Semua Bab The Wife Swap: Bab 101 - Bab 110

Andreas’s POVI blinked, shocked at myself as Ashley and I stepped out of the studio and back into my bedroom. I hadn’t planned on mentioning my mother tonight, or ever. The truth was, growing up, her name was hardly ever spoken. It was as though she had never existed, my father’s way of trying to take for cheating on his first wife and forcing her to accept his son out of wedlock. I had been the only proof she ever lived, and even that felt like a burden. Being alive felt like a burden. Yet here he was, telling Ashley what I regarded as my biggest shame.I’d thought it would be hard to speak of her after all these years, but it wasn’t—not with Ashley. It was as if saying the words released a weight I hadn’t realized that I'd been carrying. I was relieved, unexpectedly so, and I understood why. It was because it was Ashley. Somehow, telling her felt right.“Is everything set for tomorrow?” Ashley asked, breaking the silence.Her question pulled me from my thoughts, but I could still f

Ashley’s POVI had spent most of the night tossing and turning on the bed, the sheets twisted around me like the chaos swirling in my mind. I should be excited that after the gala, I would finally leave this world my sister had dragged me into, a world she had abandoned me in, stolen by an unfortunate accident. But instead, I felt hollow, like a shell of the person I once was. The thought of the gala loomed over me like a dark cloud, not just because of the pretenses I had to uphold but because of what it truly represented—the finality of it all.Once the charade was over, it would be like a stamp sealing the truth: Ashton was dead. No more pretending to be someone I wasn’t, and that also meant no Andreas. With no feedback yet from the airport regarding the possibility of remains found, I was left hanging, wondering if I might have to bury her without even a body to mourn over.Would the Thornes care about any of that? Would they even mourn my sister? I felt a knot tightening in my st

Ashley’s POVThe arrival of the make-up artist had been a welcome distraction, giving me a brief break from the different thoughts spinning around in my mind since Faye’s unsettling revelation. My interaction with her had left me reeling—who was this person Ashton had feared so much? The truth felt like a heavy stone lodged in my chest, one I couldn’t shake loose, no matter how hard I tried. But now, with the lady here to help me prepare for the gala, I allowed myself to focus on something else, even if just for a few minutes.As I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair damp from the shower and a plush white robe wrapped around me and sat in front of the mirror, I heard a soft knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat—was this the final interruption before the evening truly began? The makeup artist, a cheerful woman with warm eyes and an air of professionalism, quickly set down her brushes.“I’ll get it,” she said, her voice light and eager to help. “You just relax.”There was something

Andreas’s POVFriends.I would regret that word until my last breath. I had drawn the line between Ashley and me, not because I didn’t want more, but because I was terrified of what I couldn’t have. Of what I didn’t deserve. But walking away from her just now, after that moment we shared—her soft moan when I wiped the soap from her ear—had taken everything in me not to close the space between us and kiss her senseless.She didn’t even realize the sound she’d made, but I did. It lodged itself in my chest, searing beneath the surface like an open wound. It took everything to turn my back on her and not give in to the pull I felt, the need I had to just...hold her. Kiss her. Something more than this strained, distant friendship we’d agreed on.Friends. What a fucking lie.But I had bigger issues right now. Issues that made whatever tension simmered between Ashley and me feel insignificant.Clint, my driver, glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Everything okay back there, boss?”“I

Andreas’s POVSweet.That word had lodged itself in my head ever since I overheard a man whisper it to his wife as they strolled past me, her giggles echoing down the hall. It irritated me. It reminded me of Ashley—of the way she had this strange hold on me, how the mere thought of her made me feel like a kid who'd just been allowed to have candy. My eyes kept flicking toward the entrance, restless anticipation bubbling beneath my skin. It was ridiculous, really. Waiting for her like this.I hated that I felt it—that ache, that need to see her again.For what felt like the hundredth time, I reminded myself that tonight was the last night. The last time Ashley would stand by my side before everything fell apart. Tomorrow, I’d have to sit my father down and confess. I’d have to tell him about Ashton. About Ashley. About the wife swap.It would destroy whatever illusion we’d managed to uphold, and after that, I had no idea what would come next. No more pretense. No more hiding behind the