<h4>Chapter 136: Chapter 136</h4>


    DEMI


    I pride myself as being a human shock absorber ever since I married into the Rollins family but nothing prepared me for the words that came out of Ashton’s mouth as he gripped my shoulder and stared into my soul outside the vi.


    "Are you Camille Branson’s daughter?"


    My heart rate slows down. My vision swims as I blink at him. Did he just mention my mother’s name? Does he know my secret? How? How long has he known? How much does he know?


    "W-What?" I stutter with palpable shock.


    "WAS CAMILLE BRANSON YOUR MOM, DEMI? PLEASE, ANSWER ME." He persists, shaking my numb body to stir me awake from my entranced gaze.


    "Hey, lunch’s ready." Ashley calls out to us with a big smile from the porch. In the second it takes Ashton to tear his eyes and hands off me and acknowledge his brother, I realize I had stopped breathing and suck in a greedy chunk of air through my nostrils and into my dry lungs. My heart is thudding violently in my chest with equal parts fear and shock.


    "Come in, Demi. The wind definitely ns to undress you the longer you stay out there." Ashley waves at me. Smiling awkwardly, I seize the opportunity to get away from Ashton, ignoring his quiet plea that I spare him a few more minutes.


    If I thought my first lunch with Ashley and Nic at the vi was awkward, the one I share now with Ashton around is simply worse. Nic is awake from her nap. She sits with tensed shoulders, poking at her food. Her head is bowed, avoiding everyone’s eyes. I wish she can lift her head so I can remind her not to be too damn obvious and expose herself. Our conversation from my first day here drifts into my mind.


    That day, I yanked her arm and pulled her into the bathroom when she showed me the note. After flicking on the shower, I turned to her.


    "What the hell do you mean by that? Are you kidding right now? You’re not pregnant?"


    She wrung her hands guiltily while I raked mine through my hair. What the hell did she mean? How could she have fooled everyone like that?


    I should have been relieved that I didn’t have to pretend to be pregnant anymore or forced to care for my husband’s child born by another woman. Yet, I wasn’t. I was livid that I had gone through all that humiliation for nothing. I was pissed that I had lost yet another gem with which to threaten the Rollins family.


    "I’m really sorry. It was a spur of the moment decision. I wasn’t thinking. I had lost everything; my father, my status, my career. Losing Ashley scared the shit out of me so I did what I thought would force him to be a part of my life forever."


    "What about the test results? Ashley said you were prepared to do the tests at any hospital of his choice to confirm your im."


    She scratched her head. "I know all the key hospitals the Rollins family patronize. They never go outside those three. I had already bribed those working at thebs to give a positive pregnancy result if I showed up for the test with Ashley." I was amazed at her determination.


    "And the doctor here? How did you get him to not inform Ashley of the truth?"


    "He’s an old family friend and owes my dad a favor." When she saw how uneasy I was despite everything, she dared to add, "I thought you’d be happy to know Ashley remains yours."


    "Happy?" Iughed hysterically. "You’re so slow. Maybe that’s why he loves you. You can keep him for all I care. I am not in love with him. He made that really easy for me." I stepped up to her face. "Do you know what I’ve been through since your little pregnancy announcement, Nic Grey? With one lie, you made my life hellish. When are you going to realize that no matter what you do with respect to Ashley and his family, my life gets screwed up? Do you think your confession will make my life easier? Heck, Mr. Rollins will find a way to make me shoulder the responsibility of keeping up your lie to save the family’s reputation" I shake my head as I pace back and forth.


    "Because of you, I might remain stuck with Ashley for much longer than I envisaged."


    I really wanted to hit her at that moment. Mr. Rollins was never going to let me walk away after six months. I had to figure out a way to ensure my escape from the marriage contract at the agreed date.


    I was very anxious as uncle Marcel’s worries were catching up to me. Six months suddenly felt long enough for me to get caught and punished for my plot against the family.


    "Ashley is going to be really mad at me."


    "Ashley should be the least of your worries, Ni." If I couldn’t hit her for fucking things up for me yet again, I resolved to make her suffer in some way. "You have no idea, do you? You don’t know the kind of people you’ve toyed with. Don’t you want to know how I lost my baby in the first ce and why the media didn’t get a whiff of it?" Hurtful as the memory was, I recounted the spine-chilling details to her and watched the horror spread all over her ashen face.


