Ashley' POV:Thud! I hear the noise that echoes in the way my heart starts to hammer frantically against my rib cage, realizing that he has shut the door from outside… leaving his room, and me alone in it.I have made every single effort I could, tried every single method I could, to make him listen to what I was saying. But he still left without listening to me… even without letting me give the explanation he himself was demanding from me, which I know he wanted to hear.After all, I am not wrong… Just a few days ago, he was the same person who was asking me why I hadn't said anything to him, if I was allergic to green bell peppers… when he simply didn't listen to me any time I tried to warn him; forget that, I doubt he even listened to a a single word I was trying to say. And today! Today, he has done the same thing: he left me inside and shut the door from outside, without letting me finish what I was trying to say… or caring to know that I am claustrophobic.Despite the traces
Ashley's POV :Feeling a vice-like grip around my chest, I try my best to divert my mind or at least to put it to some ease, knowing that I have very little time left in my hands. But I fail miserably… I fail miserably in everything I do, try to do, or even hope to do.My claustrophobia starts to kick in, and tears start to roll down my already-wet cheeks; but this time, the tears are caused by fear, not humiliation.I start frantically knocking on the door and screaming for help in my desperate efforts to save myself, hoping there will be some way out… there should be a way out! I can't… I can't die here… not this way…But after a while of screaming, my throat starts to hurt… and I begin to reach a horrifying realization with a somewhat calm acceptance: there is nobody to hear my screams, or set me free.I don't even know if he is still here in the house, or if he has already left me to die here alone… I don't know if someone lives in the neighborhood or not, or whether they can hear
Ashley's POV:I shift, only to feel something velvety soft beneath my back.I don't know if this is the heavenly feeling people talk about… that they are supposed to get after death, if they keep their conduct good during their time on earth.I try to open my eyes, and immediately feel a sharp white light stabbing my eyes.‘That's it! I am definitely dead, and finally, my time has come to roam in the heavenly lanes.’Rubbing my eyes, I try to open them once again; after all, I ain't going to miss the chance of roaming in the lanes of heaven at any cost!But the moment I open my eyes, I find myself sleeping on the soft bed that somehow feels familiar to me… and ironically enough, the room too-Ethan's bed… Ethan's bedroom.I'm lying on Ethan's soft king-size velvet mattress inside Ethan's bedroom …But how is this even possible? I am sure that I died last night… or at least I believe it was last night? I don't know exactly how much time has passed since I died.“Did I not go to heaven,
Ethan's POV:Guilt is something that has found a permanent residence in my heart, and it is not because I have done something wrong… but because this girl has the power to mess up all my plans, without even lifting a single finger.I never thought, or imagined that I would give so much power to anyone apart from Emily, but then again… I was never aware that someone is going to step into my life with exactly her face and mannerisms, while carrying completely different sets of fears and allergies.I accept that I had meant to shut the door in my anger, and somehow ended up locking it too… but again, if Emily was in her place, she would have utilized this time in taking a short, energetic, power nap!But this girl… this girl is built different.Every time… every single time, no matter how badly I want to push her away from myself, I am the one who ends up saving her.After all, I can't just let her die with my Emily's face.And this is why my anger breaks through the roof once again, whe
Ashley's POV:I wake up to the smell of fresh croissants and omelets, along with the delicious aroma of coffee.My nostrils are in heaven, and so am I… I don't know if it was a dream where Ethan had somehow saved me from the jaws of death and also threatened to kill me himself, or was it reality… It did feel like a fever dream, for sure… “If you are awake, then come and finish your breakfast. Hurry up, or you'll only get a few minutes to pack whatever you might need from here. We are moving back.”I hear Ethan's voice from somewhere nearby, and finally open my eyes to find him sitting in the same room. Beside the large window overlooking the farmhouse, there is a small coffee table, and there he is… sitting on the side chair with one leg crossed over the other. So it wasn't fake, then. But, what about the feelings and sensations that I was experiencing… were they true, or were they, too, just a dream of mine…My gaze dips down due to embarrassment, and this is when I notice that I'
Ashley's POV:Although we returned to the city that very day, I still didn't get the chance to meet Tiffany… it has been almost two weeks since I last saw her, and I know she would be feeling as uneasy as I am. But there is nothing I can do about it right now… because today is already the day when we have to head to the party.I know, I know that whatever I am going to say to her, about not why I couldn't meet her, is going to sound like an excuse– but it really isn't!In fact, I feel slightly bad for the naive Ashley who thought that coming back was an occasion to celebrate, because ever since we have come back to the city, my schedule has been even more packed. After our return, not only have I had to prepare for the upcoming meeting while also meeting the small shareholders to convince them to sell their shares to me, but also to rehearse the lines Ethan has handed me as a script for the party.I really don't understand this man, or what does he really want from me! Sometimes, he
Ethan's POV:I feel nauseated seeing Ashley already making herself familiar with men twice her age, without any hesitation.Two minutes! It has been two minutes since I left her alone at this party, and she is ready to do the same things Emily would have done… how can they be so similar, yet so different… and at the same time, they are perfectly each other's mirror image when it comes to mannerisms and choices.I feel like it's going to take me ages to figure this girl out, even though I already used to think that I knew Emily… but she ended up giving me the biggest surprise and betrayal at the end anyway! I am still amazed, even after seeing it with my own eyes, how she is busy luring people with her beauty and charms! I can't believe Ashley could also go this low, without caring for any ethical or moral compass… Ashley might pretend to be naive when it comes to business, but when it comes to grabbing attention and sympathy, it looks like she has learnt it from the best of the bes
Ashley's POV:He opens the door, and throws me inside like I'm some piece of furniture that he didn't even want in the first place… but because of some reason, he can't deny the utility and get rid of it.I stumble into the room and grab the first thing I can to support myself; because my head is spinning in circles. I'm standing, leaning against the back of a couch, still trying to process what has happened in the span of an hour… or even the last few minutes? After so many days, I was finally feeling like I wasn't an oddity, like I didn't only want to remain stuck in the past where I felt safe and cherished, but like I also had something to look forward to. I had finally found someone, after what felt like an eternity, who was ready to hear my voice and was interested in my business ideas, without asking for any favors… I had finally found someone who knew my parents and appreciated their hard work, unlike everyone around me who had seemed to have forgotten them and their contrib