Ashton had always prided himself on his control. Control over his emotions, his business, his life. But when it came to Molly, control was a fragile thing, a thread that could snap at any moment. He had let her leave him once, and it had nearly destroyed him. The split custody arrangement had been a compromise, a way to keep her close without suffocating her completely. But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
When he found out she was planning to go back to work, something inside him snapped. The thought of her being out in the world, surrounded by people he couldn’t control, made his blood boil. .
That day, he had gone to her apartment, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. He hadn’t meant to force himself on her. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. But the thought of her slipping away from him, of her building a life without him, was unbearable. And when it was over, when he saw the tears in her eyes, the guilt had been overwhelming. But even then, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. He couldn’t admit that he was wrong.
---
For months after that, he had watched her carefully, his surveillance on her apartment and her phone giving him a sense of control. But Molly was clever. She had always been clever. She had found ways to hide things from him, to keep secrets. He didn’t know she was pregnant. He didn’t know she had been visiting an OB-GYN, carefully scheduling her appointments when she knew he wouldn’t be around. He didn’t know she had been planning to escape.
But he should have known. He should have seen the signs. The way she had been quieter lately, the way she had been more careful around him. The way she had started transferring her savings to another account, thinking he wouldn’t notice. He had noticed, of course. But he had let it go, telling himself she was just being cautious. He didn’t want to push her too far. Not again.
---
The day of the bank robbery, Ashton had been in a meeting when he got the call. His heart had stopped when he heard the news, a bank robbery, hostages taken, shots fired. He had left the meeting without a word, his mind racing as he drove to the scene. When he arrived, the chaos was overwhelming. Police cars, ambulances, people screaming and crying. And then he saw her.
Molly was being carried out on a stretcher, her face pale and her eyes closed. Asher was beside her, his small hand clutching hers, his face streaked with tears. Ashton’s chest tightened as he pushed through the crowd, his voice sharp as he demanded answers.
“She’s alive,” one of the paramedics said, his tone grim. “But she lost the baby.”
Ashton froze, his mind reeling. The baby? What baby? And then it hit him, the appointments, the secrecy, the way she had been so careful around him. She had been pregnant. With his child. And now... now she was gone.
---
When Molly woke up in the hospital, Ashton was there, his expression unreadable. He didn’t say anything at first, just sat there, his hands clenched into fists as he watched her. She looked so small, so fragile, lying there in the hospital bed. And for the first time in what felt like forever, he felt something other than anger. He felt... fear.
“You were pregnant,” he said finally, his voice low and rough. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Molly’s eyes filled with tears, and she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. “Because I knew what you would do,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I knew you would use it to control me.”
Ashton’s chest tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to deny it, to tell her she was wrong. But he couldn’t. Because she wasn’t wrong. He would have used it. He would have used anything to keep her close.
---End---
BINABASA MO ANG
CHAINS
General FictionAll Molly ever wanted was to live a normal life with her son, Asher. Away from the chaos and violence of her son's father. If she has a choice, ilalayo niya ang anak sa ama nito. But how could she if she doesn't have the means to even escape his cla...
