All Chapters of The Wife Swap: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Ashley’s POVAs we stepped into the bar, the atmosphere enveloped us—laughter and music mingling in the air, creating a comforting buzz that pushed away the shadows for a moment. I could already feel a sense of relief washing over me, happy that I’d chosen to do this tonight. Liv and I settled into a small booth near the back, the dim lighting casting a warm glow around us.We ordered drinks—something fruity and strong for me, something stronger for Liv. As the first round arrived, I raised my glass. “To distractions,” I said, a hint of a smile breaking through.“To distractions,” Liv echoed, clinking her glass against mine. We both took a sip, the sweetness mingling with the alcohol, igniting a flicker of excitement in my chest even though I knew it was temporary.For the next hour, we laughed and shared stories, the burden of the last few days feeling lighter with every sip. Liv kept checking in on me, her concern still lingering, but I brushed it off, determined to enjoy this momen

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

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

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,

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