<h4>Chapter 219: Chapter 219</h4>


    <strong>ASHTON</strong>


    My slow afternoon starts with Anna Preston showing up at my office unannounced. She strides in, low heels muffled against the floor, her face drawn tight with frustration. Without bothering with pleasantries, she goes straight into it.


    "I know you got my texts so why exactly haven’t you been trying to convince Demi to stay."


    I nce up from the document I’ve been pretending to read for the past ten minutes before she arrived. "Good morning to you too."


    She doesn’t take the bait. "I’m serious, Ashton. She’s remembering things, conversations that we had during her marriage with Ashley. Don’t you realize what that means? We’re getting her back, the old Demi!"


    Her words grind against the inside of my head. I’ve been trying to keep the image of Demi out of my thoughts all day— Lucien’s arm wrapped around her. Every time I blink, I see her face pressed into his shoulder, and the faint tremor offort she allowed herself to show. I also remember, with some pain, how she flinches around <i>me</i>.


    "Ashton." Anna’s voice cuts in. "Are you even listening?"


    I blink once and force my eyes up to hers. "Sorry. I’ve got... a lot going on."


    She sighs, exasperated. "I know, and I’m sorry if thises across as inconsiderate but Demi needs you right now. She’s trying to convince herself that leaving here and starting over is the best for her but we both know that’s not true. The old Demi was a fighter, not a quitter. If anyone can reach her, it’s you."


    "Maybe we should stop making this about what <i>we</i> think is best for Demi," I say, "And start listening to what she actually wants."


    Anna frowns. "What she wants? Ashton, she hurt her head and lost some of her best memories! She has no idea how much she’s been through post her parents’ death or how the decisions she made shaped her definition of happiness."


    "Yes, she suffered amnesia but that doesn’t invalidate her right to make her own choices. What we owe her is guidance, not control." I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes "I was at your ce earlier today to see her. I overheard Lucien saying something that—" I stop, exhaling. "He pointed out what I failed to see, what <i>we</i> as Demi’s close circle refused to see. <i>Demi’s drowning in everyone’s expectations</i>. She feels like she has to remember her past just to be loved again, even by me."


    Anna’s eyes widen slightly. "She said that?"


    "Not in so many words but she didn’t have to and yet Lucien...saw it." I rub the bridge of my nose. "I keep thinking about how scared she looked of the pressure we put her in and the weight we’ve all put on her to remember her old self. Gosh, little wonder she pushed me away. I never realized I made her feel like an impostor in her own skin. So, I decided that if she wants space to figure things out... maybe it’s best I give it to her."


    Anna leans forward, gripping the edge of my desk. "Ok, I get it. We’ve messed up but Ashton, I wouldn’t rmend this move. Don’t give her too much space, enough to forget you even more. She still loves you. I know she does. I live with her; you don’t. She barely talks about you anymore and I worry she’ll eventually get used to not having you in the picture. Are you sure you can handle that?"


    Her voice drips with the kind of worry I can’t afford to entertain right now. It will only make me think selfishly.


    "She didn’t mean to end things thest time," Anna continues. "She just felt overwhelmed and needed to breathe as it was merely days after she woke up. But if you let her drift too far now—"


    "—someone else might step in," I finish for her. Her silence tells me I’ve hit the truth she didn’t want to say aloud.


    "Well, not necessarily. I was going to say you’ll risk losing out on what both of you could’ve be...because she’ll start over without you."


    "With Lucien?" I quip. "I saw them together this morning. He was holding her."


    Anna shakes her head. "No. Demi’s not—she’s not ready for anyone new. You know her as well as I do. She probably just neededfort after aunt Elizabeth and Kira ruined her morning."


    "Yeah, she did." I agree, recalling the intense conversation she had with her aunt and Kira. "I guess it’s a good thing she called me first," I mutter, almost to myself.


    "What?"


    "She had called me in the thick of it. I just didn’t get there fast enough."


    Anna exhales in relief. "Then that should tell you everything."


    Maybe it does, I think, or maybe I’m reading too much into scraps, the same way I always have.


    "I’ll wait for her," I say, more to convince myself. "She’ll know I’ll always be here for here when she’s ready to let me back in."


