Chapter 14: Back to Reality

Ashley’s POV

When I woke up, Andreas was gone. For a moment, I wondered if he'd retreated to the couch after I fell asleep, but the rumpled sheets beside me and the lingering warmth of his body told a different story. He had spent the night in the bed with me.

A strange mix of relief and uncertainty washed over me. Relief that our shared night hadn't been as awkward as I'd imagined, and uncertainty about what this meant for his relationship with my sister who I was pretending to be, if anything. Perhaps it had been a meaningless act of comfort to him, or maybe, just maybe, there was something more to it.

I headed to the bathroom, my mind racing. If this shared night could somehow mend whatever rift existed between Andreas and Ashton, it would be a small miracle and it meant that I'd not only survived swapping with her successfully for the weekend but that I'd helped her take a step forward in resolving whatever issues she had with her husband, because knowing Ashton, she was as stub