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Chapter 71: Off limits
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The Wife Swap Chapter 72: On the edge
Ashley’s POVAs I downed the rest of my drink, the bar's noise swirled around me, but a nagging sense of loneliness settled in as I waited for my cab. My thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Andreas. What had I been thinking, calling him? I cringed at the memory, chastising myself for reaching out in a moment of vulnerability. I wasn’t supposed to need him.Just as I was about to dive deeper into my thoughts, a man slid into the booth across from me. He had a confident smile, the kind that was all too familiar in a bar setting. “Hey there, what’s a pretty girl like you doing alone?”I blinked, surprised at his forwardness. “I’m not alone. My friend just stepped out,” I replied, trying to keep my tone polite.He leaned back, undeterred. “Well, she must be missing out. How about we chat while you wait?”I shook my head firmly. “I’m really not interested. Thanks, though.”His smile faltered, but he pressed on. “Come on, I promise I’m fun. What’s your name?”“Ashley,” I said, ho
The Wife Swap Chapter 73: Cracks in the Armor
Ashley’s POVThe ride back was silent, save for the occasional hum of the engine and the rhythmic turn of the tires on the pavement. Andreas hadn’t said much since he’d put me in the car, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Every now and then, I’d steal a glance at him, but his face remained unreadable—cool, detached. The same Andreas I’d come to know, and yet... not.My forehead rested against the cool glass, the dark streets blurring into a haze. My pulse still hadn't settled, riding the aftershocks of adrenaline from the bar encounter. I wanted to pretend I was fine, that everything was fine, but something inside me had shifted. I felt unmoored, as if my grip on reality was slipping.The silence stretched on, thick and pressing. I was suddenly hyper-aware of the space between us, of how little we’d said since leaving the bar. Every unspoken word hung between us, suffocating. I hated the tension, the waiting.I broke the silence first. “You didn’t have to say that,” I
The Wife Swap Chapter 74: In the Shadows of Grief
Ashley’s POVI stepped into the house, the weight of the conversation with Andreas still pressing heavily on my chest. My body felt sluggish, the exhaustion from the night creeping in. Each step toward the stairs felt heavier than the last, like my legs were barely able to support me.As I reached the base of the staircase, I misjudged my footing. My foot slipped on the edge of the step, and before I could stop myself, I was tumbling forward. The sudden rush of air caught in my throat, and I braced for the inevitable impact—But strong arms wrapped around my waist, yanking me back just in time.“Andreas,” I breathed, my heart hammering against my ribs. I hadn’t even realized he was behind me, following me in.His hands remained firm on my waist, holding me steady as I caught my breath. “Careful,” he murmured, his voice a soothing rumble close to my ear. “You’ve been through enough tonight. Don’t hurt yourself on top of everything.”I nodded, trying to smile, but the relief was short-l
The Wife Swap Chapter 75: The quiet between us
Ashley’s POVI woke up to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The sheets felt heavier than my own, the unfamiliar warmth pressing down on me, and the faint scent of his cologne clung to the fabric, unsettling in its intimacy. Slowly, the memory of last night crept back in, piece by piece—the stumble on the stairs, Andreas’ arms catching me, and my uncontrollable tears.And now, his bed.Turning my head slowly, I saw Andreas lying beside me. He was still asleep, his face softened by sleep’s grip, his dark hair tousled. It was the first time I’d seen him look peaceful, free from the cold, controlled demeanor he usually wore. His arm rested on the mattress between us, inches away from where my hand lay.A strange warmth bloomed in my chest, but it wasn’t entirely comforting. The more I looked at him, the more the lines between us blurred. I had told myself that Andreas was someone I couldn’t trust—someone who’d made it c
The Wife Swap Chapter 76: Blurred lines
Ashley’s POVWhen I finally set the bottle down, I felt Andreas’ eyes on me, watching me closely. His gaze lingered on my lips for a beat longer as he reached for the same bottle and downed the remaining contents.I swallowed hard, my throat no longer burning from the cough but from something else entirely.“Andreas…” I whispered, unsure of what I even wanted to say, but I needed to break the tension. I needed to know if he felt it too.He didn’t say anything, just looked at me with those intense eyes, and for a moment, it felt like the world had stopped. His breath mingled with mine, warm and intoxicating. Every nerve in my body seemed to come alive as the distance between us evaporated. The heat of his touch, the taste of him—everything overwhelmed my senses until all I could focus on was the fire between us.I don’t know who moved first—maybe it was me, maybe it was him—but the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine. The kiss was tentative at first, like he was giving me a moment
The Wife Swap Chapter 77: Fractured control
Andreas’s POVI stood in the quiet of the room, staring at the spot where Ashley had been just moments ago. The air still felt charged, the remnants of our kiss hanging in the space between us like a phantom I couldn’t shake.I raked a hand through my hair, frustration prickling under my skin. What the hell had I been thinking? She wasn’t Ashton—no matter how much she looked like her, and I wondered what it said about me that I was grateful for that.But that kiss...it was real. She was real. And, for a moment, I’d let myself forget everything else—Ashton’s disappearance, the lies, the chaos we were buried in. It was just her—Ashley—vulnerable, strong, and completely confusing. I could still feel the heat of her lips on mine, the way her body had fit so perfectly against mine, like it was something I had been missing. But then she had pulled away. Run. And now, all I was left with was this gnawing sense of guilt, like I’d crossed a line I wasn’t sure I could come back from.I sighed,
The Wife Swap Chapter 78: Unspoken Obligations
Ashley’s POVSteam swirled around me as the hot water cascaded over my skin. I closed my eyes, letting the heat soak into my muscles, hoping it would wash away the confusion I couldn’t seem to shake. I pressed my palms against the cool tile of the shower, breathing deeply as my thoughts kept circling back to one thing.Him.I could still feel the echo of Andreas’s lips on mine, the way his touch had made my pulse race in ways I hadn’t expected. No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, the moment had felt… real. Too real. And now, all I could think about was how dangerous it was for me to let those feelings surface.He wasn’t mine. I wasn’t his. And there were too many lies between us for this to ever work. I shouldn’t have kissed him. Worse, I shouldn’t have wanted more.I tried to force the memory away, my fingers trailing absently down my body, the touch too reminiscent of the heat from before. I inhaled sharply, feeling my breath catch as my fingers grazed the sensitive skin o
The Wife Swap Chapter 79: Solitude in Shadows
Ashley’s POVI had spent the rest of the day hiding out in Ashton’s bedroom, the walls echoing with memories that felt both comforting and suffocating. The soft hum of the house blended with the distant sounds of life below, reminding me that the world continued to turn outside this bedroom. Each time I considered going down for a meal, the knot in my stomach tightened, forcing me back into bed.For once, I was thankful for the kind of home my sister had married into. If I didn’t venture downstairs, food would be brought to me. A small comfort, reinforcing my plan to avoid Andreas. Every moment with him felt like dancing on the edge of a cliff, and I was terrified of the fall—terrified of what it would mean to surrender to the feelings I wasn’t ready to face.Curled up on Ashton’s bed, I inhaled the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the air—sweet, floral, and achingly familiar. It should have soothed me, but instead, it filled the room with a heavy sense of loss. I traced the so
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