Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133

“You did all that for me, Ashton.”

Her voice lowered.

“I just need time to think”

Silence settled between them.

For a moment, Ashton simply looked at her. Then he let out a long breath, his shoulders lowering as if he were finally allowing the weight he had carried for years to surface.

“Because I know what I did was wrong,” he said quietly, a bitter smile touching his lips.

“I took choices away from you. I hurt you to protect you.” His eyes softened.

“I would never blame you if you hated me.”

Cassie lowered her gaze, her fingers fidgeting together as if gathering the courage to speak.

“But I don’t hate you, Ashton,” she whispered.

He stilled.

“You… don’t?” The hope in his voice was unmistakable, though uncertainty still lingered beneath it.

She shook her head.

“You were trying to protect me. And all these years… I was the one who was blind. Stubborn.”

Her voice grew softer.

“Even after everything, you never stopped helping me. Especially with the footage you sent. That was the strongest evidence that convicted Madame Elvira and Madame Rima.”

She lifted her eyes and gave him a sincere, grateful smile.

Ashton held her gaze for a moment before exhaling slowly, his expression turning thoughtful.

“It was actually an accident,” he admitted. He leaned back slightly, his voice quieter, distant with memory.

“My grandmother visited the Knowles residence one day, and I tagged along. Agot bored and wandered around the house. One of the bedroom doors was open, so I got curious.”

His jaw tightened faintly.

“There was a woman lying on the bed. She looked pale… weak. Like she was barely holding on.”

He swallowed.

“I took out my phone. I remember wanting to take a picture of the room-kids do strange things when they’re bored.” A faint, self-conscious smile flickered.

“But then people came in. I panicked and hid.”

His eyes darkened.

“I didn’t realize my phone was still in my hand… and recording.”

He paused before continuing.

“After that day, I didn’t go back to the Knowles house for a long time. And eventually… I forgot about it.”

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His voice softened.

“I was about to start middle school when I found my old phone while sorting through my things. I opened it, went through old photos and videos…”

His gaze returned to hers.

“And then I saw it.”

“I was scared at first. I didn’t know what to do.” He exhaled slowly.

“But then I remembered the baby that woman had given birth to. I wondered what happened to the child.”

A gentle smile appeared.

“So I went back to the Knowles residence.” His eyes warmed.

“You were four years old when I first met you.” The smile lingered, softer now-almost fragile.

“The more I visited, the more I saw how they treated you. So I kept coming back.” His tone turned quietly protective.

“When you were old enough to understand, I tried to tell you the truth. I tried to make you see how badly they were treating you.” He gave a small, helpless breath.

“But you never listened.”

“Even when I scolded you, you still worked yourself to exhaustion just to please them.” His brows drew slightly together.

“You were so stubborn.” A wistful, bittersweet smile curved his lips.

“I got annoyed with you. Frustrated. But I couldn’t stop coming back.” His gaze deepened.

“You were foolish… and painfully naive.” His voice lowered.

“And I couldn’t just leave you there. The Knowles would have swallowed you whole.” He paused, then added quietly,

“But whenever I was around… they behaved. They treated you better.” A faint exhale escaped him.

“That’s why I kept asking to stay over.” His eyes met hers fully now.

“I wasn’t visiting them, Cassie.”

A beat passed.

“I was coming for you.” he muttered.

Cassie nodded, a soft smile lingering on her lips.

She was about to speak when a firm knock echoed through the office.

Both of them froze. Then Ashton glanced at the clock.

Thirty minutes. Reality came rushing back.

“Your husband is here,” Ashton said quickly, his composure returning-but only on the surface.

“I don’t think it would be appropriate for him to see us in this… ah… situation.”

He stood at once, carefully lifting her off his lap and setting her gently on her feet, his hands lingering only for a brief second before he stepped back, already straightening his coat as if trying to erase what had just happened.

Cassie watched him—his controlled movements, the tension in his shoulders, the faint trace of panic behind his otherwise calmn

face.

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She couldn’t help it. Amusement sparkled in her eyes.

“But I thought you were fighting tooth and nail to steal me from him,” she reminded him lightly, a teasing smile tugging at her

lips.

Ashton paused mid-motion. For a moment, he didn’t turn around.

When he finally did, his gaze met hers-steady, intense, and far too honest.

“I am,” he said quietly.

Then, after a brief beat, his voice softened.

“But not by putting you in a difficult position… and not by forcing you to choose,” Ashton said quietly, his voice steady but firm, as though drawing a line he had no intention of crossing.

Cassie lifted a brow at that, the corner of her lips curving. The restraint in his tone only stirred the playful mood already brewing

inside her.

“Well,” she replied with a careless little shrug, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes, “forbidden love does make things… more exciting.”

She held his gaze as she said it, unashamed, deliberately provocative—testing him, pushing against the control he was so determined to keep.

****tbc****

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