    Anna studies me for a long moment, then nods and rises from the chair. "It’s kind of you to give her such grace and trust. If I didn’t see how happy you made my friend, I wouldn’t push this hard for your reunion but I guess you’re right to be patient with her. Wouldn’t help forcing yourself back into her life if it’s only going to make her resent you. We don’t want that."


    "No, we don’t," I murmur, rising to bid her goodbye.


    At the door, she pauses. "I’ve been trying to reach Asher. He called mest night but I missed it, and now his line’s not going through."


    "He’s fine," I say automatically. "Things have been... chaotic with our family. He’ll get back to you." She nods with understanding and leaves.


    When the door shuts, I stare at the wall for a long moment before pulling out my phone. Asher’s private line rings twice before he picks up.


    "Found the letter?" I ask.


    He sounds calm. "It’s no longer important. I know who took it."


    "Who?"


    "Mother."


    I sit back, staring at the ceiling. "You’re sure?"


    "Positive. I mistook her for Annast night, but no other female in the mansion would have dared walk into my room at that ungodly hour. If she knows, then father knows too. I’m done pretending we don’t have questions." His voice carries that steady finality that only Asher can muster.


    "What are you nning?"


    "A meeting, with them...<i>and</i> Dean Sawyer."


    The name makes something cold crawl up my spine. "You think we’re ready to hear the truth?"


    "We’ll never be ready to hear that truth but there’s no better time than now to address the elephant in the room once and for all."


    "Fine," I mutter. It’s about time. I’m sick of ignoring it myself. "Let’s just get it over with."


    Before he hangs up, I say, "Anna’s worried about you. Maybe call her." He doesn’t respond before the line clicks dead. When I lower the phone, Lucien is standing in the doorway, poised to knock. My pulse ticks once as the air in the room thickens. He closes the door behind him with quietposure.


    "Mr. Rollins, we need to talk about Demi."


    If that’s the line that got him in here without so much as a heads-up, someone is definitely losing their job today.


    "Perfect," I say dryly. "I was hoping someone else would drop by to discuss <i>my</i> girlfriend."


    "I’m not here to flex muscles. I just need to talk."


    "Then talk."


    He steps closer, calm as always. "I know you and Demi were together before the ident. I can’t imagine how... difficult it must be watching her not remember you."


    His tone is measured, even sympathetic, but I can hear the undertone; the quiet authority of someone who thinks he has the moral high ground.


    "Save the pity talk. What’s your point?"


    "My point," he says, "is that I promised her uncle I’d keep her safe to ensure her recovery. That means protecting her from anything and anyone that disrupts her peace of mind on her journey to full recovery."


    "Anyone that disrupts her peace?" I repeat, a bitterugh catching in my throat. "You mean me."


    Lucien doesn’t flinch. "She tenses up every time you appear, Ashton. I know you’re in love with her and she used to be in love with you but right now, the circumstances have changed. You need to understand that and take a step back for her sake. This morning was a good start."


    My jaw tightens. Of course, he saw me too, and he probably enjoyed me leaving silently a tad bit more than rocking Demi in his arms. The image of them pressed together burns through my chest.


    "Careful," I warn him.


    He tilts his head. "I’m just asking you to respect her wishes for now. Let her find herself again before you try to remind her who she used to be to you."


    "Let me remind you of something," I say quietly. "You’re her bodyguard, not her therapist or her doctor. You don’t get to dictate who she sees or how she feels. Her doctor said familiar people and ces will help her recovery. If you’re worried about strangers in her life, take a good look in the mirror first. Demi’s ident didn’tpletely wipe me out of her memory. She remembers me, just not the part after we got together so don’t you dare insinuate that I am a stranger to her. Got it?"


    For a moment, neither of us moves.


    Then Lucien’s voice lowers. "You heard what I said to her this morning, and you saw how much she agreed with it. Let me ask you one final question. If she decides of her own free will that she doesn’t want anything to do with that past life... will you respect her decision and stay away?"


    The question hits harder than it should.


    "She told you that?"


    "She didn’t need to. She’s been making it clear that she wants a fresh start but none of you have been paying attention. So, answer me, Ashton. If the woman she wants to be doesn’t love you anymore, can you let her go?"


