Diagnosed with a terminal ailment, Ashley Grayson divorces his husband Jonathan in hopes he will be able to move on. But plans go south when Ash ends up falling in love first, with the last person he expected...
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(Ashley POV)
I awaken to the pounding of my own heart in my ears and a burning in my lungs that refuses to go away.
I groan out loud as I rub my eyes and try to sit up, but I look to my left to see I had been attached to an IV. There was nothing quite like the feeling of waking up to surprise needles, I'm telling you.
My cough had subsided and I look up from the hospital bed to see Jonathan, leaning against a row of floor to ceiling windows with what looked like a downpour behind him.
"Hey babe, long time no see,"
I smile but he doesn't smile back. He sticks with the stern, You're-in-a-shit-ton-of-trouble-get-ready, face.
"How long have I been out for?" I ask out of curiosity.
"One day and two exploratory surgeries later," he says and my eyes were probably about to pop out of my skull.
Two surgeries? Since when?
"Where's Fin?" I ask and he looks out the window to his left.
"AJ," He gives a short answer and the dead silence ensues.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He almost growls and I'm immediately terrified.
"How much do you know?"
"Everything,"
"Why? Who the fuck told you? Was it Peter?!"
"I have the right to know because I'm your MOTHER FUCKING HUSBAND,"
He yells and I feel my sarcasm die with it.
"Or did you forget that?"
He asks through gritted teeth as he comes close to my bed.
I knew he wouldn't hurt me.
but by the crazed look in his eye, I no longer doubted it.
"You left me because you were sick. Is that right?" He asks and he grips the footboard so hard his knuckles turn white.
"Johnny,"
"Answer me!" He huffs through ragged breaths and I sit up.
"Yes," Is all I say and he shakes his head, turning away from me while biting his lip.
"I didn't want to hurt you," I admit and his head snaps up as his gaze meets mine.
"You didn't want to hurt me? What kind of Bullshit is that Ash? Hurt me? You wanted a divorce without giving me a reason. Do you know how much that FUCKING HURT ME?!" he yells and I get on my knees.
"IT WAS BETTER THAN WATCHING ME DIE!"
"I WISHED I WAS DEAD,"
Jonathan visibly gulps after saying this. I slowly reach forward. Covering his hands with mine and he starts to break down.
"You didn't want to hurt me but yet every day I was questioning everything. Everything I knew about us, about you, about myself. I thought...I thought it was me. I thought it was all my fault. I was the reason you didn't want to stick around. I thought you were off in the world being carefree without having me by your side. I thought you were better off without me. The world was better off without me. Do you know what that did to me? How much it hurt me?"
He starts to cry and I reach up. Cupping his soft face in my hands. He reaches up and holds one of my hands while he squeezes his eyes shut.
"I love you, Ashley. I love you so much. Not even death could take that away from me." He chokes out and I grab him, holding him in my arms as he sobs into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry Johnny but I did it because I love you," I say without hesitation and he pulls away.
"No, if you had really loved me you would have stayed, You would have trusted me, you would have told me!" He coughs out. Choking on his own tears as he steps back from my hospital bed.
"Johnny..." I'm only able to whisper as the tears run down my face but he shakes his head.
"No, you wanted to be alone, well fuck you Ash, you can be alone for all I fucking care,"
And with that, he walks out of the room, and just as he said, I'm left utterly alone.
With no one by my side.
*********
Low-key Teared up a bit...Not gunna lie
How are you guys doing on this rollercoaster?
I really hope these two work it out but you never know.
