[ forty seven ] argument
By the time Christmas cam along, Prudence was the sickest she had ever been. It was estimated that she would only have a few days left to live. But she feigned happiness for her husband, and for her family. She didn't want them to be upset, especially during Christmas time, for her sake.
On December twenty-sixth, Ashton organized a small get together. He invited the boys and Lucy, since they were his closest friends in Sydney.
Ashton and Prudence had gotten a house together, close to the one where she lived with her mother and her sister Lucy. They were keeping everything a secret from the press. Ashton wanted to let his fans know that he was happily married, but Prudence asked him to keep it to himself, at least until the holidays were over.
What she really wanted was for him to be able to move on quicker, after her passing, without the media being in his face about it.
They were in the backyard of the house that day. They had a pool and it was a warm summer day in Sydney. The boys were in swim suits, Lucy and Calum were sat on chairs by the pool together. Michael and Luke had not quite gotten over seeing Ashton and Prudence together. Luke was the more supportive, while Michael preferred to keep quiet altogether.
There was a grill by the pool where Ashton was cooking food. Prudence was sat on a chair nearby. That was when Michael approached her.
Her fingers were absently touching yet another bruise that had formed on her skin. Ashton had gone out and bought her iron rich vitamins, but they weren't helping her, and she knew exactly why. She was dying. When Michael got close enough, she pulled down the sleeve of her knitted sweater to cover the bruise. But he had already seen the purple mark against her palid skin. "What happened on your arm?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow at her with suspicion.
"Nothing." She shook her head, trying to sound calm.
"I'm no expert, but I think I saw a bruise." Michael said.
"You didn't." She assured him.
Michael then lowered his voice. "Tell me the truth. Is Ashton hitting you?"
"No!" Prudence shook her head. "How can you think that? You know him better than I do. Ashton would never hurt me."
Ashton, who had turned to see they were talking in hushed tones, took a few steps towards them. "What's wrong?" He asked Michael, who looked like he wanted to kill his band mate.
"This is why you wanted us to back off?" Michael hissed, standing up to look him in the eyes. "So that you could mistreat her, and abuse her?"
Confused, Ashton asked, "What are you talking about?"
"The bruises!" Michael shouted, getting the attention of Luke, Calum and Lucy.
"She has iron deficiency!" Ashton explained, "I would never hit her. Tell him, Prudence."
"He's telling the truth." Prudence stood up, standing in front of her husband defensively. She was afraid that Michael would try to hurt Ashton.
Now Luke was the one getting closer. When he learned what was going on, he was also quick to try to defend Prudence from Ashton. They didn't realize that he wasn't doing anything to her. But they were guided by what they saw. And what they saw, finger mark bruises on her skin, made Ashton look guilty. "If you're afraid to talk to us because he's here, just tell us now." Luke told her. "We can call the police."
"No, don't." She pleaded.
With hurt in his eyes, Ashton asked his band mates, "Do you really think I would do something like this to anyone?"
