Tristan's POV
I snapped out of my thoughts as I rushed to take Ashley from his arms.
I rushed back inside and laid her down on the couch. She wasn't moving, she looked like she wasn't breathing. She was covered in dirt and cold to the touch. I didn't even want to imagine what she must have gone through.
I sat on the couch and placed her head on my lap, checking her responsiveness.
"I'm... Kevin, I'm Ashley's stepfather." The man explained. He followed us into the living room. He looked very nervous and jittery. He looked like someone I wouldn't otherwise have trusted but I was thankful he had brought her here.
I chose to forget about him. Right now I had a much bigger problem.
"Her pulse is very faint," Luke reported.
I shook her shoulder hoping she would wake up, but she wasn't responding. At least I knew she was alive.
"What did you do to her?" I asked.
"I was trying to save her life," Kevin answered nervously.
How was he trying to save her? At the moment, she looked more dead than alive. If she stayed like this for longer, she would die.
"Luke, call the ambulance," I demanded.
Luke fumbled through his pockets for a phone.
"You can't do that right now," Kevin stopped him. "She can't know that Ashley is still alive. You'll put Ashley and her family in more danger. We can't do anything until she has been arrested." He rumbled.
She? Who was he referring to?
I couldn't just leave Ashley like that and wait for her to die.
"She should be awake at any moment. I switched one of the drugs when they weren't looking. It's just a sedative." Kevin continued.
Drugs? This was far more serious than I could have imagined.
As luck would have it, Ashley slowly began to wake up. She coughed lightly as her eyes slowly opened. Her hands moved soon after. I sighed in relief. This was a good sign at least. I had hope again.
"Ashley," I whispered to her, hoping she could keep her eyes open long enough.
Soon after, she regained full consciousness as she slowly sat up straight.
Luke decided to hold off calling the police or ambulance for now. We'd first find out what happened and then we'd contact the authorities.
Ashley looked around in confusion. She was only starting to register where she was.
"Ashley, are you okay?" I asked concerned. I moved closer to her.
Her confused face quickly changed into one filled with panic as she shifted away from me to the opposite end of the couch. "Where am I?" She asked in a panic. "Who are you?"
Luke and I stared at her concerned.
With everything she has been through, I could understand her reaction. I just wanted her to know she was safe and alright.
"It's me, Tristan. You are safe now, you'll be alright." I tried to assure her. We tried to keep our distance hoping it would assure her she was safe.
My words must have triggered a reaction in her because soon after she started hyperventilating. I did what I could to help her but she was only getting worse.
I would have maintained my distance, but it wasn't working. She needed a distraction.
"Can you keep an eye on him?"I asked Luke.
I scooped Ashley into my arms and rushed her out of the room.
The fact that she was having a panic attack made me panic even more. I skipped several steps as I rushed up the stairs.
The only thing I could think of was to place her in a cold shower. Hopefully, it would distract her from whatever was bothering her. So I did.
At first, I regretted it immediately. She gasped even more, and her breathing became worse, but then I noticed how she relaxed her breathing slowly returning to normal. At least I hadn't done another thing wrong.
I stepped into the shower beside her, slowly rubbing her back. I nearly jumped out of the shower as the cold water hit my skin.
I hadn't realized it when she started crying. She leaned on the wall as she slowly sank to the floor. If she continued like this she would wind up on the floor. I held her in my arms for support. She didn't push me away, instead, she wrapped her arms around me. Her head was on my chest as she continued to sob.
My blood boiled at the thought of who had done this. I would make sure they never see the outside of a prison cell again. I still couldn't help but think about what could have happened.
"I'm here now," I whispered to her.
I held onto her firmly as her grip on me tightened.
It must have taken nearly ten minutes to calm her down. I finally turned the shower off.
"Are you feeling better now?" I whispered to her.
She nodded against my chest. "Yes," she answered. She pulled away from me. Her being away from me felt colder than the shower. "You can leave now." She added. "I just need a shower." She explained.
