Chapter 275:
“I’ve been looking into what you told me last time,” Kristian said, stepping past the threshold. His tone was icy, distant. “You were right — you did spend over a month in that hospital.”
At his confirmation, a wave of relief washed over Ashley, calming her frayed nerves.
She shut the door behind her and stepped closer, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “If my presence as someone on the brink of death discomforts you, I can leave.”
“Someone on the brink of death?” Kristian echoed, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“Didn’t I mention it previously? My time is limited to a few more months,” Ashley said, avoiding his gaze, her eyes clouded with sorrow. “If my condition is too burdensome for you, I’m prepared to leave Jeucwell and spend my final days in tranquility.”
“Is that so?” Kristian responded, his tone cold and detached.
His indifference felt like a dagger to Ashley’s heart. She quickly picked up on the underlying tension.
She noticed that his stare was cold and dismissive, treating her as if she were a mere acquaintance.
The icy realization struck her hard, prompting her to dismiss these creeping doubts. It was unthinkable!
Kristian’s love for her was undeniable; how could his eyes betray such disinterest?
“Y-yes,” she stammered, her voice trembling as confusion swept over her. “What’s the matter?”
“Then perhaps you can clarify why, supposedly confined to a hospital ward, Gerard discovered you were actually elsewhere at the time?” Kristian’s intense stare bore into her. “Who orchestrated the fake hospital records for you?”
A torrent of shock surged through Ashley’s mind.
Her body seized up, her face struggling to hide her turmoil. “W-what are you implying? I-I don’t follow.”
I∆†€$† ¢♄₳þŧëяŞ ¡η gałnøνεlŞ.cø₥
“Is it confusion, or are you too frightened to admit the truth?” Kristian’s tone was serene yet laden with an imposing force.
Tension caused Ashley’s hands, previously relaxed at her sides, to quiver slightly. Every subtle twitch, no matter how slight, didn’t escape Kristian’s observant eyes.
“Do you think I’m guilty of something?” Ashley pressed, her voice quaking as she fought back her fear. “I’m puzzled by your accusations. If you doubt that I had stomach cancer, I can show you the scars from my surgery.”
Kristian, idly stroking his phone with his right hand, his left nonchalantly at his side, tapped the screen a few times and responded without emotion, “No need to undress. I’ll set up a medical exam immediately. Then we’ll see if you really underwent surgery.”
“You don’t believe me?” Ashley’s heart sank. She was cornered, yet she knew she had to deny everything to the bitter end. Saying the truth out loud would seal her fate.
Kristian glanced up, his eyes sharp. “Can I really put my trust in you?” Haunted by his past experiences, he had placed his trust in her, inadvertently wronging Freya in the process.
Yet, recent revelations from the investigation had shattered this trust, showing that the person he had always believed in had been deceiving him all along.
This left him pondering a troubling question: if she was untrustworthy, who else was left to trust?
“How can you be so sure Gerard isn’t deceiving you as well?” Ashley played her final card, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice shaky. “What if Freya has bribed him?”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Kristian’s face, his eyebrows knitting together. It was always about Freya.
“I’ve told you before—not every accusation should fall on her,” Kristian replied, his voice low and controlled, as he looked at Ashley like she was someone he no longer recognized. “What brought you back to me, Ashley? What are you really after?”
With a complex look, Ashley paused at the doorway, turning to face him. “Kristian, you can be quite heartless,” she remarked, her tone laced with a cold finality.
.
.
.