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Chapter 29: Asshole
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The Wife Swap Chapter 30: A fishing trip
Ashley’s POVThe river glowed under the soft glow of the moon, its surface bubbling like a steaming mug of coffee.A wave of déjà vu washed over me. I recognized this place. It was the river where Ashton and I used to go fishing with our uncle. Ashton had never really liked the water, always preferring the safety of the shore. But I had loved the thrill of casting my line, the anticipation of feeling a fish tugging at the end of my line, and the peace and quiet. As I sat on the boat, staring at the flowing water, I realized I was dreaming again. These dreams had been haunting me since Ashton's disappearance. They were vivid, and detailed, and always left me feeling more terrified than before. I tried to shake off the dream, to force myself awake. But the dream persisted, its images and emotions swirling around in my mind. This time, the dream was different. It didn't show us as children. It was Ashton and I, grown up, sitting on a small boat. Ashton was complaining, as usual. "I'd
The Wife Swap Chapter 31: Another day gone
Ashley’s POVI rushed into the bathroom and knelt over the toilet, my stomach churning. Whoever it was that had held me on my bed followed me, holding my hair back as I vomited. The vomit was a sickly green color, and it tasted as horrid as my sorrow. The dream had been so vivid, so real. It felt like I had experienced it. And the fact that Ashton was still missing made everything worse. When I was finally done vomiting, I turned around to see who had held me when I roused. My heart skipped a beat when I realized it was Andreas. He was standing there, his face etched with worry. His dark eyes, usually so full of intensity, were now filled with a soft concern that I had never seen before. "You were screaming," he said, his voice gentle. "Your door wasn't locked, so I thought there was an intruder." I remembered the kiss we had shared last night, his abrupt dismissal. My face reddened as I looked away from him. "Don't you have to be at work?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper and d
The Wife Swap Chapter 32: The Art Gallery
Ashley's POV"Nothing?" Liv's voice echoed through the phone as I stepped out of the house. I inhaled sharply as I made myself comfortable in the backseat, a knot tightening in my stomach. The thought of having to pretend in front of Andreas and his family again filled me with dread. I was already trying and failing where Andreas alone was concerned, not to mention his family which made me feel like I was a sheep amid wolves. Adam, my driver, nodded in greeting as I slammed the door shut. I wanted to ask him to just hand over the keys to me because having a driver felt a bit excessive, and quickly remembered that he would probably politely decline since he was here on Andreas’ orders. "Nothing," I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. I looked out the window, watching as the city passed by. The buildings seemed to blur together, my mind racing with thoughts of Ashton. After Andreas had dropped that bomb about us having dinner at his parent's house and left, I'd practically ransacke
The Wife Swap Chapter 33: Ethereal blue
Ashley’s POVI had no idea how long I sat in my sister’s office but when my phone beeped, the alarm I'd set to remind me to prep for the dinner with Andreas’ family, I rose to my feet and headed out, my heart pounding in my chest. I was nervous, anxious, and unsure of what to expect. Dinner at Andreas' parents' place was going to be a challenge, to say the least, and even though I'd managed to survive the weekend in Aspen undetected, I had a strong feeling that I might not be so lucky again. As I stepped inside the mansion, I was surprised to see Nora, the housekeeper, waiting for me. "I've already called a makeup artist," she said with a smile. "She'll be here soon to prepare you for dinner." I was about to ask if this was what usually happened when there was an event, but I quickly held my tongue. Asking that would only confuse Nora and make her suspicious of my identity. "Thank you," I replied, trying to sound casual. Heading upstairs, I paused when I saw a large package outsid
The Wife Swap Chapter 34: Surviving dinner
Ashley’s POVAs the makeup artist left, I reached for my phone, my heart pounding in my chest when I saw that I had a missed call from Faye. I quickly dialed her number, my fingers trembling slightly. "Faye," I said, heart in my mouth, "Have you heard anything?" "I'm sorry, Ashley. I haven't been able to get any information," Faye responded, her voice filled with concern. "How about you?" I sighed, the weight of my worry pressing down on me. "I went to the gallery today. But I didn't find anything,"Faye was quiet for a moment and I thought she'd hung up until she spoke again, "You should probably try to file a stolen phone report," she proposed. I nodded, my heart sinking as the dreary reality of the situation started to draw even closer. "I'm thinking about doing that. If I don't get any news tomorrow from the airline, I'll confess everything to Andreas." Faye gasped. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I thought you were going to wait till next week to hear from them," she asked
The Wife Swap Chapter 35: The Thorne estate
Ashley's POVThe tension in the car was so thick, I could feel it hanging over me like a dark cloud. I shifted in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position. But nothing worked. I was too uneasy, too tense. I didn't know whether it was because of my proximity to Andreas or the unfinished conversation he had said we'd have. The thought of him confronting me about our unfinished discussion filled me with worry. From the corner of my eye, I could see him scrolling on his iPad. He seemed so calm, so collected. How could he be so relaxed when I was falling apart on the inside? Well, he wasn't the one pretending to be his missing twin who could be dead so why would he have anything to worry about? I looked away, trying to be busy on my phone. I saw a message from my neighbor, asking if I had traveled because she hadn’t seen me around and that she missed me. I let out a shaky breath, a pang of homesickness hitting me. I missed the warmth of my cute apartment, my simple life. I misse
The Wife Swap Chapter 36: Dear Lord…
Ashley’s POVI did a double take as I took in the interior of the mansion, my mouth falling open in awe. The grand, double-height entrance hall was decorated with detailed marble floors and towering columns. Moonlight streamed through stained glass windows, and a grand staircase, spiraling up to the second floor, dominated the center of the room.As Andreas and I were led towards the dining hall, I couldn't help but wonder if this had initially been built as a castle and then remodeled, or if the architect was simply that talented. The mansion was a testament to the power of affluence. I could only imagine my sister’s face the first time she had visited here. I was sure that she would mentally kick her feet up, giddy that she had finally gotten the Cinderella lifestyle that she used to talk about all the time when we were kids. As we drew closer to our destination, the awe that had gripped at the beauty of this place turned into anxiety, my stomach tightening into knots.When we arriv
The Wife Swap Chapter 37: The announcement
Ashley’s POVThe rest of the dinner passed in tense silence. I tried my best to avoid making eye contact with anyone because the last thing I wanted was for them to notice was how fidgety I had started to become as dinner went on. The worst part was that every time I looked up, certain that someone was watching me, I was always surprised to find that it wasn't even Ashton’s in-laws who kept staring at me so unabashedly but Andreas', his gaze intense and unwavering. I tried to ignore him, to focus on my food, but it was almost impossible, the tension in the room suffocating. As we finished our meal, Alfred announced that dessert would be served in the living room. Everyone stood up and followed him, their footsteps echoing through the empty hallway. When we arrived in the living room, we were greeted by a table already prepared. As we sat down, Alfred cleared his throat. "Now, to the reason why we have gathered here tonight, I have an announcement to make," he said, his voice filled
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