If our roles were reversed, I would never allow it to happen as well. After all, we used to hurt one another. It would be close to impossible for us to patch things up, behaving as though nothing had occurred.
He switched off the light in the room because he wanted me to sleep, but I couldn’t bring myself to sleep in the pitch-black room since I was afraid of the dark.
I sat upright on the bed and switched on the lamp on the nightstand. Since Summer wasn’t around, I would need the aid of incense to bring myself to sleep.
When I walked out of the bedroom, I heard a commotion coming from the living room.
Ashton and Sally were in a heated discussion. Needless to say, I was the center of their discussion.
Sally reprimanded Ashton, “Why can’t you move on from her? You’re well aware of her background, don’t you? There’s no way things will work out between both of you! Why can’t you give Nancy a chance?”
She got increasingly worked up and asked, “In terms of look, Nancy resembles Scarlett, yet she’s way younger and better than Scarlett! Why don’t you start a family with her? Since she’s far more sensible than Scarlett, I’m sure you can focus on your career after getting married! Why can’t you stop torturing yourself?”
To be honest, her words made a lot of sense because it would be better for us to move on and start a new life with a better half.
I thought Ashton would ignore his aunt, but he actually rebutted her. “She was merely twenty-two years old when I first encountered her in the library of J University. Holding on to Romeo and Juliet while making her way out of the library, Scarlett was engaged in a conversation with Macy. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she said she would rather live a life like Juliet’s, staying true to herself, forsaking her life for the sake of love.”
He paused before adding, “Perhaps she had the best time of her life back when I first saw her. I knew she was an ambitious girl, yet Grandpa forced her to join the Fullers and insisted on having us married. I knew it was never her intention to get married to me. Therefore, I made the decision to call off our wedding. Unfortunately, Grandpa insisted and forced us to carry on with the wedding ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, I was determined to set her free if she truly desired to leave me. Over the two years, I stayed away from her and spent my time honoring Parker’s final wish. However, my lust took over my rationality. When I got drunk, I accidentally forced her into submission and got her pregnant.
“Perhaps that was part of our destinies. Therefore, I changed my mind and started taking care of her with everything I had. I promised her a grand wedding ceremony and swore upon my name to take good care of her and our child. I was the only one she could rely on, and yet, I was the one who brought upon her misfortune. Over the past four years, I had been thinking over and over again. If it weren’t because of me, could she have lived a completely different life?”
He looked at his aunt with a deprecating smile. “Aunt Sally, she’s not the one who can live without me—I’m the one who can’t go by a day without her. I ended up hurting her because I didn’t learn to love her. After our encounter, she had become my one and only. No matter what lies in the future, I want to keep her by my side and let bygones be bygones. The future is the one that matters the most, isn’t it?”
My heart ached when I saw the ring on Ashton’s finger—he had never once removed our wedding ring.
On the other hand, Sally didn’t expect Ashton would share his most inner thoughts with her. She stared at him openmouthed because she was at a loss for words.
When she raised her head and saw me, she shook her head before spinning on her heels and left.
I returned to the bedroom and noticed I had never looked at things from his perspective. Although I was conscious of the affection he had for me, it turned out to be more than I thought.
Lying on the bed, I couldn’t fall asleep. When Ashton entered the bedroom, I was still wide awake.
I closed my eyes when I noticed he was about to enter the room, but he caught me red-handed and asked, “What’s wrong? Having trouble falling asleep?”
After hesitating for a short while, I said, “Perhaps it was because of the unfamiliar environment.” The moment I enunciated my reply, I regretted my words because it used to be my room four years ago.
Frowning, he took a seat by my side and cradled me in his arms with a bright grin. “Are you sure it’s not because I’m not around?”
I was startled by his words.
It was early September. The weather wasn’t as frigid, but it was a chilly night. I couldn’t stand the cold anymore and I snuggled in between his arms to keep myself warm.
When he cradled me in his arms, I was overwhelmed by the uncertainties that were in store for us. In the end, I decided to appreciate the limited times we have.
…
I was roused from my sleep when the shaft of sunlight illuminated the entire bedroom.
In my groggy state, I saw Ashton by the edge of our bed, sorting out the documents he had.