I nodded. "You can call me if you need anything," I added.
I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel on my way out.
I walked into my walk-in closet and changed out of my clothes. I picked out one of my shirts and a sweater. She'd need something to wear until she can get back home. Was it safe for her to go back home?
I placed the clothes I'd picked out for Ashley on my bed. She stepped out of the bathroom with a bathrobe tightly wrapped around her.
I handed her the clothes before she disappeared to change.
She returned dressed in my shirt and sweater that looked like a dress on her. Her wet hair was loose and tucked behind her ears. She looked better in my shirt than I ever did in it. I wouldn't mind if she tried all of them. Why was I thinking about that?
"You should get some sleep. It will do you some good," I suggested. "I'm going to take care of everything." I tried to assure her.
It was best if she got some rest. I also wouldn't want her around if anything got out of hand.
She shook her head. "No," she answered sternly. "I have some questions I need answered." She spoke.
I would have argued but I didn't think now was the time.
She walked past me and returned downstairs. I trailed behind her.
I hope this wouldn't be a mistake.
From upstairs, I noticed how Luke paced around frantically while Kevin annoyingly tapped his foot.
Kevin stared at Ashley frightened as we descended the stairs.
Far too many conclusions ran through my mind, none of which I liked. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Kevin looked like she had been caught in a crime while Ashley was merely a ghost of herself. I'd never seen her like this. It was best if Kevin started talking.
"Are you going to explain what the heck happened?" I asked Kevin.
Ashley settled on the couch. I sat beside her, trying my best to appear as calm as possible.
"Before I say anything, I want you to know that I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't know about it until much later." He blubbered.
"You should start talking," I demanded.
Ashley gave him a cold stare; he rubbed the back of his head letting out a deep sigh.
"This whole thing began shortly after I last met you Ashley in the park that day. I was in a dark place. I was addicted to alcohol, and I couldn't get myself to admit it or even how it was destroying me. I started hanging around dangerous people, and I became hooked on far more dangerous addictions. I didn't see it back then. It only numbed the pain for a little while and then I'd start all over again. I even did a few bad jobs with them. At that moment, they became my new family." He paused. He sighed again. "It wasn't until I met an old friend from college that I decided to change my life. He helped me through all of my addictions but, they weren't willing to let me go that easily. They wanted me to pay them back for everything. I went and did a couple of odd jobs. With my friend's help, I managed to gather the amount they wanted. It wasn't until I returned to give them back their money that I found out about this. The guys had just been paid very well for a job they had recently done. They were paid to beat up this guy who had been paid to run Ashley over. Apparently, he became too greedy and too smart. He started demanding more money. Apparently, he hid some evidence that would incriminate her. They beat him up so badly he was placed in a coma. He was lucky he had no family otherwise they would have hurt them pretty badly." He paused.
I hadn't realized how much anger I'd held in. My hands were fisted and ready to punch something. I knew someone was behind that accident. He knew it the whole time and never reported it to the police. It's his fault Ashley was kidnapped. "You knew this whole time, why didn't you report it to the police?" I asked.
"I was a coward back then. I knew I had been a terrible father my whole life, but I didn't want anything worse to happen to Ashley or her family. They are very dangerous. Besides, they said they would stop. Apparently, someone had been snooping way too much and they wouldn't do anything to compromise themselves." He answered.
I could tell how deeply Ashley was affected by hearing all this. I wasn't too sure it was best he continued.
"I thought the whole thing had ended, but I was wrong." He continued. "A couple of days ago, I found out that Ashley had been kidnapped. I went and confronted them, but it turned out they were loyal to money. That was when I met the devil herself, Amelia." He paused.
I wasn't surprised that he had named her as the mastermind, but I was upset with myself for not knowing this earlier.
