Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Ashley tilted her head slightly, not aware of his private admission. Her heart was a raging storm of uncertainty and fragile hope. She kept telling herself that this was the right choice. That marrying Nathan and becoming his wife would make her safe. She told herself it was the smart decision, the correct one. But the more she looked at him in the weak light, at peace and silent at her side, the more another thought whispered at the edge of her heart. A thought she could not silence. Was she choosing love—or only safety? Nathan parked the car and shut off the engine. The street outside was quiet. Tall trees lined the sidewalks, and the buildings were newer than the ones Ashley had grown used to. The sky was pale with morning light, and a breeze moved gently through the leaves."We're here,"

Joshua didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen Ashley in years. She didn't talk to him and their relationship was so cold. Awkward, even, due to their strained family history. He had just read about her accomplishments online, just like everyone else. But he nodded and smiled anyways. "Yeah, she's amazing."He spent the rest of the day questioning whether or not he had been right. He went back to his dorm that night and opened her name up on the computer again. There she was. Dr. Ashley Dawson. A genius scientist that discovered new technology in pharmaceutical biotechnology. Her smiling face was plastered across articles and awards. She looked so strong and composed in her simple white button up and glasses. He wondered if she would even know who he was.He wanted to ask her, to find out. But he had no idea how. Joshua's own life had begun

Nathan was on his way home from the Pentagon. Streetlights flickered in a passing blur outside his window. His left hand held the wheel; his right rested on his phone.He thought about his father's words. How he had told Nathan to keep her in the family. It made Ashley sound like a treasure to be protected, not a person to be loved. Nathan felt angry at the notion, more than he cared to admit.He didn't want her because she was smart, or capable, or well-connected. He wanted her because she made him feel human again. Because when she smiled, the walls Nathan had built around himself crumbled a little.He didn't know if she would ever love him in return. But he did know that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, because losing her was not something Nathan could handle a second time.Nathan pulled into Ashley's neighborhood. He gave the security team he had parked discreetly acr

 Mrs. West stood up without another word and walked quickly out of the ballroom. Harvey hesitated for a beat, standing like that, arms crossed and breathing hard. Then he turned and walked after her, out of the room and out of sight. Nathan watched him leave, jaw set and shoulders hunched. Ashley did not move. The doors at the back of the ballroom shut with a solid thunk after Harvey had gone, and in the stillness that followed, the sounds of the music that still played seemed louder. Erick set a glass of water in front of Ashley. "You all right?" Ashley gave a slow nod, eyes fixed on the double doors where Harvey had disappeared. "I'm fine," she said. "Just tired." Nathan gave her a hard look. He did not change his expression, and his voice did not falter, but his words hit her like a slap. "You did better than I thought you would." Ashley offered him a small smile. "I've

Ashley stared at the message in her hand, her face a ghostly reflection in the screen. For a long moment, she didn't respond.She was getting caught up with her past again, and she didn't know if she was ready to face what it would throw in her way.Ashley took a deep breath and typed out a response.I'll be by the gate.She looked back up to the building, her eyes scanning for Nathan, when she noticed Joshua was still on the steps, watching her. His expression unreadable.Something about his eyes, though, made her chest constrict.-----Days and then weeks went by. Ashley did not say much to anyone. She worked out of her apartment most days. Life went on as fast as it always did, but inside her four walls, she liked the silence. The blank white walls. The blinking cursor. She wrote, edited, and double-checked her work files. Her laptop was always on and open, glowing blue deep into the night.Jamie was her