Chapter 27
ASHLEY
“Who drank all the damn punch?!”
The shout echoed through the living room, followed by the unmistakable crash of something ceramic, shattering against the floor. I whipped my head around just in time to see a guy standing over what used to be a bowl, looking as guilty as a toddler caught with frostings on his face.
“It wasn’t me“, he declared, holding up his empty cup as if it was a proof of innocence.
I rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh. Of course this was how Violet’s birthday party was going to start–loud, chaotic, and perfect in its own messy way.
I shifted the tiny bundle in my arms, cradling Violet’s baby against my chest as she gurgled softly, oblivious to the commotion around him. Her little fingers curled around the edge of my necklace, tugging with surprising strength for someone barely the size of a loaf of bread.
Today is Violet’s birthday and she was finally out of the hospital. One grueling month of check–ups, sleepless nights, and sterile hospital air had worn her thin, but she was healing now–stronger, brighter. And Ryan, being Ryan, had decided to throw her a surprise birthday party at their house, like it was the perfect bow on top of her recovery.
Violet’s laughter pulled me from my thoughts. She was perched on the couch, her face flushed from excitement, her eyes sparkling like the string lights we’d tangled around the room.
“Bring her here, Ash“, she called, waving me over. “I miss my baby!”
I grinned, crossing the room carefully with her little one nestled in my arms. “I think she’s quite attached to me now. We’ve bonded. You might need to fight me for her.”
“Oh please,” she snorted, reaching out as I gently handed him over. “She only likes
“Well, that’s because I always have cookies.”
you because you smell like cookies.”
We both laughed, the kind of laughter that felt like breathing after being underwater for too long. I plopped down beside her, stealing a quick peek at the chaos unfolding around the room–friends talking in clusters, music pulsing faintly in the background, the faint scent of vanilla frosting mingling with cheap party decorations.
And then-
I felt it.
That shift in the air.
Like the temperature dropped a degree, though no one else seemed to notice. My skin prickled, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as if my body recognized something before my brain did.
“Don’t turn around,” I told myself. Keep talking to Violet. Focus on her.
But I did.
I turned.
And there he was.
Kyle
He was weaving through the crowd with effortless ease, a small, neatly wrapped gift in his hand. His suit was immaculate, dark as midnight, tailored to perfection, as if he’d walked straight out of some glossy magazine spread. His smile–that same rested on his lips, the one that once made my heart race but now only made my stomach twist.
Of course, he was coming straight toward us.
My breath hitched slightly, but I forced myself to stand tall.
“Happy birthday, Violet“, he said smoothly, handing over the present.
“Thank
you, Kyle!” Violet responded, her eyes flicking to me.
1/2
Chapter 27
Before I could think of an excuse to escape, Ryan appeared, slipping an arm around Violet’s waist with casual possessiveness. He pressed a kiss to her temple, murmuring something that made her smile wider
“Kyle,you came” Ryan acknowledged with a slight nod
Kyle returned the nod, his gaze lingering on me for a beat longer than necessary before he finally turned to Ryan. The two exchanged a few words walking off together, their voices fading into the background hum of the party.
The second they were out of earshot, Violet turned to me with a look that screamed “I know something you don’t want to admit.”
She crossed her arms and leaned in closer, her gaze sharp and knowing. ‘So,‘ she said, “how are you really doing?”
I forced a smile, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. “Of course, I’m fine.”
Violet raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “The truth, Ash. Have you really moved on?”
I swallowed hard. There was no avoiding it now. “Yes, of course,” I said, the words coming out too quickly, almost too forcefully. It was the only answer I could give–whether I believed it or not. I needed to believe it.
She didn’t respond right away, but her gaze told me everything I needed to know: she wasn’t buying it. “Come on, Ashley. You’re telling me that after seeing him again, after everything, you’ve really moved on?”
I swallowed again, trying to hold it together. “I said I have.”
yols za
qhat does Ryan do. I thought he would be an artist a painter
yols za
lila