"She threatened me to hurt my daughter and everyone I cared about. There was no telling what she would do if I reported her. Besides, I didn't think anyone would believe me. It had barely been a few weeks since I was clean and I wouldn't have stood a chance against a rich upper-class woman, especially without evidence. It was my word against hers and frankly, I wasn't sure if I would have walked out with my life that day." He paused. "So I pretended to move ahead with her plan, so I would get some recordings to use as evidence and so I could find out where she was holding Ashley. Slowly, she began to trust me. I told her I would help her. I swear I've never met a woman more sick." He paused. "Everything seemed to have been going okay. I got some recordings and she said she wouldn't kill her immediately. That is until you showed up." He pointed at me.
Everything became clear, so I was right all along. I wish I had gone upstairs myself. Ashley would have been spared from whatever it is that happened next. It was my fault.
"She decided to speed things up. She didn't want to risk anyone else finding out about Ashley. She wanted to get rid of her. I did my best to try and stop her but she was too determined. When I gave her the idea to inject her instead, I had replaced one of the drugs with a sedative so that she would simply appear dead if anything went wrong. She wanted her buried in some shallow ground almost immediately. That way, her family would find her, lose all hope, and wouldn't search for her." He explained. "I rescued her as soon as I could. I hadn't meant for things to get this far. I only wanted to find Ashley's location and then hand in all the evidence of the recordings I had gathered."
I couldn't believe the nerves of this guy, trying to make himself sound like the hero. He should have told someone, I could have found her a lot sooner, before any of this had happened. It was no wonder Ashley was traumatized.
"You could have told someone, you are just too big of a coward to admit it that's why you made up all of those excuses." I snapped.
"I know, it's my fault." He sighed. "I didn't mean any of this to happen to you, Ashley. I have known you since you were a little girl. Back then, you were like my own daughter, you still are. I should have never been involved with such people." He added.
As much as I wanted to beat him up until he was unconscious, my mind could only think of one thing. That woman needed to be stopped.
I stood up and paced the room as I thought about my next move. "That evidence you were talking about, where is it?" I asked.
"It's in a safe house somewhere. It was too risky for me to keep those recordings on me." He explained.
"Luke, I need you to go with him and find that evidence and get the police involved. We need to put a stop to this woman once and for all," I asked.
Luke nodded.
We then thought out the rest of the plan. A friend of mine was the Meyer and he had the connections to help us out. This was going to be an easy operation.
Ashley had remained quiet through almost everything. I noticed how she started to panic. "My family, I have to go to them right now. They must be so worried." She sobbed.
"Ashley, you should stay here. They can't know you are still alive until everyone responsible has been arrested. You will be putting your life and everyone else's in danger." Kevin interjected.
Luke and Kevin left the house to proceed with the plan.
I rushed to the kitchen to get Ashley a glass of water. I wouldn't want her to have another panic attack.
She drank the whole glass without breathing in between. She must have been thirsty.
I knelt beside her and wiped tears from her cheeks. "You should get some rest," I suggested.
She nodded.
I helped her up and walked her back to my bedroom. She'd be more comfortable there. I tucked her in. To make the room more comfortable, I closed the curtains.
I had reached for the door handle when her voice stopped me. "Could you wait here for just a while, I've been struggling to sleep." She whispered.
Returning to the bed, I nodded with a smile. I removed my shoes and settled beside her under the blanket. She was surprised when I pulled her into my arms, laying her head on my chest. I don't think that's what she meant but I needed it more.
She didn't fight me or move away from me. We just laid there peacefully.
"I'm sorry this happened to you. I should have saved you. I should have checked upstairs that day. It's my fault." I whispered. I wasn't even sure if she had fallen asleep.
"But then she would have hurt you," she whispered back. Her voice was faint as she drifted off to sleep.
She was worried about me? After everything that happened to her, why would she still care about me?
I held her in my arms for a while longer. I was scared that I'd fall asleep too and then I wouldn't be able to protect her.
I slowly pulled my arm away from her and rested her head on the pillow. I slipped out of bed. I was halfway across the room when my eyes fell on my drawer.
