Chapter 115 Ashes in the Morning
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen
Stefan’s POV~
The sunlight hit my face, and it felt like knives in my eyes. My head pounded so hard that I had to cover it with my arm. For a few seconds, I didn’t even know where I was. Everything was blurry. My mouth was dry. My throat burned. I groaned and forced myself to open my eyes.
The ceiling above me was familiar. The walls. The furniture. The curtains. My own room.
I frowned and pushed myself up slowly. My head spun.
My jacket was on the chair. My shoes are by the bed. Everything looked the same, yet something about it felt wrong. Too clean. Too quiet. Too empty.
I rubbed my eyes and tried to remember the last thing that happened. Pieces came back one by one. The fire. The wedding. Natasha yelling. Reporters screaming. The bar. Val. Her voice. Her hand on my arm. The way she said my name.
My chest tightened.
Then I heard something soft. Breathing.
I turned my head, and my body froze.
Natasha was sitting on the floor near the bed, hugging her knees. Her head was down. Her hair was messy and hanging in her face. Her makeup was smeared. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night.
I blinked, unsure what to say.
We stared at each other for a long moment. Then her voice came out hoarse. “Why did you leave me?”
I swallowed hard.
Her eyes lifted, red and wet. “Why her, Stefan? Why did you run to Valenticia of all people?”
I sat up slowly, guilt crawling through me. “Natasha, it wasn’t like that.”
She stood up fast, her eyes wide with fury. “Don’t lie to me!” Her voice cracked. “You left me standing there, humiliated, in front of everyone. Reporters. Investors. My family. You didn’t even look back. You just ran to her.”
I rubbed my face, trying to keep my voice steady. “I wasn’t thinking. The company was on fire. People were inside. I had to go.”
She let out a sharp laugh. “You had to go to her. Don’t act like this was about your company. You went to her house, Stefan. Her. You left me on our wedding day to run into another woman’s arms.”
I shook my head. “You’re twisting this.”
“Twisting?” she shouted. “You think I’m stupid? You ran straight to her because you still love her. Don’t deny it.”
I looked away. My jaw clenched. “You’re making this worse than it already is.”
She stepped closer, her voice shaking with anger. “Worse? You destroyed everything we built. Everything I worked for. Do you know what the press is saying about me? About us?”
I raised my voice slightly. “Do you think I care what they’re saying right now? My company almost burned down, Natasha. People could have died.”
She glared at me. “Stop pretending this is about business. Admit it. Admit that you never stopped wanting her. Admit that I was just a replacement.”
“Natasha, stop,” I said sharply.
“Say it,” she yelled. “Say it to my face.”
I stood from the bed, anger rising inside me. “You want honesty? Fine. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to fix something that was never real.”
The words came out before I could stop them. The silence that followed was thick.
Her expression shattered. The tears she had been holding back finally fell. “So that’s it,” she said in a broken whisper. “That’s what I am to you? A mistake?”
I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to,” she said. Her voice was barely a whisper now.
I opened my mouth to explain, but she turned away.
“Get out,” she said.
“Natasha—”
She looked back at me with eyes full of pain. “If you walk out that door, don’t come back. Ever.”
I hesitated. My chest hurt. I didn’t want to hurt her more, but staying there felt impossible.
I grabbed my jacket from the chair. My keys are from the dresser.
She didn’t move. She just stood there, watching me with that broken expression as I walked to the door.
“Don’t come back,” she whispered again.
I walked out without another word.
The door slammed behind me, echoing through the hallway.
The sound hit me hard, but I kept walking. My steps were fast and heavy. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just needed to get out.
When I reached my car, I stopped for a moment. My hands were shaking. My heart was beating too fast. My head hurt even more than before.
I sat in the driver’s seat and leaned my forehead against the wheel.
Everything I had built was collapsing piece by piece. My wedding. My company. My relationship. My peace.
And through all of it, one image wouldn’t leave my mind. Val’s face. The way she looked at me last night. The way she said she was there.
I started the car and pulled out of the driveway.
The city looked dull through the morning haze. People were going about their day, but I felt like I was moving through something unreal. My mind was running in circles, repeating every word Natasha had said.
“You ran to her because you still love her.”
I gripped the wheel tighter. Was she right?
I didn’t want to answer that question, but my heart already had.
I drove without paying attention to where I was going. My head pounded, my chest tightened, and my thoughts refused to quiet down. Every street looked familiar, but I wasn’t looking at signs. I wasn’t following directions.
And then, when I finally looked up, I froze.
I was parked right in front of Val’s house.
I stared at the building, feeling my stomach twist. I didn’t even remember turning onto this street. I didn’t plan this. My body just brought me here.
For a long moment, I stayed in the car, staring at the door. I thought about leaving. About driving away before I made things worse.
But I couldn’t.
I stepped out of the car slowly; my legs were heavy. The morning air was cold, but I barely felt it.
I walked up the path to her door, stopping when I reached it. I took a deep breath and stood there, unsure if I should knock or turn back.
My hand hovered over the door for a long moment before I finally exhaled and lifted it.