You Had Me, You Lost Me, You'll Never Find Me novel Chapter 49

This was far from the first time Ashton had verbally shredded her, but the sheer humiliation still stung.

With his background, Ashton had spent his entire life surrounded by people begging for his attention. He rarely accommodated anyone, and when he turned cold, he was an absolute monster.

When Sylvia was deeply in love with him, she had been blind to it. It was only after they split that his true colors became devastatingly clear.

Her chest heaved. "Yeah. So what? Are you really any better than me?"

Didn't he bring another woman to his apartment to spend the night too?

Ashton's brow furrowed, as if he were about to fire back.

But Julian effortlessly cut him off. "Watch your tone, Ashton. Since you're already separated, I suggest you maintain some basic dignity. Today is hardly the time. I'm taking her home now, but I'll be sure to pay my respects to Grandfather Wyatt another day."

His words were laced with lethal politeness, perfectly using Grandfather Wyatt to shut Ashton down and completely defusing the explosive tension.

Sylvia immediately cooled down. He was right. Standing here arguing with Ashton was completely pointless.

Today was a massive accident. She never expected to run into him. But he was about to get engaged anyway, and their paths would rarely cross again. Why should she care what he did?

Sylvia walked away with Julian, while Ashton remained frozen in the shadows for a long time.

A heavily styled girl noticed him and strutted over. "Hey handsome, are you here alone?"

Ashton ignored her completely. The girl boldly hooked her fingers over his belt buckle, stroking it suggestively. "Let's exchange numbers, yeah?"

"Get out."

Refusing to back down, the girl's hand slid lower, but Ashton clamped a vice-like grip around her wrist. "Are you deaf? I told you to get the hell out."

His eyes burned with pure, murderous ice.

Lately, Vivienne had been sending him photos every single day. She had hired people to stalk Sylvia and Julian on set, capturing heavily suggestive angles.

Looking purely at the photos, the sexual tension between the two seemed undeniable.

Ashton swore he wouldn't look, yet he clicked on every single one, feeding his own agonizing self-torture.

Because of his parents' catastrophic relationship, he had aggressively avoided thinking about his own future—marriage, kids, any of it.

But he never expected time to run out. He never expected to be entirely stripped of his right to stop her from walking away.

Leaving him behind, she had moved on terrifyingly fast, immediately starting a brand-new life. It was as if she didn't possess a single ounce of regret.

Reina had never seen Ashton display such violent, possessive obsession over any other woman.

Even though she knew they had been together for three years, she knew damn well they weren't just sitting around playing cards under the covers.

But witnessing the sheer physical evidence still made her sick with jealousy.

Why couldn't Ashton ever look at her?

Back when her sister, Rebecca Winslet, was still alive, Ashton only ever had eyes for her.

Rebecca had been obsessed with playing the piano, competing endlessly since childhood. The very first time Ashton saw her, he was instantly captivated, cornering her in a stairwell to confess his feelings.

Ashton was two years younger, so Rebecca only ever saw him as a little boy.

Even after being relentlessly rejected, Ashton never backed down. For four years, rain or shine, he personally escorted her from campus to the airport. He timed her schedule flawlessly. Even when Rebecca purposely hid her itinerary, Ashton always somehow dug up the details and called to check on her.

Rebecca eventually seemed slightly swayed. For his twentieth birthday, she bought him a luxury watch.

Since that day, Ashton never took the watch off, treating it like a sacred engagement ring.