It's something that I had avoided for a long time.
Perhaps this was my only way to ever understand her.
I opened the drawer and picked up the letter Ashley had written to me. It was still in the same condition I had left it in, torn halfway and crumpled up. I was too upset to read it. I was still processing that she had betrayed me but I definitely hadn't had to throw it away or burn it like I'd said.
I swallowed a hard lump as I read the letter. Suddenly it was clear, of all the times she had tried to talk to me. She wasn't who I accused her to be and it's all because I didn't listen. I wish I could take back all the words I'd said but mostly my actions.
If only I had tried to listen, we could have been spared from so much more. I was going to make sure that I spent the rest of my life making it up to her. I had been such a fool about everything.
I shoved the letter back into the drawer at the sound of my phone vibrating. I looked at my phone to see several texts from Katy. She was still worried about Ashley. I felt terrible not letting her know that her sister was safe but for now, this was for the best.
I walked into the kitchen to prepare food for Ashley. She'd certainly be hungry when she woke up. I wasn't sure how long it had been since she ate. With what I had in the fridge, I managed to salvage a few chicken wraps and laid them out on a tray. I poured some juice for the two of us too.
By now she had slept for at least an hour. It would be good for her if he ate something.
I took the food upstairs, making sure not to spill anything. She was still sleeping in the same position I'd left her in. I placed the tray on the bedside table before leaning in to shake her shoulder.
"Ashley, you should wake up," I whispered to her.
At first, she didn't respond. She finally woke up groaning in protest. Something wasn't right.
I placed my hand on her forehead. Her temperature was far too high. She leaned off the bed, throwing up all the water she had drunk earlier.
I started to panic. She looked cold. I couldn't understand it. She was fine not so long ago.
Everything else happened so fast. She looked like she was barely breathing, and her lips turned blue. I rushed her to the hospital where she was placed in the emergency room. The doctors wouldn't say anything, staff members were running in and out of the room. It was already nightfall and I still hadn't heard anything.
All I could think about was that I wouldn't survive if anything happened to her. To think that I spent so much time resenting her for lying to me and now she could be gone.No, I couldn't afford to think like that. She just had to survive.
I checked my phone for a message from Luke. 'Amelia has been arrested.' The message read. At least one problem had been solved. I held my hands together in prayer, hoping she would wake up.
"Tristan," I heard a faint voice over my shoulder.
I turned around to see Ashley's mother and Katy who looked equally worried. "The hospital called us," Ashley's mother explained. I noticed Ashley's father right behind her.
I had been so worried that I hadn't even thought of calling them. I was so stupid.
I wiped the tears off my cheeks. Their daughter was laying there sick. The last thing they needed was to have me around and be more emotional than they were.
"You don't look so well. You should go home and get some rest. We got it from here." She suggested.
"I can't just leave her like this." I pleased.
"Please," she said. Something in the tone of her voice told me it wasn't a suggestion. "My daughter has already suffered enough. The last thing she needs is you to be here. It would be great if you never showed up in her life again. You should do that for her if you really love her. That's the least she deserves. It's best if she stays away from people like you." She added.
I opened my mouth to speak but she looked at me more adamant.
"You should leave," she demanded. "I'm sure you don't want to cause a scene here," she added.
I sighed picking up my jacket to get up. She might not have wanted me here but I wasn't leaving this hospital, at least until I knew she was alright.
I understand her pain. I felt it too. She was just doing what she thought was best.
I had gathered my things to leave when the doctor walked out of Ashley's room. He looked calmer, unlike the multiple times I'd seen him stressed.
"She is out of danger now. We managed to reverse the effects of the substances she was injected with. She is awake now if you want to see her." The doctor explained.
We all sighed in relief.
As long as she was alright, I knew everything would be okay.
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A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please share your thoughts with me on the chapter and the characters.
Do you think Ashley's mom was right in what she did?
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