Maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was something deeper, but I stiffened without meaning to. Ashton felt it immediately. His gaze shifted, sharper now, more controlled, like he was measuring me in a way he hadn't before.
Ever since I heard the recording—him and Rebecca, those quiet moments that didn't belong to me—I started pulling away from him. Not loudly, not openly, but enough that the bond between us no longer settled the same way. Something in me resisted, even when my body stayed close.
He turned away from me that night and didn't speak. A long silence passed before he finally got out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and walked out to the balcony. The faint scent of smoke drifted back in, mixing with the cold air between us.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, but my chest wouldn't calm. It felt like something inside me was shifting out of place, like I was no longer fully where I was supposed to be.
Before I knew it, I stood up and walked to him.
