The message he sent to Ashley vanished into the void. No reply. No sign of life. Max refused to believe she would just leave him behind without a word.
Ashley had to be angry–still punishing him with silence. It wouldn’t be the first time. All he had to do was swallow his pride, apologize and she would forgive him. She always did.”
Yes. That had to be it.”
This time, though… this time, he had gone too far. He had made mistakes. But after everything they had been through, there was no way she would actually walk away from him.
Would she?
The thought was like a dagger twisting in his chest, sharp and merciless. It spread through him like wildfire, burning, suffocating. His breath came in short, uneven bursts.”
“No. Ashley wouldn’t do this to me.””
He repeated the words like a prayer, forcing himself to believe them, pushing down the rising panic. His hands clenched around the steering wheel, knuckles white.”
Then he slammed his foot on the gas. Ashley had to still be at the estate. She had to be.
By the time he reached the house, the night was thick and heavy. Max didn’t care about appearances–he took the stairs two at a time, his pulse hammering in his ears.”
Reaching her door, he knocked, forcing himself to wait.”
Silence. The same silence as always. But this time, it felt different.”
“Ash, open the door.” Max’s voice was tight with urgency, an edge of something raw and unsettled beneath it.”
Ashley was stubborn but soft–hearted. She always claimed she wouldn’t open the door, yet every time, she’d press herself against it, secretly listening to see if he had left.”
Little fool. She never realized how sharp his senses were. The moment she leaned in, he could always catch the delicate trace of lily of the valley–her signature scent.”
But tonight, there was nothing.”
His body reacted before his mind could process it. His hand tightened around the doorknob and twisted.”
It turned easily. The door swung open. Darkness greeted him.”
“Ash?” His voice was quieter now, almost hesitant.
Silence.
He flicked on the light. The room was eerily pristine. The bed was untouched, blankets neatly folded, with no sign that anyone had slept there.
His chest tightened as he stepped toward the closet. Clothes were missing. A lot of them. But not all.
A flicker of relief cut through the panic clawing at his throat.”
“She just moved out of the estate. That’s all. She wouldn’t really leave. Right?”
He needed proof–anything to convince himself that Ashley wasn’t truly gone. That she hadn’t really left him.
Max rifled through the room in mounting desperation, his hands unsteady as he yanked open a desk drawer.
A cream–colored wedding invitation lay inside. A cold, suffocating dread gripped his chest.”
His fingers trembled as he unfolded it, his breath hitching the moment he saw the damage–his and Ashley’s names, violently slashed apart with a craft knife, deep, jagged cuts scarring the paper.”
“No… no… this isn’t right.”
Ashley was supposed to wave this invitation in his face, smirking with that infuriating confidence, pushing him toward a future he’d always resisted but secretly wanted. She wasn’t supposed to destroy it.”
His gaze dropped and that’s when he saw them–dark, faded stains along the torn paper.
Tears. Ashley had cried over this.”
A sharp pain twisted in his chest, something raw and unbearable. For the first time, Max truly grasped just how deeply he had wounded her.!!
Alone in the silent, hollow room, the illusion he had clung to–she’s just upset, she’ll come back–crumbled beneath the weight of reality.”
She wasn’t waiting for him to fix things. She had left. And this time, she wasn’t coming back.
1
“No… please don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me.”
He called her. Once. Twice. More. Every time, the call went unanswered.M
12:52 AM
C
A rare, crushing sense of helplessness washed over him as he sank onto the floor, head hanging low, his entire body rigid with frustration and loss.
He had lost her.M
No–not yet. His jaw clenched as a single thought cut through the chaos in his mind.
He had to go to Puerto Vendaval. He had to bring Ashley back.M
1283 AM
