Not a wedding photo, exactly. A photo from
their marriage license. Ashley smiled, a smaller,
more hesitant smile than before. She leaned
towards Jason, who stood beside her with a
neutral expression, jarring against the cheerful
red background. They didn’t have any real
wedding photos. After a year of agonizing,
Jason had finally agreed to marry Ashley. He
wasn’t marrying the woman he loved, so he
hadn’t cared about any of the usual traditions.
Plus, his mom was in the hospital. They’d
skipped the wedding and the photos, just
signing the papers. I’d expected this page.
the day she finally got him to be overflowing
with declarations of love. But it was blank. I
stared at the picture, a dull ache in my chest.
Five years of a crush, five years of marriage, and this was their only picture together. I turned the page, my heart heavy. No more pictures of Jason. Just occasional entries. “He’s so busy. His new company takes up all his time. He works so hard.” “Made him sweet and sour pork, but he came home drunk and passed out.” “He bought a condo near work. He said it was for convenience. But why was she there?” “I know I’m not her. But I want his baby. Am I crazy?” “Saw Chad at the nursing home today. He said I’m an idiot, that Jason won’t fall for these tricks. We almost had a fight. Because I knew he was right.” “I was ready to give up. But Jason came home drunk and upset. I kissed
him, and he kissed me back. For the first time.”
<
12:40
Blank pages. Then: “I think… I’m pregnant?” I kept reading. Those two months had been the happiest of their marriage. Even though Ashley knew Jason’s change of heart was only
because of the baby. But it was enough. She’d been in love with him for years. She’d thought he was her savior. She’d wanted his warmth, his love, but she’d been wrong from the start. The
illusion had shattered. The last page: an
ultrasound picture. The paper was creased, the
ink faded, as if water damaged. Below it, a
barely legible caption: “Baby, I’m sorry. I failed
you.” A jolt of pain shot through me. Images
flooded my mind, overwhelming me. I felt like I
was drowning, gasping for air. I remembered. I hadn’t time–traveled into the book. I was Ashley.
- 16.
My phone rang, shattering the silence. It was Chad. “You went to see Jason at the hospital today?” He was supposed to be out of town on
<
business. He shouldn’t have known. I’d made
that comment on Instagram, but he shouldn’t have known the details, the timing. “Yes,” I
admitted. “How did you know?” A pause.
“Jason called me. Asked about you.” A vague
answer, but I knew what he meant. Jason had
asked about the miscarriage. Chad had been
the first one to arrive at the hospital that day. “Oh.” I didn’t press for details. Chad’s voice
softened. “It’s late. Aren’t you sleeping?” The
doorbell rang. It was Jason.
I hung up on Chad and went downstairs,
opening the door just a crack, not letting him in.
It was dark out, the streetlights casting long.
shadows across his face. “What is it?” He
looked pale. “I… I wanted to apologize. I didn’t
know… I didn’t know how serious it was that
day. I…” Three hours after I’d left the hospital,
and he was just apologizing? “Don’t bother,” I said quietly. “It’s over.” Too late. I didn’t need his apology anymore. Jason paled further. “Ashley, please, let me explain. I can explain! I
didn’t mean to fight with you that day. It was…
it was…” “Melissa?” I finished for him. He
flinched. He closed his eyes, each word a struggle. “I thought you were lying again. I thought it could wait. If I’d known…” “So everything you think is true?” Pain flickered in his eyes. “But… but why did you say… why did you say you did it on purpose?!” A faint smile touched my lips. “You believed me, didn’t you?” He froze. He’d already decided what kind of person I was – selfish, manipulative, cruel. He’d condemned me without a second thought. He struggled to speak. “Did you… that day, with Melissa… did you push her?” I looked at him. This man… I’d loved him for ten years. And
now, his greatest act of “faith” was to question. Melissa’s version of events. I nodded. “I pushed
her.” “No!” He grabbed my wrist, his eyes pleading. “You didn’t! Tell me you didn’t!” His
grip tightened, and I winced. I was about to
push him away when a figure appeared behind
him, yanking Jason off me and sending a fist
crashing into his face.
