Chapter 90

The night was supposed to fun- a light-hearted escape from the stress of college and her marriage. But for Ashleigh, it was anything but that. While her friends lay passed out in their sleeping bags under, she sat on the couch staring at the empty bottles of wine on the coffee table, unable to sleep. No matter how hard she tried to distract herself, her thoughts kept circling back to Adrian and Caelia. The image from the article burned in her mind: the way they stood together, the warm smile on her face as she held him closely..... They looked perfect. They looked like the kind of couple Adrian and she were not. "Why should I care? It's not like we were a real couple anyway" she thought bitterly, reaching for another bottle of wine. And yet, as she gulped it down, the bitterness in her chest remained.... Unwilling to leave. The more she thought about it, the more the pieces started to fit. A part of her felt cheated, her thoughts racing as she pieced everything together. His reluctance to be seen publicly with her, the trips to Italy, the long silence between them, telling Beau not to post any picture online. It was not to protect his self or his image. It was about protecting their relationship. With a shaky breath, Ashleigh reached for her phone and typed out the Caelia's name. Sure enough, her profile appeared, as long as articles involving Adrian which explained everything about their family and relationship. She was accomplished, stunning, and a perfect match for someone of his status. Her head pounded and let out a weak chuckle, running her hands through her hair as the realization sunk in. It was expected that Adrian would eventually move on, but why did it feel like her heart was tightening and she couldn't breathe? She exited the website, not wanting to see more and her thumb hovered over the contact button. "I shouldn't" Ashleigh thought to herself, "I really shouldn't..." However, her tipsy fingers were faster than her brain, and she opened it then dialed his number. Each ring made her pulse quicken, but she knew it was too late to turn back now. A soft click came, and his deep voice came through. "Ashleigh? What happened?" she bit her lip unsure of what to say. "Where are you? Are you okay?" he continued, his voice sharper now, tinged with concern. "I'm fine.... I'm at the sleepover." She mumbled, her voice low. The line went silent for a moment, before he piped up again, this time his voice was teasing. "So you called me because you miss me?" he drawled, and Ashleigh felt her head spin at his words, gripping the phone to her ear tightly. "S-shut up Adrian" she slurred before she could stop herself. "I called just because....." "Are you drunk?" he cut in, his voice turning serious. Her heart skipped, slightly. "Yeah, I am. I told you we were going to drink." "And how much have you taken so far? " he continued. Ashleigh sighed dramatically. "I'm fine Adrian, I'm not passed out in a gutter somewhere." "It's not funny." His tone was clipped. "Is someone with you?" "Yes, I'm with my friends, and they are asleep." She placed the empty bottle back on the table. There was a pause on the line, then he spoke up again. "Then why did you call me?" Ashleigh froze, shivers running down her spine as his voice resonated through her. Why had she called? To demand answers to questions she had no right to ask? To tell him how betrayed she felt? Drawing her knees to her chest, she whispered the question that haunted her the most. "Will you replace me with her?" The silence that followed was deafening. Every second that passed only made her heart sink further. "What are you talking about?" he questioned. She scoffed, her hands curling into fists. "You know who I'm talking about, Adrian." She waited for a response, but he didn't answer, and she chuckled bitterly. Her stomach twisted as she adjusted the phone on her ear. "It makes sense now, I have been the fool this whole time." her voice wavered, swallowing hardly as tears stung her eyelids. He exhaled slowly. "You're drunk Ashleigh." "No shit Sherlock!" she snapped. "But that does not mean I'm wrong." "Ashleigh, language." he warned. "Go to bed." She gritted her teeth, her stomach churning as struggled to hold herself from saying more than she should. He was her benefactor, the contract were in his terms so he was free to do as he liked. Yet, the thought of him standing beside someone else after these six months made her feel sick. She couldn't stand it. "I just want to know one thing Adrian" she whispered, a lone tear falling down her cheek. "Am I really that insignificant to you that you?" The words hung heavy between