Broken Promises

Ashley shoved Demitri away with trembling hands, her eyes blazing with fury.

Demitri’s breathing was ragged, his eyes searching hers for a hint of what she was feeling. But Ashley didn’t give him the satisfaction.

“You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?” she hissed, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. “You have no idea how much you’ve hurt me! The sleepless nights I spent in that house, feeling like an outsider. The tears… the sacrifices…”

Demitri opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, her voice rising.

“And you think I didn’t have a way to stop you from taking those eggs? Of course, I did! But I wanted it to succeed, Demitri. I wanted it to work so I could claim my child and take him or her away from you—both of you!”

Her words hung heavy in the air, and Demitri stared at her, his face pale. “Ashley, I—”

“Save it!” she snapped, her chest heaving. “You don’t get to apologize like that will fix anything. And don’t you ever kiss me again.”

The fact that he had kissed her wasn’t what angered her the most. It’s the fact that that was the second time he would kiss her.

The first kiss was at the wedding. At the altar after they were both pronounced man and wife and he kissed her briefly.

And now, it brought back those memories. Memories of what she thought would be.

Demitri dropped to his knees, his hands clasped together as if in prayer. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I’m so sorry, Ashley.”

“Sorry?” she echoed bitterly, her laugh hollow. “Do you think that’s enough? Do you think that erases everything you put me through?”

Tears slid down her cheeks as her voice cracked again. She brushed them away angrily.

Demitri bowed his head, a tear slipping down his face. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I swear I only wanted to protect you.”

Her head snapped toward him, disbelief etched across her face. “Protect me?” she scoffed. “That’s the best you’ve got? You wanted to protect me by lying to Elena that I was barren?

Demitri didn’t respond immediately. The silence stretched, and Ashley crossed her arms, glaring down at him.

“Well?” she demanded. “Say something!”

“I thought…” He took a deep, shaky breath, his voice barely above a whisper. “I thought if I told her the truth, it would complicate everything. I thought… I thought it was better this way.”

Ashley let out a bitter laugh. “Better? For who, Demitri? For you? For Elena? Because it certainly wasn’t better for me.”

He looked up at her, his eyes red and pleading. “I know it sounds like an excuse, but I thought I was doing what was best for everyone.”

“Everyone?” She shook her head, incredulous. “You only ever thought about yourself, Demitri. Your convenience. Your image.”

Her phone buzzed on the table, breaking the tense moment. She grabbed it, seeing Ethan’s name flashing on the screen. Without a second glance at Demitri, she answered.

“Ethan?” she said, her voice still shaky with emotion. “Why aren’t you on this flight? I thought we were doing this together.”

There was a pause before Ethan spoke, his tone as nonchalant as ever. “Because it wasn’t my idea, Ashley. This whole donation thing? That’s on Demitri. I had no part in it.”

Ashley frowned, her grip tightening on the phone. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s his money and yours,” Ethan continued. “Not mine. So I didn’t see the point in tagging along.”

Disappointment coursed through her veins, mingling with the anger she was already struggling to contain. “Right. Thanks for clarifying,” she said coldly before ending the call.

She tossed the phone onto the seat beside her, her jaw clenched.

Ashley shot him a withering glare. “Why didn’t you tell me Ethan wasn’t a part of this?”

Demitri didn’t respond. He just sat there, his guilt written all over his face.

Ashley sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Get up,” she said finally, her voice weary.

Demitri hesitated. “Ashley, I—”

“I said, get up!” she snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, his shoulders slumped. Ashley turned away from him, staring out the window at the clouds below.

“We’re almost in Texas,” she said after a long pause. “We’ll talk more after we’re done at the foundation. Until then… don’t say another word to me.”