Ashes Of The Throne | Part I

Chapter 157 | June 20th | The One Who Is Tethered

Timeline - June 19th - Present Time

Jesse's head throbbed in sync with the fragments of her unraveling memories. She chewed at her nails, her gaze flitting to Toni, who sat frozen on the edge of the bed. His posture was rigid, his head bowed, hands dangling between his knees. His face was a storm of disbelief and barely-contained panic, his thoughts clearly racing to piece together the chaos of the night before.

Seated cross-legged on the floor, she leaned back against the cold suite wall, staring out at the blurred city skyline through the window. The lights outside shimmered like distant stars, distorted by the anxiety fogging her mind. Her eyes drifted downward, landing on her hand. The ring—a heart-shaped ruby set on a delicate gold band—gleamed in the muted light, its sparkle mocking her. It felt too permanent, too real, a shiny reminder of just how far they'd gone.

"They... they would've stopped us, right?" Jesse's voice finally broke the suffocating silence. Her tone was shaky, and uncertain, the words tinged with desperation. She held up her hand, the ring on her finger catching the light like it had always belonged there.

Toni groaned, tipping back until he lay flat on the bed. One arm draped over his face, shielding him from the unforgiving reality surrounding them. "Do you even know our friends?" His voice was muffled but edged with frustration. "They helped. They egged us on. This—" He gestured vaguely at the ceiling, his voice growing louder, "—is going to hang over our heads for years."

Jesse's chest tightened, a knot of guilt and panic forming as her pulse quickened. Her stomach churned as another thought crashed into her like a wrecking ball. Her voice softened, barely audible now. "Toni... what about Charlotte?"

It was barely a whisper, but it hit the room like a bomb.

Because Jesse knew exactly who she was—or more importantly, who she wasn't. She wasn't the girl who sabotaged someone else's relationship. She wasn't the girl who let herself get tangled up with a man who was already spoken for, especially not when the "someone else" in question was Charlotte. And even if Jesse didn't particularly like Charlotte—or approve of some of the things she'd done—this? This wasn't the kind of person Jesse wanted to be.

Toni froze. Her words hit him hard enough to make his entire body go still. Slowly, as if the weight of her question pressed down on him, he pulled his arm away from his face and sat up. His bloodshot eyes met hers, locking on with an intensity that made Jesse's stomach twist. He was searching for something—reassurance, forgiveness, or maybe just an answer she couldn't give him.

The silence between them stretched out, heavy and suffocating, as if both were bracing for the impact of the truth that neither could quite say aloud. Jesse could see it in Toni's face—the way his jaw clenched, the way his breath hitched. He didn't have the words. Maybe there weren't any.

Finally, Toni swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost hesitant. "You don't... remember anything from last night?"

Jesse frowned, her hands curling into fists as she searched her memory. "Bits and pieces," she admitted, her voice wavering. Her gaze dropped to the ring still glittering mockingly on her finger. "But not enough."

The fragments in Jesse's mind felt like shards of glass—disjointed and painful. Neon lights. The buzz of a cheap chapel sign humming in her ears. Laughter, theirs, loud and reckless, as they stumbled toward the altar. Toni's hand gripping hers, warm and firm, their fingers laced together as they slurred vows that now felt like a cruel joke. And then—nothing. A blank.

"Toni, I'm going to need you to fill in the blanks here," she said, her voice sharper than she intended, though it carried an edge of desperation she couldn't hide.