Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 207

Chapter 207

“I hated the version of you who kept breaking. His hand resumed its slow, steady motion on her back.

“So every chance I had… I pushed you.”

A pause.

“Sometimes harder than I should have.” His gaze sharpened slightly, though his voice remained controlled.

“I forced you to stand on your own. To build something. To stop depending on anyone.”

Another pause as he took a deep breath.

“I wanted you to become someone who wouldn’t be broken again.”

His words grew quieter.

“Someone who wouldn’t fear anything.”

Cassie felt the shift before he said it.

“Yes,” Ashton admitted. “I sent you here knowing exactly what kind of place this is.”

No hesitation.

“No protection. No advantage.”

His hand pressed lightly against her back, firm now.

“Because I needed you to feel it.”

His eyes held hers.

“To understand what it means to be powerless again.”

A beat.

“To face people who can take everything from you-and not fall apart.”

Cassie slowly pulled away from him. Just enough to see his face. Their eyes met and held.

“Look at where you are now, Cassie,” Ashton said quietly, meeting her tear-filled gaze.

“Look at what you’ve become after all these years on your own.”

She didn’t look away.

“You built everything without me,” he continued.

“You stood your ground. You survived.” His thumb brushed gently across her cheek, wiping away the last traces of tears.

“I don’t have to stand beside you for you to feel strong,” he added.

“You are strong now, Cassidy. With me or without me.”

She listened, her breathing still uneven, but steadier than before.

“I knew you could face Alek on your own,” Ashton went on.

“I knew you could convince him without anyone’s influence–especially not mine.” A small smile touched his lips as he wiped

another tear from her face.

Chapter 207.

+25 BONUS

Cassie frowned slightly, her lips forming a faint pout.

“I convinced him because they already knew who I was,” she muttered, still unconvinced.

“It felt like I was being played, Ted into something.”

Ashton let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. The reaction only made her more confused.

“When you first met Alek,” he said, his voice calm, “he didn’t know who you were.”

Cassie blinked.

“He knew there was an issue with Malakai Group,” Ashton continued, his thumb absentmindedly tracing along her damp cheek, “but he didn’t have the full report. He didn’t know you. Not yet.”

Her brows drew together.

“They only received the complete report just before you walked into that room,” he added.

“By then, I was already on my way here.”

His thumb moved to the space between her brows, gently smoothing the tension there.

“You weren’t being played, Cassidy,” he said softly.

“I let you handle it on your own.”

A pause.

“And you convinced him before he ever learned who you were.”

He leaned in and pressed a brief, gentle kiss against her forehead.

Cassie shook her head, still unconvinced, her pout deepening.

“That’s impossible,” she insisted.

“The Wrights. The Petrovs. They know everything-especially when they’re involved.”

She crossed her arms slightly, though the gesture lacked real resistance.

“There’s no way he didn’t know who I was when I met him at the Petrov bulding.”

“He didn’t,” Ashton said simply, a faint smile still on his lips.

“He did,” she countered, narrowing her eyes at him.

“With the power they have, it would take seconds to pull up everything about me.”

Ashton studied her for a moment-her flushed face, her still-damp lashes, the stubborn look she always had when she refused

to back down.

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