Chapter 220:
Her expression was a mask of sincerity as she carried on.
“Come to me after you’ve checked everything for yourself.”
Kristian took his phone, his eyes briefly flickering to the photo that glowed with unresolved stories.
Ashley’s voice was tinged with a mixture of resignation and boldness as she explained,
“Those photos are real. I was resigned to my fate, expecting the end, but he convinced me to undergo surgery and stayed by my side throughout that challenging period. We even tried dating for a week, but soon realized our incompatibilities were too vast. If it’s an issue, I’ll be out of your way.” Her tone threaded with the quiet precision of a tactical retreat.
It was a clever maneuver, a masterstroke that left even Kristian ensnared in her emotional labyrinth. They were locked in a mental duel, each laying traps for the other to stumble into.
Had she dismissed the photos as fake, Kristian might have harbored doubts. However, her forthright admission disarmed him completely.
“Since you admit they’re real, why did you say Freya tampered with them?” Kristian questioned, his eyes piercing as they fixed intently on her face.
Ashley met his gaze, her response a wordless hesitation that spoke volumes. The silence hit him with sudden revelation.
His treatment of Freya had shaped perceptions around them, painting her as a target for cruelty. His previous harshness toward Freya led Ashley to believe she was someone who could be pushed around.
“I only have five months left.” Ashley suddenly changed the topic, her voice softening.
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“I don’t need us to be married, but I want to be with you, even if it’s just a brief, five-month romance.”
“I’ll find out what’s really going on,” Kristian murmured, rising with the file folder in hand, leaving nothing else to be said.
Ashley’s eyes fixated on the file, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face before she spoke up, her voice laced with a hint of urgency.
“The medical records in your file are fabricated. It’s best if you just discard them.”
“These are official company documents,” Kristian countered calmly, his gaze steady and unflinching.
“They’re not medical records.”
With those final words, he turned and strode out of her apartment. He didn’t bother to inquire how she had managed to falsify the medical records, nor did he wish to delve into that mystery.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Ashley’s composed demeanor shattered. She collapsed onto the sofa, completely spent. A sheen of cold sweat clung to her back, and her lips turned pale, drained of all color.
Nobody could fathom how she managed to survive the ordeal.
Alone now, she grappled with the sheer terror of having faced Kristian, the one person who could see right through her facade. The fear that her web of lies might unravel at any moment gnawed at her.
After a few moments of strained silence, she summoned the strength to reach for her phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the number she had saved earlier.
It was a desperate move, but necessary. If she didn’t reach out to that person now, the repercussions could be catastrophic.
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