Chapter 9

Whether before or after publicly announcing our breakup, I never asked Ashton for an explanation.

Because I believed actions spoke louder than words.

In a life-or-death situation, the person he wanted to save was Camilla. So, no matter how much he claimed to love me, his words were empty.

But I also didn't want to be tormented by that nightmare anymore.

Since he brought it up, I would listen.

Ashton said the Camilla family originally had two children.

Camilla had an older brother.

He and Ashton had been best friends since childhood.

When they were thirteen, the two boys snuck out to play and were targeted by kidnappers.

Someone wanted to abduct Ashton.

The two teenagers ran for their lives, trying every possible way to save themselves.

But in the end, only Ashton returned.

"Back then, to scatter the kidnappers, we decided to run in separate directions."

"Before we split up, the last thing her brother told me was that if he didn't make it back, I should take good care of his parents and Camilla."

So, in that moment of life and death, when he heard Camilla cry out "brother," he went to save her.

He didn't want his best friend to die with unfulfilled wishes; he didn't want to break his promise.

Friendships forged in youth were the most precious.

Especially when that person died because they were implicated by him.

These old memories were Ashton's deepest pain.

It seemed understandable that he wouldn't want to bring them up before.

But I still wanted to ask, "What if I had died that day?"

He owed the Camilla family; he went to compensate them.

That was right.

But I didn't owe the Camilla family. Why did I have to pay the price, even the price of my life?

Ashton didn't speak.

Perhaps he couldn't be bothered to answer such a hypothetical question.

After all, I was alive and well, and now I'd brought him trouble.

I didn't press further, just told him,

"Don't worry, I truly didn't secretly have a child. I have no idea about the video either, but I certainly didn't want it to be exposed."

Ashton looked at me.

A flash of something akin to sadness passed through his eyes.

Then he spoke, calmly confronting me,

"I asked a doctor. For a body shape like in the video, someone who doesn't 'show' easily would be five months pregnant. Even someone who 'shows' easily would be four months."

So—

"Skylar, you did keep the child, but you resented me for abandoning you back then, so you hid it for so many years and are now deliberately denying it, aren't you?"