Chapter 1810 Our Secret
I was quick to break free from Nathaniel and put some distance between us. Rolling my eyes at him in distaste, I then turned to Ashton to say, “Ashton, you trust me, don’t you?”
Nathaniel had already seen through my tricks and knew that I was spying on him, so there was no point in keeping the charade up anymore. Under those circumstances, it was better to just be sincere. At least I’d be able to give Ashton a firm response then.
Ashton suddenly chuckled, and an evil glint flashed past his eyes. “Do you honestly want me to answer that question?”
I nodded and replied, “It’s an answer you should’ve told me ages ago.”
Nathaniel took a step forward and stood beside me, but his grin had since faded. “You know, I’d like to know that answer as well.”
Ashton scoffed. He suddenly acted as if he wasn’t bothered about anything and almost seemed generous when he said, “Okay, then let’s play a game. Give me your hand.”
“A game?” I asked because I couldn’t catch up to his quick thinking.
“Yeah,” murmured Ashton. He raised his brows, then looked at my hand, which I had left dangling at my side.
I moved as though I was possessed and reached out for him.
Ashton used his finger to trace his surname on my palm.
After writing that, he retracted his hand and looked right into my eyes. His lips parted, and he asked, “What did I write?”
The entire scene felt so familiar that I had goosebumps. Nathaniel once hired someone to assume my identity. We were trapped in the car for a while at the time, and Ashton played this game with me.
At that time, I answered…
“Fuller,” I replied mindlessly as I stared at him.
“Wrong,” replied Ashton mercilessly, but his words were an exact duplicate of what he said back then.
I insisted, “That is not possible. I know what I saw. It’s Fuller.” When I spoke, I kept my gaze on Ashton.
Nathaniel, on the other hand, stood at the side and kept staring, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
In the end, Ashton said, “Fine. I will give you one more chance to answer that question.”
He held my hand and wrote Audrey’s name.
My nose became runny, and my voice was thick. I was smiling and crying at the same time while answering, “It’s my daughter’s name.”
Ashton grinned before he retracted his hand and replied, “That’s not what I wrote, either.”
There was a pause. When he spoke again, he emphasized every word. “Here’s my answer to your earlier question.”
After saying that, he turned around to leave, never sparing another look at me.
I stood there on the spot, stunned and at a loss for words. My hand remained in mid-air as tears rolled my cheeks. Yet, the familiar warmth filled my heart once more.
Nathaniel took the opportunity to fan the flames. “See? That’s the kind of man you’re willingly sacrificing yourself for. It doesn’t matter if what you’re saying is the truth. He simply doesn’t believe in you, and he will find fault in every word you say from now on.”
Naturally, Nathaniel didn’t know that there was more to the story.
Back then, Ashton said that he wrote “Stovall” both times.
He also said that the wrong answer wouldn’t remain wrong forever, and that was our secret.
That day, in that house, I finally understood what he really meant. He was telling me that he would choose to believe me, and he wouldn’t regret his decision, even if it turned out to be the wrong one.
Peace resonated with me, and I was so happy that I could barely contain it. Still, I suppressed those feelings when I heard Nathaniel’s words. I glared from the corner of my eyes and growled, “Are you happy now? Ashton will never trust me again!”
Nathaniel wasn’t going to let me vent, so he continued mocking me. In fact, he sounded pleased when he replied, “I was simply reminding you that juggling two men is not an easy feat. Things turn out well for you, right? Now, you need only focus on loving me.”
I had always hated how presumptuous Nathaniel was, so I took advantage of the situation and raised my voice. My tears, for some reason, also freely flowed as I complained.
“Loving you? Yes, it’s true that my heart is filled with love, but that love is not directed to you! Ashton is the man I have loved my entire life; my youth and memories are all linked to him. Heck, even my life and my entire sense of being are connected to him. He hates me now and is angry at me. That makes me feel a hundred, if not a thousand, times worse than being stabbed in the heart. Do you even understand the agony of being hated by the person you love? No, you will never understand it. All you ever do is make things worse. It seems that torturing me is the only way for you to be happy, and that makes you nothing more than a cruel murderer. You might as well just stab me to my death right now!”
