I felt uncomfortable. “Ashton, it’s not appropriate for me to stay there now. With Mallory-”
“She doesn’t live there,” he interrupted, staring out the window.
I blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say.
He turned back to me. “Pip, that’s our house. I wouldn’t let her live there.”
His words felt like a stone cast into a calm lake, sending ripples through my heart. Suddenly, I did not understand him anymore.
When we arrived at the house, everything was exactly as I had left it. Nothing had changed. I stood in the doorway, momentarily lost in thought.
Behind me, Ashton said quietly, “I’ve had someone clean it every week.”
I did not respond and instead went to sit on the couch. He also came over and sat down next to me, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the air.
1/2
Chapter 6
+25 BONUS
Unable to suppress my curiosity, I finally asked, “The news.. Is it true?”
Ashton denied it immediately, “No, she isn’t pregnant.”
Relief washed over me, and I felt my tense heart finally relax. I had assumed that things between him and Mallory would progress quickly.
Leaning back against the couch, Ashton rubbed his brow. “Mal has been unwell.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
Ashton explained that after our divorce, Mallory had seemed fine. But one day, while out shopping, she ran into the mafia heir from all those years ago. The encounter triggered something in her, leaving her deeply shaken.
During that period, Ashton frequently accompanied her to the hospital for treatment. It was during one of those visits that someone snapped a photo and spun a rumor.
After a long silence, I finally said, “Everything will get better.”
That night, while I was asleep, Ashton called me around 3:00 am. Elliott had been rushed to the emergency room.
Chapter 7