them, replaced by silence that only brought forth the painful answer. She swallowed the hard and forced out the words, feeling exhausted and drained. "Forget this conversation happened, Good night Adrian." Before she could end the call, his voice came. "You're not that easy to replace, Ashleigh." And then, the line went dead. ************************* Ashleigh woke up at midday with a pounding headache and blurred memories of what happened before she slept off. Shielding her eyes from the bright light in the living room, she slowly sat up from her sleeping bag to see the other spaces empty. Her gaze flew to her phone, and her eyes widened on seeing her call log opened. "Did I drunk dial someone again?" She wondered, grabbing her phone to see Adrian's name glowing boldly. Her heart sunk further..... Did she call Adrian while she was drunk? More importantly, had any of her friends seen it? Panic set in as she opened text messages, her hands typing furiously on the keyboard on her screen and she pressed send. Ashleigh: I don't remember much from last night but I saw your call. Did I say anything embarrassing? Before she could dwell on it, a voice behind her made her jump. "Here," Flinging her phone aside, she turned to see Arthur holding out a cup. He had an unreadable expression on his face, dressed in his shirt and baggy shorts. "Thanks." She replied, taking the cup and peering inside to see floating chunks of ginger in it. She took a sip, savoring the warmth filling her as he plopped down beside her, watching her too closely. "Where are Fiona and James?" Ashleigh asked. He gestured to the kitchen. "They are with your aunt in the kitchen making lunch for us..... mostly for you, since you drank a lot." he commented, and Ashleigh avoided his gaze. "Why did you drink after we slept? Had a lot on your mind?" he asked lightly. Her grip tightened around the mug as the article flashed in her mind. "Just because." She focused on her ginger tea instead, willing for him to change the subject. But from a side glance, she saw his expression grow more curious. "Oh gosh, he won't let it go." "Was it about your boss and his fiancée? You were not too thrilled on seeing the article yesterday" he inquired. She forced a shrug. "Because it wasn't that interesting." "Right...." He dragged the word out longer than necessary, his voice unsettling her. "Was that why you called him yourself last night?" Ashleigh stiffened, her heart stopping for a moment and the cup trembled in her hands. She snapped her head towards him. "You don't know what you're saying." A small smirk formed on his lips. "Oh, but I do. I overheard your conversation last night. And I saw your phone this morning before the others woke up. Besides, your reaction made it easy to put two and two together." Her shoulders slumped, there was no use denying anything now. She exhaled. "Look, Arthur, I-" He raised his hands, silencing her with a smile. "It's fine, I won't tell... you have your reasons. But we wanted to know because we care about you, Ashleigh." "It doesn't matter now. It's not like it changes anything." She said, dropping the cup. Arthur rolled his eyes, turning to face her. "It does matter. You've been with Adrian all this time, whether you want to admit it or not." She remained silent. "Rather than sitting here feeling jealous, why don't you take action?" "I'm not jealous.... And I don't care who he is with." Ashleigh shot back. He sighed, shaking his head. "There's nothing wrong in being jealous Ash, it'll be unnatural if you didn't. Adrian is loaded, powerful and insanely attractive, of course women are going to flock around him." "I never said anything about his looks." She interrupted, her cheeks heating. Arthur's smirk only deepened, and she felt like hitting him. "Mhm. Sure." "But if you don't act now, you'll be forced to be nothing more than a background character in his life." Her jaw clenched. "Who said I'm a background character?" Arthur shrugged. "You're acting like one now." She hated that he was right. She was his wife yet he was on tabloids with another woman, pathetic. "So, are you ready to make a bold move?" the question hung in air, and Ashleigh's heart pounded as she thought of his words. Was she willing to make a bold move for a marriage that only existed on paper? She felt a buzz and picked up the phone. Adrian: You called because you missed me, Mrs. Cagliari Her breath hitched and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Fine, I'll think about it." He grinned, clapping her back. "Good choice, Ash." A spark ignited in her chest.... She won't back down so easily now. What's the worst that could happen?