Love Rivalry (A Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Fanfiction)

Chapter 29 - Heaven is Overrated

Ashley's POV

His words shook me like an earthquake.

His tone was enough to reduce me to utter silence.

His expression left me having questions with no answers.

He knew.

He had somehow, some way, found out.

No one knew a damn thing about this.

I didn't tell anyone because I knew that it would get back to him.

This isn't happening.

This is a dream, right?

No, a nightmare.

This IS NOT real.

It isn't possible. It just CAN'T be.

I wasn't waking up.

This was very much real.

"Really, Ash, I genuinely want to know." I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

It still wasn't going away.

This is all real.

I couldn't speak.

I had no words.

No defense.

No reasoning.

To him, it was exactly what it looked like.

Only I knew the real truth, but he would never believe me.

No one would.

Not Natalie.

Not Taylor.

Not Jordan.

No one.

I have never felt so alone.

Even though I was in the presence of the boy whom I called "Everything."

He held all the cards.

He dictated this.

He was in complete control.

"Ryan, I..." I couldn't get more than that out. I had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"You what? You went behind my back? You lied to me? You fucking betrayed me?"

"No! I didn't cheat on you."

"Really? Who the fuck goes to another fucking country with some guy she barely fucking knows for a chat? Are you fucking kidding me?!" His voice grew louder. My grip on sanity was loosening. I can't lose him.

Not like this.

"How could you even think I'd cheat on you?" My words struggled to get out, and they were as feeble as his were strong. My tone was like a mouse. It was but a squeak compared to his.

"The writing's on the fucking wall. I know what you fucking did. It was all right in front of me."

"It's not at all what you think it is." My quiet tone remained.

"Don't fucking lie." He growled.

I have never been more afraid in my entire life.

I have never feared him like I do now.

"I went for a couple days. Nothing happened. He didn't try anything and neither did I." I din't even know why I was trying to reason with him.

He'd never understand.