    "My own inws sacrificed their grandchild, their very own flesh and blood just because they weren’t happy with me having the baby. Asher was neither scolded nor punished for what he did and till date, they make me out to be the crazy person for not wanting to move past the incident. Your pregnancy however excited them. They’re ready for a grandchild and deem you worthy to bear it. Imagine what they would do if they realize you lied about everything? Their hopes will be dashed. They won’t forgive you for making a fool of them, especially not father and Asher."


    Ni visibly shook. "They...they’ll k-kill me."


    "And no one will ever know the truth about your disappearance."


    Shetched onto my arm. "Please Demi, I need to get away from here. I need to go as far away as possible. Please say you’ll help me."


    I wrenched my arm free. "You want to run and leave me to bear the brunt of your foolishness? No way. You’ll stay right here and fix your mess."


    "How the heck am I supposed to do that?"


    "I don’t know, ok? I DON’T KNOW. All I know is that you have to find a way to maintain the lie you already told. GET PREGNANT IF YOU MUST, NICCI. I don’t care how you do it but that belly has to produce a baby at some point. Ashley and his family know I am faking my pregnancy for the world but you? If they learn you lied about carrying their grandchild and ran away, you’ll be a corpse within a week no matter where you run to."


    Ni started crying. "Ashley won’t touch me. Trust me, I have tried."


    "Try harder! Drug him if you must. Take fertility enhancement pills. Do whatever. I’ll convince him to spend a few days with you. If it doesn’t work out with him, you and I are screwed, Ni." She looked shocked at how indifferent I was about my husband.


    I didn’t really care about her or what Brett would do if he got whiff of her lie. I just needed to buy more time to guarantee my freedom from Ashley. Once the contract expires and my divorce is publicized, to hell with Ni.


    Sure, there are quicker ways to get a divorce. As long as the me is all mine and doesn’t rub off on my inws, Brett might be down to cut me off from his family.


    I can think of a few ways to use the wonderful and clueless people of Danvarr by making them dere me unfit to be Ashley’s wife. However, the timing sucks right now. A divorce would further hurt Brett’spany which is still recovering from the aftermath of his scandal at this time. He won’t spare me if I pile on a divorce. He would bray for my blood after I leave Ashley which I don’t want. Hence, I am settling for the long game with Ni keeping up her lie till I can find a wiggle room to free myself.


    Ashton keeps stealing surreptitious nces at me on the dining table. Ashley is not toofortable himself as everyone on the table is unusually quiet.


    Dinneres to an early end with everyone dispersing to their various rooms. Ni loops an arm around Ashley to join him in to his room but before he can protest, I tell him to indulge her for the baby’s sake. Both brothers trade shocked nces.


    "Take her to your room, Ashley. She’s already carrying your child and pregnancyes with cravings. She’s been lonely for weeks. I understand. It’s totally fine with me."


    "Demi?"


    "You have nothing to exin or apologize for. We’re way past that in our rtionship, remember?" I lurch to my feet. "I’ll go see a movie in my room. Goodnight, everyone."


    "Goodnight, Demi. Thanks." Nic replies. With a small smile, I skip up the stairs. The second I reach the hallway upstairs; I increase my pace and rush to my bedroom. I slide in and try to shut the door when a foot gets stuck between. I lift my eyes to find Ashton through the crack.


    "Ashton." I echo with a raspy breath. He shoves the door back, lets himself in and shuts it. The light in here is at a low setting. Shadows y around his handsome face, illuminating the clean angles of his jawline. He advances close to me while I back up till the back of my legs hit the bed.


    "You didn’t answer my question earlier, Demi." He says, cupping my face. My heart is racing from the gentleness of the gesture and his eagerness for the truth.


    "It’s true, isn’t it? Your mother was Camille Branson, the same woman who died identally in a faulty elevator at Rollins Shopping Mall six years ago."


    My eyes get blurry with tears at the details. So, he knows. With his thumb, he pads away the tears that roll down my cheek.


    "Why didn’t you say anything?"


    I pull my face away and go around him. Is he seriously pretending to feel bad for me while lying about what really happened that fateful evening? ident? Faulty elevator? I can’t believe I almost let myself feel something in his arms.


