جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

"She has her name in gold on the front door. I want my name in gold on the front door." Turning to face Ashlyn, Kass pouted, her finger still pointed towards the glass front door's branding.Maybe if you ask Marcus nicely, he can paint it in gold, Ashlyn answered, a slight tremor in her fingers. Joking aside, she couldn't shake the nerves that settled like a lead weight in her gut. She attempted a wink, but the movement never quite took, her face scrunching as she tucked her hands beneath her arms to hide the trembling."You think he'd do that for me?" Kass asked, her arm going about Ashlyn's shoulder and pulling her to her side. "I think he'd paint it black instead, just to be an ass."A chuckle bubbled on Ashlyn's lips, and she turned her head to bury her face in Kass' shoulder."You're going to do great in there." Kass squeezed her shoulder, and Ashlyn raised her head. "So chin up-" she ducked Ashlyn beneath her chin, "-and show em' who's boss."Pulling away, Ashlyn examined h

The flashing marker in the text box had never looked more daunting than it had at that moment. Worrying her bottom lip, Ashlyn drummed her fingers against the top of the coffee machine, all while that cursed marker continued its incessant flickering.Twenty unanswered messages, all from him, stared back at her in a blinding blue. Twenty messages made up of the same apologies, the same pleas that she would answer, just once. All messages to which she couldn't construct an appropriate answer.How did she say that everything would be okay, that all would be forgiven when that wasn't the case? Time apart had not changed the matter of his guilt or the fact he'd led her on under the guise of love. She'd been prepared to jump, to give everything up in her fight for him, and a few words weren't going to restore that overnight.But her fingers had a mind of their own, tapping swiftly over the screen as words of longing and fears, hope and broken promises sprouted before her. Fragile buds gr

His shoulders rose then fell with an uneven breath. With his back to her, it was hard for Ashlyn to gauge what might have been on his mind, but from the set of his posture alone, she would have guessed that something troubled him. Through the front window, she watched Derek lean over and place something on the ground before righting himself. His shoulders still slumped as though he still carried the same weight. Stepping to the side so she could get a clearer look, Ashlyn raised herself on the tips of her toes. As if he could feel her eyes on him, Derek turned. Frozen as she stood, one foot poised on its toes, the other resting flat, Ashlyn tried to read the emotion in his eyes. From a distance, he looked troubled, the invisible weight he carried having made his mark in the set of his eyes, and the downturn of those lips meant for smiling. What bothers you? Ashlyn wondered, her head tilting while she leaned forward against the counter. She shouldn't have been spying, especially con

"It's been three days, Zi, and she's barely moved from that spot except to go to the bathroom. I'm worried." Kass spoke in a rush, her voice fading.The bed dipped beside her, and a large hand covered her arm."Ash, honey, you have to get up." Pulling the blankets back from her chin, Marcus brushed a damp curl back from her cheek.Ashlyn's heavy stare shifted to Marcus, looking straight through him. Trapped within the crusted shell that encased her fractured heart, Ashlyn was a prisoner to grief. She heard Marcus speak, but it wasn't his voice that carried those words to her ears. It was his voice, that butterscotch voice that clung to her memories, an intimate whisper that found its way into her mind and her heart. Even in his absence, he haunted her.Make it stop, her lips pleaded, the taste of salt upon them. Marcus' fingers continued to caress her cheeks, something damp and heavy pressing against her crown. A cloth."We're trying," he whispered, his hand shifting to her shoul

Dr. Preston held up another card, a crisp green apple pictured inside the blue frame.Apple, her mind whispered as she opened her mouth and tried to replicate the same sound verbally. A choked grunt came from the back of her throat, startling Ashlyn. Coughing into the back of her hand, she tried to clear the lump that pressed against her vocal cords."Good, Ashlyn. Now let's try again, and this time, I want you to focus on just getting that 'ah' sound, okay?" Dr. Preston's smile was warm as ever, his patience boundless. Ashlyn's, however, was waning as she massaged the sides of her throat.What am I doing wrong? she asked, ignoring the card he held up. They'd been at this for an hour, and all she'd managed was that single grunt."Nothing at all. These things take time," Dr. Preston answered, his smile reassuring. "It's been twenty years, Ashlyn. We essentially have to teach you how to speak all over again. Your muscles are weak, practically non-existent due to all the years of neg