Ethan had an important meeting, so his driver
took me back to my parents‘ house to pack.
The driver, a kindly old man who’d seen Ethan
grow up, opened the car door for me. My
family, seeing this, instantly assumed he was
my “sugar daddy.” They were so disgusted by
my supposed affair that they barely
acknowledged me.
Only my father spoke. “This is temporary,
Ashley. Stay away for a while, and when things
calm down, we’ll welcome you back.”
“How long?” I asked, feigning helplessness.
“We’ll see.”
“You promise?”
“Of course.”
<
10:58
924
As I dragged my suitcase out, I could feel their collective sigh of relief.
The driver took me to Ethan’s place. It wasn’t a massive mansion, but it was secluded and peaceful. There weren’t hordes of staff, which I appreciated. “Mrs. Blackwood,” the
housekeeper said, “Mr. Blackwood said to make yourself comfortable. He’ll be home tonight.”
But at 8 pm, Ethan called. He had to fly to New York for an important meeting and wouldn’t be back for a week. “If you get bored, go out with friends, do some shopping. Don’t stay cooped up.”
“I might go back to my apartment for a few days. It’s closer to downtown,” I said.
“I’ll pick you up when I get back.”
“Okay.”
<
10:58
- 16.
Three days later, a volunteer from the animal
shelter where I used to help out called and
invited me to a small charity auction. The
cause, raising money for children with
congenital heart defects, was close to my heart.
I saw several familiar faces, including Chloe. She was dressed to the nines, but she looked pale and strained. Getting kicked off the yacht had clearly taken a toll. She gave me a sarcastic smile and turned to her friends.
“Is it true? She’s really someone’s mistress?”
“Totally. Her parents disowned her! Didn’t you see the papers?”
“I heard the guy’s practically eighty, old enough
to be her grandfather.”
“Oh my god! How can they invite someone like
that to a charity event?”
924
く
“Yeah, we shouldn’t be associating with her.
Someone should ask her to leave.”
The room buzzed with whispers. The woman
who’d invited me looked mortified. “Ashley,
maybe you could come another time…”
I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I left. At the
door, I bumped into Mark.
“Ashley?”
I ignored him and kept walking. He grabbed my
wrist. “Are you here to see me?”
I pulled away. “No.”
“I heard about… your situation.” He blocked my
path again. “Ashley, give the money back.”
“Why?” I scoffed. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Ashley!” His face darkened. “I told you, if you
<
just apologized, just once—”
“Apologize? Grovel at your feet like a dog and
thank you for your generosity?”
It was laughable. No one knew that the
seemingly perfect Mark Howard enjoyed
wielding his power and money to humiliate
people. My life might not have been worth
much, but I refused to be his plaything.
- 17.
“Ashley, your reputation is in tatters. You need
to think about the consequences. Being a
mistress at your age will ruin your life,” Mark
said.
“It’s my choice.”
“I’m offering you a way out.”
“I don’t need it.” I walked around him.
<
“Ashley, this is your only chance. Think it over,
and come back to me.”
I didn’t look back. That night, my landlord called
and told me to move out immediately. I packed
and went downstairs. Ethan’s car was waiting.
The driver took my suitcase.
“Mrs. Blackwood, Mr. Blackwood sent me to get
you.”
“Is he back?”
“He’s flying in tomorrow morning.”
My eyes stung. “Is his work finished?” He was supposed to be gone for a week. It had only been four days.
“He was worried about you. He didn’t want you to be upset.”
I sat in the car, a strange mix of emotions
<
swirling inside me. It was as if I, a castaway,
had stumbled upon a gold mine.
Back at Ethan’s, I’d barely reached my room
when my phone rang. It was Ethan.
“Ashley.” His voice was tired. Shame washed
over me. I’d tarnished my reputation to escape
my family, and now I was causing him problems.
