Love Me Again

Chapter 8 - Explanation no longer matters

Chapter 8 – Explanation no longer matters

"Let me explain, Ashley," Sean said softly, his hands reached out towards her, treating her like fragile porcelain.

But he did not know that her heart was no longer fragile porcelain when it came to him. Her heart had toughened up by adding a layer over it and would take much more to get to her.

His face showed his pain when she moved away from his reach. She gave him a polite but distant smile. "Explain what? What makes you think I will still trust your explanation?"

"Where are you going?" Sean asked when Ashley stood up from the couch.

"I need some time alone. Sorry Kyle, but I think whatever comes next can be done between you guys without me disturbing."

"Not at all. But I think I will come back later. I forgot I have something else to do later." Kyle stood up, knowing that it was time for them to settle their problem. As an outsider, he will leave them to deal with it themselves. "No need to send me out. I know my way out."

"Sorry for wasting your time."

"Friends don't waste my time." Kyle winked. "You are my friend too."

Ashley waited until Kyle left the living room before heading to the guest room, which was where she stayed.

Sean quickly followed, acting just like her shadow. "Ashley, listen to me-"

"I don't want to listen anymore!" Ashley snapped. "You want to know why we divorced, Sean?" She sneered and stopped her tracks to face him. "It's because you are not honest at all. You lied to me every day and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of facing your indifferent expression and your unwillingness to come back home. I'm tired of it all and I'm very grateful you did not make a scene and agreed to the divorce. Even if you explain to me your reason for lying to me, it will not make any changes, because it's in the past."

Thankfully, her words stopped Sean from following her back to the guest room. She closed the door behind her gently, locked it, and took a deep, calming breath.

Although she swears she would not cry anymore when it comes to Sean, she could not stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. Even if she had toughened up her heart, it still has weakness, for her foundation was already wounded.

Just two more days. Two more days until she can get away from here and out of Sean's life.

Permanently.

֎֎֎

"I will be going as soon as his wife returns."

"Are you saying you won't help Sean?" Doctor Evan rested his chin on top of his hands. He peered over his glasses at the woman seated opposite his table and his blue eyes showed his disapproval.

He does not have the right to stare at her like that.

Ashley sneered. "It does not matter who will be helping him, as long as the result can be achieved. It will increase the success rate if his wife is the one to help him. I have no experience in helping a man to regain his memories and I doubt he wants those memories of his arguments with me to surface first."

"Did you ever think that perhaps it's you that is the reason why he chooses to lock his memories?"

Ashley's heart jolted, but her face maintained her sneer. "Impossible. He had not done much that warrant him to be guilty towards me."

"Guilt? No, I doubt it's guilt that drove him to seal his memories. Maybe a small part, but that's not the main reason."

Ashley stared at Evan suspiciously. "Are you onto something?"

Evan shrugged. "Just analysing Sean's mind."

"You are his doctor, not his psychologist."

Evan laughed. "As a doctor, my job was not only to heal my patient's physical health, but also to heal their mind. If their will was broken, how could they get well willingly?"

"... Can't refute that."

Evan sighed. "Okay, you can leave after his wife returns. But I still think it would be better if you stay. Not for Sean's sake, but also for yours."

Ashley arched an eyebrow. "Why is it for my sake?"

"If you truly want to forget him, you have to face it instead of running away," Evan said with a knowing look.

Ashley crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair. "The way you say it was as if you had experienced it before."

"I had fallen in love with a woman that I shouldn't have." Evan was smiling as he said it, but his eyes revealed his sorrow that he tried to downplay.

"...What did you do then?"

"I tried to forget her, but she always haunts my dreams every night."

"Did you-" Ashley was cut off when the door slammed open and a very pissed off Sean stalked into the room. Kyle followed behind with a charming smile. He was the one that offered the angry Sean a ride to the hospital since Ashley had driven his car.

"You are running away?" Sean said darkly and Ashley covered her face in mortification, as she had no doubt everyone in the corridor could hear his door slamming and no doubt wanted to investigate the cause.

Ashley had left a short note at the kitchen table to notify where she was going. She had naively assumed Sean would sleep longer, allowing her to finish the conversation with his doctor.

"I did not, and lower down your voice, Sean."

"You are." Sean's eyes flashed in anger but did lower down his voice slightly. "You are asking him," he nodded his chin at Evan, "to hand me over to someone while you run away."

"What if I did? What are you going to do? Tie me up and carry me back to your cave like a barbaric?" Ashley's voice was harsh with anger.

"That's not a bad idea. This way you will forever be with me."

Evan cleared his throat as Kyle covered his mouth with a hand as his body trembled, silently laughing. "Mr. Donovan, I will have to ask you to refrain yourself from doing that."

"You shouldn't act so shamelessly," Ashley scolded Sean, her heat of anger quickly cooling down as they were not alone.

"You are my wife."

"Was your wife," she corrected him. "When your wife returns, I'm leaving. This isn't running away, but passing you to the one that has the obligation to care for you."

"I won't let you leave."

Ashley's eyes narrowed like a fighter ready to send out a fist to win. "Try me."

"I will lock you in my room if I have to."

"I will sue you for manhandling me, and mark my words, you will lose. Then I will make sure you got the courts order to stay away from me," Ashley said icily, her anger brewing and eager to lash out at the reason for her anger.

Sean laughed coldly. "They won't be able to stop me, when you yourself don't want me to stop."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley scowled.

Sean smirked and walked towards her. No, stalk was the better word for it. "What are you doing?"

"Actions are better than words, don't you think, love?"

He grabbed her arms, dragged her out of her chair and his eyes fell onto her parted lips. Her eyes narrowed from the familiar perceived danger, as her mind was able to catch up onto what he wanted to do.

She recalled that whenever Sean tried to change her mind, he used to win by kissing her until she gave in.

Ashley wanted to avoid it, but he moved fast, like an eagle swooping down onto his prey and crushed his lips onto hers.