Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64

“Answer me, Cassie,” Ashton said quietly.

“Why can’t you value yourself?”

His grip loosened–just enough to show restraint–though he still didn’t let go.

“You don’t deserve this,” he continued, his voice rough, fraying at the edges.

“You don’t deserve a man who cheats on you.”

The shift in his tone startled her.

The anger was gone. In its place was something raw–almost fragile. Desperate.

“I respected your marriage,” he went on, each word weighted, deliberate.

“I kept my distance after you introduced him to me. I was ready to let you go, Cassie.”

The confession struck her harder than any accusation. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his. Pain

stared back at her.

Not anger. Not jealousy.

Pain–real and unguarded.

For a moment, she barely recognized the man standing in front of her. This wasn’t the domineering, unyielding Ashton Pierce who commanded rooms and bent circumstances to his will.

This was a man stripped of his facade, standing too close, looking… shattered. Ashton Pierce never showed weakness. Not to anyone.

Yet here he was–eyes dark, wounded, and dangerously sincere.

“I was ready to let you go,” he added softly, jaw clenched tight, “as long as you were happy.”

Something inside her snapped.

“What nonsense are you saying, Ashton?” Cassie scoffed, irritation finally rising to the surface.

“Since when did you become so concerned about me?”

He was impossible–contradictory. One moment domineering, the next painfully earnest. She had no time, no patience to decipher him. He had already affected her in ways she refused to acknowledge, and now this–this self–appointed protector act–was pushing her to the edge.

Instead of answering, Ashton let out a bitter chuckle, his gaze fixed on her face as he still held her close.

“If only you realized how much I sacrificed,” he murmured, voice low and tired, “just to give you a chance to be free. For you to be happy. For you to see that you’re worthy.”

1/3

Chapter 64

+25 Bonus

His eyes softened–not pleading, but heavy with regret.

“Please,” he added quietly, “don’t let those sacrifices be wasted.”

Her brows knit together, confusion cutting through her irritation.

“What are you talking about, Ashton?” she demanded, sharpness unmistakable in her tone.

But he ignored the question entirely, his voice dropping to something dangerously resolute.

“I can take you away from him, Cassie,” he said.

“If he can’t cherish you the way you deserve–then I’ll reclaim you.”

The word echoed between them.

Reclaim.

And suddenly, the air felt thinner.

“You’re talking nonsense,” Cassie said, her voice tight.

“Let me go.”

She struggled, more to escape the emotions his words were stirring than his arms. His sudden gentleness unsettled her far more than his anger ever had. She twisted in his hold, trying to break free- but his grip remained firm, unyielding.

“Nonsense?” he murmured coldly.

Before she could react, he closed the distance between them.

His lips came down on hers–hard, demanding, leaving no room for hesitation. The shock stole her breath, and when she gasped in surprise, he seized the opportunity, deepening the kiss with ruthless intent. Her muffled protest only betrayed her, granting him further access, further control.

“Ash-” she tried to say his name, but it dissolved against his mouth.

The way he kissed her was maddening–unyielding yet achingly familiar. Her knees weakened as his insistence chipped away at her resolve, her body betraying her even as her mind screamed in protest.

And then it hit her.

This–this–was exactly like her dream.

The same overwhelming heat. The same dizzying pull. The same way her defenses crumbled beneath his nearness, her thoughts unraveling as if she had already lived this moment before.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify