Chapter 3

Ashton called me later.

He offered no explanation, no apology, and didn't even ask why.

He just confirmed, "Are you sure about this?"

I softly hummed in affirmation.

He was silent for a second, then hung up.

I expected him to be furious.

After all, he'd grown up pampered and adored, no one ever dared defy him.

But I not only dumped him, I made sure he wasn't the first to know.

The hashtag #AshtonDumped stayed trending for three days.

Ashton never had it removed.

My agency, terrified of offending the Ashton family, tried to take it down, but it would reappear less than a minute later.

That wasn't Ashton being shamed; that was his warning to me.

Sure enough, my career took a brutal nosedive after that.

Six years passed.

Six years for Ashton's anger to fade.

Six years, until he and Camilla were about to marry.

Memories flashed, my mind drifting.

The host called my name twice before I snapped back to reality.

Everyone around me was celebrating, the applause thundering. Through a gap, I glanced at the first row.

Camilla was sitting there.

The seat beside her was empty.

No name tag, but everyone knew it was Ashton's seat.

He hadn't arrived yet.

Better this way, avoiding a mountain of awkwardness.

But as I stood on stage, looking up to give my acceptance speech, Ashton was suddenly sitting there, perfectly composed.

Years hadn't dulled his presence; his aura was even more stable and distant.

The moment our eyes met, he looked at me like a stranger, his expression utterly blank.

I steadied myself and began my speech, speaking clearly and confidently.