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Chapter 102: Friends?
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The Wife Swap Chapter 103: Tomorrow
Andreas’s POVThe truth was, I didn’t know how much I’d be able to tell my father. This whole situation had spiraled so far beyond what I’d ever anticipated. I was prepared to face the consequences, but I wasn’t ready to drag Ashley into it any deeper than she already was. She’d done enough. More than enough.The silence stretched between us again, heavy and uncomfortable. I could feel her eyes on me, studying me, but I didn’t look up. I wasn’t sure I could handle what I might see in her eyes right now.Then she spoke again, her voice soft, almost tentative. “You know, my childhood wasn’t perfect either. I’ve always felt like I was living in someone else’s shadow.”I glanced at her, surprised by the vulnerability in her tone. She didn’t talk about her past much, not like this. For a moment, I forgot about the weight pressing down on my chest, forgot about everything else except the raw honesty in her words.“What do you mean?” I asked, my curiosity piqued despite myself.“Ashton and I
The Wife Swap Chapter 104: Another layer
Ashley’s POVI had spent most of the night tossing and turning on the bed, the sheets twisted around me like the chaos swirling in my mind. I should be excited that after the gala, I would finally leave this world my sister had dragged me into, a world she had abandoned me in, stolen by an unfortunate accident. But instead, I felt hollow, like a shell of the person I once was. The thought of the gala loomed over me like a dark cloud, not just because of the pretenses I had to uphold but because of what it truly represented—the finality of it all.Once the charade was over, it would be like a stamp sealing the truth: Ashton was dead. No more pretending to be someone I wasn’t, and that also meant no Andreas. With no feedback yet from the airport regarding the possibility of remains found, I was left hanging, wondering if I might have to bury her without even a body to mourn over.Would the Thornes care about any of that? Would they even mourn my sister? I felt a knot tightening in my st
The Wife Swap Chapter 105: The final act
Ashley’s POVThe rest of the salon visit went by in a blur. Faye’s words about Ashton’s mysterious fear kept replaying in my mind, like a warning bell I couldn’t silence. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I should have been paying closer attention to any clues, the fragments of Ashton’s life that I had been so quick to dismiss. The problem was that I didn’t even know enough to have anything to work with. Who was it that Ashton was so afraid of? Could it be Thomas? Or was there someone else lurking in the shadows? Could that be why she was going on that trip? When we finished up, Faye and I parted ways, but not before she gave me one more reassuring smile, as if to tell me everything would be alright. I tried to mirror her optimism, but it felt like a mask that didn’t quite fit.Adam was waiting outside the salon, his face as impassive as ever, but something about the way his eyes lingered on me for a moment too long made me wonder if he could sense my unease.I cli
The Wife Swap Chapter 106: Heightened emotions
Ashley’s POVThe arrival of the make-up artist had been a welcome distraction, giving me a brief break from the different thoughts spinning around in my mind since Faye’s unsettling revelation. My interaction with her had left me reeling—who was this person Ashton had feared so much? The truth felt like a heavy stone lodged in my chest, one I couldn’t shake loose, no matter how hard I tried. But now, with the lady here to help me prepare for the gala, I allowed myself to focus on something else, even if just for a few minutes.As I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair damp from the shower and a plush white robe wrapped around me and sat in front of the mirror, I heard a soft knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat—was this the final interruption before the evening truly began? The makeup artist, a cheerful woman with warm eyes and an air of professionalism, quickly set down her brushes.“I’ll get it,” she said, her voice light and eager to help. “You just relax.”There was something
The Wife Swap Chapter 107: No matter what happens
Ashley’s POVThere was a beat of silence, heavy and thick with everything we weren’t saying. I looked away, staring at the floor because meeting his gaze felt too much like confronting everything that was wrong between us.Andreas broke the silence first, his voice softer than before. “I just wanted to tell you…that I’ll always be there for you, no matter what happens.”I glanced up at him, startled by the vulnerability in his words. For the first time in a long time, I saw a crack in his stoic facade, a hint of the man underneath—the one who had captured my heart“Thank you,” I whispered, not trusting my voice to say more.He nodded, his expression unreadable as he stepped back, creating space between us again. “I have to head to the venue early,” he said after a moment, his voice softer than usual. “There are a few people I need to welcome. But if you’d like, I can come back and we could go together.”There was a pause, a fleeting hope that seemed to hang in the air, like he was off
The Wife Swap Chapter 108: One way or another
Andreas’s POVFriends.I would regret that word until my last breath. I had drawn the line between Ashley and me, not because I didn’t want more, but because I was terrified of what I couldn’t have. Of what I didn’t deserve. But walking away from her just now, after that moment we shared—her soft moan when I wiped the soap from her ear—had taken everything in me not to close the space between us and kiss her senseless.She didn’t even realize the sound she’d made, but I did. It lodged itself in my chest, searing beneath the surface like an open wound. It took everything to turn my back on her and not give in to the pull I felt, the need I had to just...hold her. Kiss her. Something more than this strained, distant friendship we’d agreed on.Friends. What a fucking lie.But I had bigger issues right now. Issues that made whatever tension simmered between Ashley and me feel insignificant.Clint, my driver, glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Everything okay back there, boss?”“I
The Wife Swap Chapter 109: Host duties
Andreas’s POVEverything seemed to be going surprisingly well. Well, at least for now. It had only been an hour into the gala, and typically, I was far too much of a meticulous pessimist to think things were smooth sailing this early. But for once, the chaos hadn't yet crept in. No drama, no scandals…yet.My father, Alfred, and his wife, Margaret, had arrived first. It was typical of him, showing up on time and immediately scanning the room with that hawk-like gaze of his. He gave me a curt nod, his usual nonverbal acknowledgment, before he started surveying the crowd. Margaret, on the other hand, tried to mimic his cool demeanor, but I could see right through her.Her eyes flitted across the room with all the subtlety of a child in a candy store, especially when she caught sight of the woman I had just exchanged pleasantries with. One of the CEOs of Pinnacle Beauty, a makeup line I knew Margaret was practically a walking advertisement for.Predictably, Margaret couldn't resist. She l
The Wife Swap Chapter 110: Sweet
Andreas’s POVSweet.That word had lodged itself in my head ever since I overheard a man whisper it to his wife as they strolled past me, her giggles echoing down the hall. It irritated me. It reminded me of Ashley—of the way she had this strange hold on me, how the mere thought of her made me feel like a kid who'd just been allowed to have candy. My eyes kept flicking toward the entrance, restless anticipation bubbling beneath my skin. It was ridiculous, really. Waiting for her like this.I hated that I felt it—that ache, that need to see her again.For what felt like the hundredth time, I reminded myself that tonight was the last night. The last time Ashley would stand by my side before everything fell apart. Tomorrow, I’d have to sit my father down and confess. I’d have to tell him about Ashton. About Ashley. About the wife swap.It would destroy whatever illusion we’d managed to uphold, and after that, I had no idea what would come next. No more pretense. No more hiding behind the
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