Ashley’s eyes swept over the lavish suite, roses covering every surface. For a fleeting moment, she had believed–wanted to believe–that on this Valentine’s night, Max had finally chosen her.
To be honest, this moment had been inevitable. Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.S
“After all these years… what am I to you?”
“Was I just a convenient body warmer to you?”
Ashley kept her head down, nails digging into her palm. It took her a moment to force out the words, barely above a whisper.
Max didn’t even look up. He was too busy texting, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. And maybe that was an answer enough.8
After all, how easily he had sentenced their ten years together to death with just a few careless words.
*Did you think I was just looking for a fake girlfriend to fool my grandfather?”
“At first, yeah. But after spending time with Lili, I finally understand what love really is.‘
“Whatever this was between us… I’m done with it.“%
“The thought of continuing our secret relationship like this? It’s suffocating. We’re better off as siblings.”
A NosChat notification chimed. Max slipped on his shirt, still typing with one hand. His gaze flicked toward Ashley, her face eerily still. His brows knit together for a split second–then smoothed over just as quickly.
‘Lili’s waiting. I was going to spend Valentine’s with you, but clearly, you’re not in the mood anymore. I’ll get going.”
Ashley barely registered the sound of the door clicking shut.&
Her vision blurred, a thin veil of tears forming. She stared at the empty space where he had just stood, the weight in her chest growing heavier.
12:50 AM PO……
་་་་་པ
The Paroxetine pill under her tongue didn’t taste so bitter anymore.
At least this was better. At least she hadn’t cried in front of him. That would have been the final humiliation.”
Ashley told herself to let it go–to treat this like any normal breakup, to walk away with dignity. But the more she tried to
A wry smile tugged at her lips.
Looking back, maybe he had stopped loving her long before now.”
And yet, she had still been foolish enough to hold on, to believe there was still a future for them.
What an idiot.
Her thoughts scattered as the door to the interview room swung open.N
A young woman stepped out, her head hanging low. But the second she spotted Max, her entire demeanor shifted–her posture straightened, her eyes lit up and a radiant smile spread across her face. N
Ashley recognized her instantly.X
Liliana Palacio.
She had seen this girl’s face just the other night–on Max’s social media. In person, she was exactly as she appeared in the photos: fresh–faced, charming and effortlessly sweet.
With a few quick steps, Liliana crossed the room and slipped into Max’s embrace, her voice tinged with frustration as she complained about her interview.&
“I totally bombed it. There’s no way I got the job.”
Max’s lips curved into a soft smile as he leaned down, wrapping an arm around Liliana. His voice was low and reassuring as he murmured in her ear, “Oh yeah? Funny, I had a completely different feeling.“\
The tenderness in his tone sent a sharp pang through Ashley’s chest. So this was how gentle he could be–with someone else.
Ashley thought back to their school days. Back then, Max had never spared other girls a second glance. Even after they started working, when he pretended to date other women just to keep his family off his back, he had always kept his distance.
But now… now that it was truly over, everything was different.
For the first time, Ashley saw it clearly–there was no going back.N
She turned to leave, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her and before she could steady herself, her body instinctively leaned toward Max.
He stepped away.
She fell hard onto the floor.”
Stunned, she looked up–just in time to catch the fleeting flicker of displeasure on Liliana’s face and the unmistakable irritation in Max’s eyes.
And in that instant, she understood.
He thought she did it on purpose.
lips.
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