    That quiet confidence needles at something inside me. I swallow the surge of anger rising up my throat. "When Demi regains her memories, she can tell me that herself. Only she is entitled to my reply."


    Lucien nods once. "Your loyalty would be admirable," he says, "if you and your brothers showed even half as much interest in your sister’s welfare as you do in Demi’s. Good day, Mr. Rollins." He turns and heads out the door.


    When he leaves, I pour myself a ss of water to keep from putting my fist through the wall. The tremor in my hand gives me away.


    How dare he? Where the fuck did Marcel find this meddlesome prick? Anna is right. Distance will not help my rtionship with Demi at the moment, not with a man like Lucien eager to cut me out of the picture in the guise of <i>protecting </i>Demi.


    I make a call, voice clipped. "Dig into a man named Lucien Veyra. I want to know everything—past employers, medical records, home address, even down to his Starbucks order, everything."


    Gris knocks and steps in just as I am hanging up. His presence pulls a tired sigh out of me. Once, seeing him was a breath of relief. Now every time I see him, I only see Dean’s shadow.


    "We’ve got that meeting with Novante Motors in two hours," he says. "Do you still want me to—"


    "Postpone it," I cut in.


    He blinks. "Everything okay?"


    "You can tell Dean I’m fine," I snap, the words slipping out before I can think better of them.


    Gris’s brows knit as he lowers his head. I sigh, running a hand down my face. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."


    "It’s fine," he says gently. "Trust takes time, Ashton. I get it." He leaves quietly, and I’m left with the silence.


    ***


    It’s dark when I finally get done with work and check my phone. There’s a missed call from Skr I hadn’t even noticed. Lucien’s words rey in my head. How the hell did he even know about my sister? Worried, I call Skr back but there’s no answer. I text. Nothing.


    Something twists in my gut. By the time I’m standing at her apartment door, my knuckles are prepared to go raw from knocking since she wouldn’t answer the doorbell. However, the door swings open on its own after the first two knocks.


    The ce looks like a storm tore through it—broken ss, overturned furniture, clothes scattered like debris.


    "Sky?" My voice echoes while my eyes skirt around the mess. "SKYLAR! I bolt through the living room at the faint drag of breathing from the bedroom. To my relief, she’s there, sitting by the bed with a cigarette between her fingers. Then steam gathers in my ears at the sight of her face. Apart from the red blemishes, one eye is swollen and purple.


    "Skr," I breathe, stepping closer. "What happened to you?"


    She shrugs. "Get out."


    "Skr—"


    "I said get out!" She shoves me when I crouch near her. "You don’t get to show up and pretend to care."


    "Who did this?" My voice drops low, dangerous. "Tell me."


    Sheughs. "Oh, don’t look so miserable, brother. It’s not your fault. I’m not your headache to worry about. Plus, you couldn’t save me even if you had a two days’ notice. You’ve got Demi to worry about, remember?"


    "Skr, please."


    She lifts the hem of her shirt, showing me the faint scars tracing her ribs. "See? Practice. I’m used to it."


    I feel something snap inside me. I reach to take the cigarette from her fingers but she jerks away.


    "Stop it!" she yells, shoving me again. "Stop pretending to care. Show’s over. Go away. I’ll ping you the book Demi was hooked on at the trade fair today so you can buy it for her and win her heart some more."


    "Don’t say that."


    "Why not? It’s true. Damn, I can’t believe I actually envy that girl. She breaks a nail and the whole of Danvarr stands still. Must be nice." She turns away to hide her blurring eyes. "I don’t need your pity, Ashton. I don’t. I’ll protect myself. I always have."


    I crouch beside her, quiet now. She fights when I take the cigarette, nails scratching my hand, but I don’t let go. When she finally gives up, she just sits there, trembling.


    "I’m sorry," I whisper. "I’m sorry I wasn’t here."


    "Go home, Ashton." Her voice is small and defeated. "I don’t want you here when Ie out." She disappears into her bathroom and ms the door.


    I stay there a long time, sitting on the floor in her room, listening to her cry gutturally until it fades into silence. My blood boils. I won’t spare the man that did this to her. I won’t.


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