Semua Bab The Price of Hidden Sins: Bab 1 - Bab 10

“Ashley, cous,” she heard the greeting as her glass was clinked by another champagne glass. Her head turned toward the source of the voice. And her eyes caught a familiar figure she last saw around five years ago—as a surprise guest at her home in New Zealand. That girl had arrived in pieces then, heartbroken and a mess, if memory served her right. And her following days had been forcibly filled with listening to the girl's non-stop cry. The corners of Ashley's lips were drawn wide without realizing it. She warmly embraced the eccentric girl standing before her. Dressed in a bright yellow babydoll dress paired with a hot pink blazer, fifteen-centimeter heels of the same color, and an array of piercings sparkling on her face and ears. Sera Song, her cousin. Who had a similar fate to her, though their circumstances weren’t entirely the same. The one person in their family who could be just as annoyingly stubborn as she was. And yet, ironically, the only family member who always both

The look on Ashley's face was a complete mess. Something inside her head was boiling, and her chest felt like it was being beaten from within. Creating an agonizing sensation of pain.She was angry.Very angry, and hurt.She couldn't even bear to imagine what she looked like now. Because even without seeing her reflection, she could guess how messy and pathetic she looked.Ashley slowly tried to stand up. Fixing the top of her dress and brushing off the dust floor on her dress. As for her disheveled hair, she ran her fingers through it, ruffling and combing as best she could do.Only when she felt that her hair no longer stuck out too much, she stepped out from behind the partition. She avoided making eye contact with whoever it was and moved quickly to the elevator. This time, luck seemed to be on her side. No one else got into the elevator with her. And the hallway on the floor where her room was located was also empty.The first thing she did after making it into the room was run s

Ashley's forehead creased into a deep frown.The moment the man approached with a white box, she immediately scrambled off the bed and back away. Giving as much distance as possible until her back hit the closet. Until there was no more room for her to run.Her body stiffened, her posture was now rigid—showing a very defensive position.The turmoil of anger still filled her chest, pressing against her ribs, and threatening to explode. Mixed with a variety of inexplicable feelings, and also a sense of... fear?She couldn’t explain the faint, ghostly shiver that swept over her at this moment. Which made her palms wet in cold sweat and clasping tightly without her even realizing it.It didn’t make sense. Wrath suited her current state far better than this unreasonable fear. Because, Josh was the one who had made many mistakes. A lot, in fact. And it all happened in just a matter of one day.So, shouldn't he be the one who was currently stricken with fear? Shouldn't he be the one on his kn

Ashley spoke passionately, but her voice caught in her throat, suddenly dry and tight, cutting off her words. And because it was uncomfortable, she was busy clearing her throat.Josh watched her patiently. When she fell silent, struggling to continue, he finally spoke.“I just don’t want any more misunderstandings between us. And,” he sighed, “I don’t like being seen as a jerk. I'm also sorry for not telling you about my relationship. But clearly, I didn't lie.”"You didn't lie? How can you say that after what I saw?""I never said I was single. You never asked either, did you? So technically, I didn't lie."Ashley looked at him with a scornful glare. Unbelievable. This man could twist words and manipulate situations so smoothly, so cunningly.“I didn’t even know whether you were single or had a boyfriend,” Josh narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze onto Ashley's. "Or maybe you have a boyfriend too and just didn’t tell me?""As if! I’m a woman with morals. There’s no way I would agree t

Josh realized that if their conversation continued, it would only go around in circles without being resolved. Ashley didn’t seem to be in the mood to forgive him, and she certainly wasn’t about to agree to his request. Yet that was the core of the problem—where Ashley had found out he was in a relationship with another girl.Maybe, it had crossed his mind that if Ashley knew, there would be a price to pay. Because she was going to live this marriage like a real marriage—as her mother always insisted.But he hadn’t expected to get caught this quickly. And now, he might be paying a bigger price than he had ever anticipated.Because once trust is broken, piecing it back together is harder than fixing shattered glass.Josh finally broke the silence. “What if I apologize for everything? For everything that made you angry?”Ashley lifted her head and looked at him.“And what would I get in return for forgiving you?” she asked. “You’re only apologizing because you don’t want me exposing you