Page 250 of Falling for the Wife

Deflated, I somehow found myself at the mini bar, taking out a chilled water bottle and hoping the crisp taste on my tongue would help jolt me back from this unsettling feeling that had uncurled in my stomach the second Reiss/Craig had walked out the door.

What happens tomorrow, what might and might not it bring?I implored whoever was listening up there that the hurdles awaiting me were something I could endure and survive.

I had found what I had mourned for a decade, believing he had been long gone, and he had fabricated a web of lies to cover his tracks and identity.

No matter, I wasn’t done with either of them, Reiss or Craig. I had scores to settle, and I was going to see them through, one way or the other.

CHAPTER87

Ava

Approximately eight hours later,my husband arrived without knocking on the door to my suite. He apparently had taken it upon himself to demand the concierge issue him an extra key. I wasn’t surprised at his actions as he barged into the room without carrying anything, eyes scanning the living room before he finally found me in bed, wide awake as I waited for his arrival.

At first, he gave me a long, lingering look, a look I accompanied with the word “powerless.”

Nodding as I acknowledge his presence, we found ourselves battling with our eyes, unsure how to proceed from here.

It was Ashton who broke our contact, glancing away as if he needed to breathe because he felt stifled with his business suit on or with his life in utter disarray. He then grunted out something inaudible to my ears before he released a soft, humming growl.

“I need—let me shower first.” He directed me a look that told me it was not a request. “Order some room service and add a pot of coffee while you’re at it. I think we can both agree that you and I will be having a long discussion about how to go forth with this new fanciful idea of yours.”

Fanciful?The nerve! There were times, although they weren’t that often, that Ashton could be so infuriatingly obnoxious.Thiswas one of them.

Festering quietly, I watched him retreat into the bathroom, helping himself to a shower after his long journey. It seemed he hadn’t bothered to pack any clothes. I was almost certain he had left his office and immediately gone to JFK to book the next flight out to Heathrow. Hatching a plan without forethought was so unlike him. Maybe it was his love for me, or maybe it was to save us from utter humiliation, because divorce would target us for gossipmongers.

The thought of my mother’s cold expression and Ashton’s mother’s disapproval left me feeling a little ill. I wasn’t sure of his motives yet, but I knew one thing for certain: Ashton wasn’t the kind of man who backed down when the situation was difficult. He would see through it, through thick and thin, through sickness and health, until death do we part—the latter being his chosen vow, whispering the very words before he consummated our marital bond.

Doing as he requested, I made a call for room service and ordered a light meal that consisted of bread with a side of assorted jams, a fruit plate with a side of cream, different selections of cheeses, orange juice, cheese omelet, and a pot of coffee.

Ever since Reiss/Craig had left last night, I had barely nibbled on anything. The thought of him and the discussion I must have with Ashton left no enticing impression of hunger on me since my body was wired with jitters and tension. I knew I was about to take on one of the riskiest things I had ever done in my life. Being alone at twenty-eight wasn’t something I had ever imagined happening to me; alas, I had to do what was right for me.

Striding to the windows, I gazed out towards the river Thames as I waited for Ashton to come out of the shower and for the food to arrive.

Life truly was unpredictable. A week ago, I would’ve laughed if someone had told me I would be asking for a divorce from my loving and dutiful husband of ten years. Even more so at the notion of encountering the ghost of my past in real flesh and blood and not in my dreams any longer.

From the background sounds that Ashton was making, I knew he was about to come out of the bathroom any second. It saddened me to see such ache in those blue eyes of his. Those eyes I had grown up with, that had comforted me—it was those eyes I had looked at when I was in such visceral pain, and the same ones I had held when I said my vows. And here I was, ready to break that bond.

After hearing the familiar sound of the bathroom door opening, his steps approached to where I was standing. From the reflection of the glass, I could see him behind me, staring at me with a deep frowning expression.

We remained still for a few minutes until he took the plunge and came towards me, hugging me from behind before closing his eyes as he leaned his cheek against my head, whispering into my ear, “I’m not giving you up. Marriages always have their ups and downs, and we are unfortunately in a bad patch of it. We can get through this—Iknowwe can. We can fix whatever’s making you unhappy. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Just don’t—just don’t ask me to let you walk away, because I bloody can’t. I just cannot let that happen. I love you too much, Ava.”

Tears sprung into my eyes in no time. The pain in his voice went straight into my heart. Could it be possible? Could we fix this? I was going to confess everything to him after we ate, and if his sentiments changed, then I would know I was doing us a favor. However, if it didn’t, then I needed to ponder harder, see what I should do from there.

The knock on the door made him break free from me before he went about to opening it. After tipping the room service waiter, we both sat in the dining area with him sitting to my left at the head of the table.

For a few silent minutes, I watched as he busied himself with pouring the coffee, adding cream and sugar before stirring it in slow, casual circles. His reticence was unnerving, and I had to urge myself to do something other than stare at his movements.

Choosing the decadent fruits before me, I slowly transferred a few on my plate before taking a hefty dollop of cream. I wasn’t at all hungry, but I knew I had to eat something or else I wouldn’t have enough energy to argue with Ashton.

As I slowly sliced a portion of my cantaloupe, my thoughts flittered back to Reiss. Was he serious about not seeing me again? True, he had been callous, but I deserved his wrath. Although, we both knew he had left with so many unanswered questions, and I needed answers to them. He simply couldn’t leave me hanging like this, could he? Craig was a cold bastard, but I knew the Reiss I used to know was somewhere in there underneath the hate and the layers of suffering he had gone through. I still meant to make amends even after he had treated me as if I was only a whore he could have a night with and nothing more.

If he was going for shock value, he had delivered it in spades. If he was aiming to hurt, he had successfully accomplished it. Regardless, none of those things would hinder my determination in trying to make the wrongs into rights.

“Ava?” Ashton’s soft voice broke through my thoughts as I grew pink with embarrassment from my thoughts of another man while I was sharing a meal with my husband. “Care to tell me what’s been happening since you got here in England?”

Well, hell. How did I go about telling him that I had been involved with another man, a man he had a history of loathing? Shame and mortification made me redden even more as I looked away from him.

“I … uh …” I bit the bottom of my lip as I prayed dearly, hoping my confession wouldn’t cause him to have a heart attack. “I sort of slept with someone.” Reluctantly, I gazed towards him.