Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

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Their ragged breaths were the only sound left in the room, filling the heavy silence as they stood far apart – still reeling from a kiss that had scorched them both.

“Why are you doing this, Ashton?” Cassie’s voice trembled, thin and unsteady.

She folded her arms around herself, as if holding her own body together, as if that single moment hadn’t just ruin every wall she had spent years building.

“Why?”

Ashton didn’t answer right away. He looked just as shaken–his chest rising and falling too fast, his jaw clenched tight, eyes dark as though he were wrestling something wild and dangerous inside himself. The impulse that had driven him only seconds ago now seemed to horrify him.

“Why are you harassing me like this?” she pressed on, blinking rapidly as she forced herself to breathe.

“What did I ever do to you to deserve this?”

Even after drawing in deep breaths, her voice refused to steady. Every word betrayed how deeply he had unsettled her.

“No… Cassie.”

Ashton moved toward her without thinking, his hand lifting instinctively, reaching for her as if to pull her back, to explain, to undo what he had done. But the instant she flinched–small, reflexive, fearful–he stopped.

His hand froze in midair.

The realization struck him like a physical blow.

Slowly, he let his arm fall to his side. Guilt flooded his face and when he spoke, his voice was low and

raw.

“I’m not harassing you, Cassie. And I won’t apologize for the kiss.”

He lifted his gaze to meet hers, unflinching despite the anger and pain burning in her eyes.

“I’ve been dying to do that since the day we met in Savannah City.”

Her breath hitched.

Incredulity washed over her, sharp and cutting. She stared at him for a long moment before a hollow, mocking chuckle escaped her chest.

“What are you trying to do, Ashton?” she scoffed.

“You’re impossible to understand. You’re like rain falling in the middle of a sunny day.”

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Chapter 65

+25 Bonus

Her eyes hardened as old memories clawed their way to the surface.

“All my life, all I remember from you is cold distance,” she continued, her voice steady but laced with

bitterness.

“No matter what I did, you always found a reason to be irritated with me. You never missed a chance to

insult me.”

She let out a bitter laugh.

“And six years ago? You made sure everyone saw how much you despised me. You turned your back on me when I needed you–when I needed someone to defend me.”

Her smile trembled, wistful and sharp all at once.

“All I can remember is your cruelty.”

She met his eyes again, pain and disbelief swirling together.

“And now you’re telling me you’ve been dying to kiss me?” she said softly, dangerously.

“Years after I was forced to leave the only roof over my head because I spent the night in your bed?”

Her lips curved into a mocking smile.

“Am I really that much of a fool to you, Ashton?”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Their eyes remained locked, neither willing to look away, as if breaking eye contact would shatter something fragile hanging between them.

“I have my reasons, Cassie,” Ashton finally whispered. His voice was low, almost reverent, but his gaze never left her face.

“And that is…?” she prompted, arching a brow.

He didn’t answer.

Seconds ticked by, each one sharpening the ache in her chest.

“Reasons I’m not worthy to know,” she murmured at last, nodding slowly as understanding dawned. A humorless smile tugged at her lips. “Figures.”

Ashton inhaled deeply and turned his face away, his jaw tightening. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter–stripped of command, edged with vulnerability.

“I’m afraid to let you know.”

A sad smile crossed his lips, fleeting and restrained, as if he didn’t trust himself to show more.

Cassie watched him then–truly watched him–and for a brief moment she saw how torn he was, how deeply conflicted.