Chapter 7%
Max raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes darkening with a hint of curiosity.
Before Alana could mention Ashley’s plans to go abroad, Ashley cut her off.”
“Just a friend. I recently started dating someone overseas.”
Max acknowledged her response with a simple sound and didn’t linger downstairs any longer. Alana, on the other hand, looked at her in disbelief. “You haven’t told Max you’re leaving?”
“Ash, you’re an adult now. Why are you acting like a kid throwing a tantrum?“%
“Aren’t you the closest to Max? What happened?“%
Ashley’s eyes flickered and her voice was low. “We had a fight… still haven’t made up.“%
“Mom, don’t mention my trip abroad to him yet. I’ll tell him when the time comes.“%
Alana thought back–it wasn’t the first time they’d argued. She figured it was just another small fight and chose not to press further, letting them work it out on their own.
She agreed. Kids these days were complicated and she had no interest in getting involved.
That evening, as they were getting ready for dinner at the old house, Max received a call from Liliana. Sitting across from him, Ashley vaguely heard a sweet, soft voice from the other end of the line.
The voice said there was a surprise for him.”
As Ashley took a sip of water, she glanced at Max unintentionally and noticed the faint smile tugging at his lips. He rubbed his forehead helplessly, looking like he had no way of dealing with whoever was on the other end of the call.
Ashley didn’t react, calmly waiting for dinner. She knew there was nothing between them anymore. She had already prepared herself for the day Max would fall in love with someone else—maybe even get married and have kids.
That thought made her eyes dim slightly. Later that night, as she lay in bed, she found herself tossing and turning for no
reason.
She hadn’t expected to hear Max knocking on her door again.”
Knock, knock, knock…
The knocking was urgent, but she ignored it. Then, her phone started buzzing nonstop.
It was Max calling. Annoyed by the noise, she picked up in a hushed voice.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Open the door.” His voice was hoarse, firm, leaving no room for argument.
Ashley had no intention of listening. She sat up and shouted through the door, “Max, are you out of your mind? I’m not opening it.“Z
“Ash, you’re still so foolish…”
Outside, she could hear his heavy breathing. Then, the sound of the lock turning.
Only then did Ashley remember–Max had a key to her room.
Her pupils quivered as panic set in. She tried to brace against the door, but the difference in strength between them was overwhelming. Max pushed his way in effortlessly.
A crisp, cool scent filled the air. Ashley instinctively wanted to escape, but before she could, Max’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in place.”
His brows were furrowed, his sharp features cast in deep shadows under the dim hallway light, making him seem even more unreadable.
The faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air. Just as she thought, Ashley realized. Max was drunk and came to her room with up to no good.”
Ashley struggled harder, her voice filled with frustration, “Let go of me! If you’re drunk, go sleep it off somewhere else. Don’t come here acting crazy!“”
But before she could break free, Max pressed her against the wall, tilted her chin up and captured her lips in a forceful, domineering kiss.
“Mmph-”
The more she resisted, the deeper he kissed her, as if trying to carve himself into her very soul.!!
By the time he finally pulled away, his arms had only tightened around her. Ashley felt dizzy, her cheeks burning with heat./
Max’s gaze was dark and intense, filled with an unmistakable desire. His long fingers trailed along the hem of her dress, skimming over the soft skin of her thighs.
Ashley’s body trembled with unease. Sensing her hesitation, Max who was uncharacteristically gentle, lowered his voice
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and whispered a quiet reassurance.
“Come on, Ash… you want me too, don’t you?“%
Ashley shoved Max away with all her strength, fury bubbling up inside her.
Caught off guard, he fell to the ground. His once dazed, drunken eyes slowly began to clear.
Ashley was afraid of what might happen next, imagining the household staff walking in and seeing them both, disheveled and tangled in this mess.%
Then, they’d notice the strange, forbidden bond between the step–siblings.%
Weakly, she reached for the nightlight and turned it on. Sitting at the corner of the bed, she watched as Max’s usual indifferent expression returned.%
The room fell into a heavy silence. Her throat tightened before she finally spoke.%
“You’re sober now.”
Max lowered his head and rubbed his forehead, responding quietly, “Yeah.“%
A wave of frustration surged within her. How could he be so calm after everything that had just happened?%
“What’s the matter? Did Liliana not satisfy you? Had to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night and come to me instead?”
A bitter smirk curled on her lips as her anger flared. She wanted to tear apart the calm expression on his face. From the past until now, he had always controlled her emotions.
It was like this when they were together and even now, after their breakup, it was still the same. For once, she wanted to make him feel something–wanted to see him lose control.
To Ashley’s surprise, he simply furrowed his brow and looked at her with dark, unreadable eyes. “She’s very obedient. She didn’t want to make move I didn’t tell her to.”
Max‘ voice was flat, like a blade cutting into her heart, leaving deep, painful wounds with every word.%
“I drank too much and wasn’t thinking clearly. Just forget I came here tonight.“%
Ashley had no choice but to admit defeat. In just a few short sentences, he had wounded her beyond repair.
Max staggered to his feet and left and her vision began to blur as tears filled her eyes. Downstairs, the sound of a car engine roared to life, Max was finally gone. For good, this time.
This man had finally broken the last shred of attachment she had to him.”
Ashley’s heart raced and her breathing grew shallow. The air around her seemed thick and stifling and she couldn’t catch her breath.%
With a sharp thud, she collapsed to the floor, the suffocating feeling overtaking her. Tears welled up as she slipped into darkness.%
When she woke, she found herself in a hospital bed. The housekeeper had heard strange noises downstairs that night, gone up to check and found her pale and unconscious. They had called an ambulance just in time.%
Alana was startled by how she found Ashley and couldn’t help but lecture her daughter.%
Even Juan, despite his busy schedule, took the time to visit Ashley once. Max, on the other hand, never showed up.
His whereabout was obvious. All Ashley had to do was check Liliana’s social media to know where he was. But she wasn’t interested in his life anymore.”
The day she was discharged from the hospital was the same day she flew to Puerto Vendaval. She gave Alana a brief goodbye, grabbed her suitcase and boarded the flight.
After getting on the plane, Ashley opened the chat box between herself and Max.
She had thought a lot before sending him the last message. She wanted to ask him why he treated her like this. But now, when it was time to end it, she only typed a short sentence.
[Max, I don’t care about you anymore, and I won’t love you anymore. We’re done.J
The plane took off slowly, and she blocked all his contact information in one breath.%
12:51 AM D
Chapter 8
