arched, a shadow of amusement crossing his face. “You’ve grown soft, Andreas. Are you forgetting what’s at stake if anyone gets even a whiff of what you just told me?”“I’m not forgetting,” I said firmly. “But Ashley…she deserves the opportunity to do what’s best for her.”His gaze hardened. “You’re letting sentiment cloud your judgment. You don’t get where I am by indulging emotions.”I fought to hold my ground. “Maybe not. But I’m not willing to turn this into a game of manipulation.”Silence settled over us, thick with tension. His d