Chapter 57 57.

Chapter 57 57.
Chapter 57: Ashley's POV

I couldn't breathe.

The silver briefcase. The neatly prepared documents. The triumphant smile on Jessa Bryson's face.

She had planned this. We were trapped.

"Excuse me," I managed to say as I pushed my chair back so hard it screeched across the marble floor. "I... I need some air."

"Ashley—" I barely heard Edward call my name.

A wave of nausea surged through me, so sudden and overwhelming that I slapped a hand over my mouth. Before anyone could stop me, I hurried out through the French doors, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.

The warm night wrapped around me the moment I stepped outside, but it did nothing to steady my breathing. I stumbled down the terrace steps and into the garden, stopping beside a stone pillar. My hands trembled as I leaned against it, trying to calm the panic rising in my chest.

I didn't have to wait long. The sound of hurried footsteps on the gravel told me exactly who had followed me.

"Ashley." Marcus reached me within seconds. He gently grabbed my shoulders, searching my face. "Look at me." His voice was calm, but I could hear the strain beneath it. "My mother crossed the line," he said. "I'm calling security. They'll take you home, and I'll deal with everyone inside."

I slowly shook my head and stepped away from him.

"No." I took a shaky breath before meeting his eyes. "I'm signing it."

His expression hardened. "What?"

"I'll do the DNA test." For a second, he simply stared at me.

Then he spoke quietly. "Have you thought this through? If they compare your blood with the baby's..." His jaw tightened. "The results will prove the child isn't mine. Everything we've been hiding will come out."

"Then let it come out." I cried out, the hot tears finally spilling down my cheeks. I pressed my hands tightly against my bump. "We don't have a choice anymore. It has to end this way, Marcus. It has to end already anyway. I can't keep breathing this lie. It sucks seeing your family builds a circus around a child that isn't yours!"

I'm tired of lying. Tired of pretending. Every day I see his family want something for this baby... while Simone and Nash have no idea what's really happening.

"I can't carry this guilt anymore." Marcus looked away for a brief moment, running a hand through his hair. When he looked back at me, there was fear in his eyes.

"If those results come back negative, my mother won't stop until she destroys you." His voice was low. "She'll tell everyone you lied your way into this family. She'll ruin your name, your career... everything."

"I don't care." I almost shouted it. "I really don't care anymore." I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. "They can believe whatever they want. I never wanted the Bryson name. I never wanted your family's money." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I just want this nightmare to end."

Silence stretched between us. Then I whispered the truth I'd been trying to accept from the very beginning.

"You... your family..." I forced myself to finish. "You were only ever temporary in my life." His face went completely still. "When Simone and Nash come back..." I lowered my eyes. "...I'll leave."

I expected him to argue. To talk about another plan. Another way out. Instead, he closed the distance between us in one stride. His hand cupped my jaw, firm enough to stop me from looking away but careful not to hurt me. My back met the stone pillar behind me.

"Temporary?" he asked quietly. The calmness in his voice frightened me more than if he had shouted. His eyes never left mine. "You really think you can walk into my life..." He paused, taking a slow breath. "...change everything...and then leave?"

"Marcus..." My voice came out as barely a whisper. "Please."

He shook his head. "No." His forehead nearly touched mine. "Listen to me." His voice was soft now, but every word carried certainty. "I don't care whose blood runs through that child." His hand slowly slid from my jaw to cradle my cheek.

"As far as I'm concerned... You belong with me." His eyes dropped briefly to my stomach before returning to mine.

"And I'm not letting either of you go."
"Marcus, please..." My voice cracked as another sob escaped my lips. This time, I didn't try to pull away. Instead, I rested my forehead against his chest, clutching the front of his suit just to keep myself standing. "I'm begging you," I whispered. "Please... just let it end." A shaky breath escaped me. "It's suffocating." My fingers tightened around his lapels. "I feel like I can't breathe anymore."

For a long moment, he didn't move. Then I felt him take a slow, deep breath. The tension in his body gradually eased. His hand slipped from my jaw and gently brushed a tear from my cheek before settling there, warm and steady.

When I looked up, the anger that had been burning in his eyes was gone. He just looked... tired. So unbelievably tired. He closed his eyes for a brief second before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Okay." The word came out barely above a whisper. "If this is what you want..." He paused, swallowing hard. "...then we'll do it."

There was no argument. No backup plan. No promises that he could fix everything. He simply wrapped an arm around my waist, careful not to jostle me, and guided me back toward the house.

Neither of us spoke on the walk back. By the time we entered the dining room, every conversation had already died down. All eyes turned to us.

Jessa sat at the head of the table, calm and composed, while the clinic staff waited beside her with the open briefcase. Marcus didn't even spare his mother a glance. He pulled out my chair before looking at the technician.

"Give us the forms." His voice was flat. Unreadable. The technician handed me the documents. My hand trembled as I took the pen.

Without saying a word, I signed my name on the consent form. Marcus took the pen from me and signed beside my name. The room remained silent. When the nurse stepped forward with the blood collection kit, I rolled up my sleeve and closed my eyes.

As the needle pierced my skin, I let out a long breath. Whatever happened after tonight... at least the lying was finally over.