    "Why Demi? Why didn’t you mention this at any point before or after your marriage to Ashley?"


    "Why should I have done that?" I snap at him. "The death of my parents is a very sensitive subject for me. Why would I go about telling people how they died when I can just tell them I am orphaned and not have to cry myself to sleep? What’s there to share, Ashton? It was an ident, right? Why do you feel your family needed to know the details?"


    "<i>Because it happened on our property</i>." He utters with clenched teeth, his voice broken and pained. "We owe you an apology."


    "I don’t want your pity. THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF NOT TELLING YOU ALL. I never did and I never will."


    The rage glistening in my eyes fuels the guilt in his. I want him to say it. I want him to own up to the truth rather than trying to sympathize with me like it was a mere ident. Why can’t he break the mold for once and do what’s right irrespective of what it will cost his evil family? I wish he would surprise me. Maybe my frosty heart will melt again.


    He edges close to me, backing the light. His warm breath caresses my cheeks as he leans forward.


    "You must hate us for everything that happened to your family."


    "I do." I reply tly. The shocked quirk of his left eyebrow sends a delightful thrill down my spine. "I’m only human after all. I thought it was unfair that your closely knit family was still thriving, having meals together while I have to drive to a fucking cemetery to see my own parents. I struggle with nightmares on my birthday because it unfortunately coincides with their death anniversary. YES, Ashton, I hate you all for not fixing that damn elevator early enough. If my parents were alive, I wouldn’t be stuck with my avaricious aunt and her mean daughter. I wouldn’t have been so desperate for a new family that I was prepared to tolerate being married to a man who doesn’t love or respect me. I would have run back into my mama’s arms when your family treated me like dirt under their shoe."


    When he tries to touch and console me, I p his hands away. Tears are streaming down my face.


    "DON’T TOUCH ME!" I dry my eyes and refuse his pleas for forgiveness. If he was truly sorry, he would tell me the truth of what happened that night.


    "I know it’s more than that. You want revenge." He says to my surprise. "Kira filled me in about how our encounter at the blue cove wasn’t totally coincidental or our marriage, a drunk move. It was all calcted and nned. No, no, no, I am not mad at you." He tells me as the shock spreads on my face. "I don’t me you at all, Demi. I would want the same thing if I had been in your shoes. Honestly, I am in awe at your patience. I don’t know how you’ve managed to rein in your anger till now. I know I wouldn’t havested this long if I med anyone for hurting my loved ones. Your feelings are justified. Whatever ns you have to avenge your parents are also valid. I want you to know that."


    I back away from him, uncertain of his intentions right now.


    "Whatever you might have done to make my family suffer since you joined us doesn’tpare to what we’ve made you endure before and after you became a part of our lives. I honestly don’t me you."


    "What are you saying to me, Ashton? Why are you saying all this?"


    "I want to atone in my own way for all the pain we’ve cause you. I’ll protect you, Demi. I won’t say a word about anything I’ve uncovered. I won’t let anyone harm a hair on your head but to do that, I need you to trust me. If I figured it out, my brothers and father won’t be far behind."


    "Trust you?"


    "Yes. I need you to trust me to shield you. I know how ironic that sounds right now but hear me out. You’re ying a dangerous game with the worst family as you already know. If you let me in on your secrets, I can cover up your loose ends and make sure you don’t get unmasked. I promise there is a safer way to get your revenge on us without soiling your own hands or risking your life. You just have to let me protect you first."


    "I don’t want your protection!" I try to walk away but he grips my arm firmly.


    "Maybe, but you <i>need</i> it! Father is currently working on a n that might put your life in jeopardy."


    "What are you talking about?"


    He straightens his back and inhales. "I know you’re somehow affiliated with Billion-Err and all the damaging articles that havee out against my family, including father’s recent cheating scandal. It makes sense because that blog started targeting my family the second you showed up at the mansion. You clearly have the motive to desire our downfall."


    I shake my head in denial. "Ashton, I’m not..."


    He cuts me off with a finger to my lips. "That’s not important right now." Then with a somber expression. "FATHER HAS MADE A FULL-PROOF PLAN TO UNMASK BILLION-ERR."