Chapter 57 Chapter 57

Chapter 57 Chapter 57
  Asher’s POV
  This is fucking bad.
  I shoved Zara off me, panic flooding my chest. “Bella—this isn’t what it looks like,” I stammered, my voice cracking.
  She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stood there frozen, wide-eyed and wounded.
  I stepped toward her. “Bella, I swear to you, it’s not what it looked like.”
  I reached out, but she flinched—her whole body recoiling like my touch burned. That single motion shattered something in me.
  Then she looked at me, eyes glassy with unshed tears, and I could feel my own breath catch. She’s crying… because of me.
  “What are you doing, Asher?” she asked, voice trembling with pain.
  “Zara came here and—”
  “And you were about to fuck her?” she snapped, cutting me off like a blade to the chest.
  My mouth parted in shock. “Bella… you know me. I’d never do that to you.”
  “You expect me to believe that? What the hell is she even doing here?” she yelled, her voice laced with fury.
  Zara, completely unbothered, leaned against the wall with a smug grin. “I just came for a little fun, dear Isabella. Being alone gets boring.”
  Her tone was playful, mocking—like she wanted to destroy us.
  “Shut up, Zara,” I snapped, fists clenched at my sides.
  “I see you came for some fun with my boyfriend,” Bella said, voice full of ice and bitterness.
  Zara burst out laughing, and I could feel my blood boiling.
  “What’s so funny?” Bella hissed, her composure crumbling.
  “Oh, nothing. Just… it’s hilarious that you’re calling him your boyfriend when you two are forbidden,” she said, venom dripping from every word.
  My heart dropped.
  “Zara. Get out of my house. Now,” I growled, rage simmering in my chest.
  Bella blinked, confused. “What the hell do you mean, ‘we’re forbidden’?”
  Zara smirked, tilting her head. “You two can never be together. It’s impossible. You should give up now, sweetheart.”
  “That’s enough!” I growled, my voice ripping from my throat as my primal form burst forth. My body shifted, bones cracking, heat radiating from my skin as fur spread across my frame.
  Zara just smirked. “Damn. You’re even sexier like this.”
  Then she turned and walked out like none of it mattered.
  I forced myself to shift back, my heart still racing.
  Bella stood there, arms crossed over her chest, her whole body trembling. “What was that?”
  “She showed up uninvited,” I said, rushing to explain. “The second you walked in, she shoved me toward the couch. Please—you have to believe me.”
  She didn’t respond. Just kept staring at me, like she was trying to understand how everything had gone so wrong.
  “Asher,” she said softly, “what did she mean by forbidden?”
  “I don’t know,” I snapped, more to myself than her. “She’s playing mind games. You can’t believe anything that comes out of her mouth.”
  I tried to take another step toward her, but she backed away.
  Her voice was low, broken. “I really thought… we’d finally reached a place where things were going to be okay. That maybe—just maybe—we could have something good. Something that wouldn’t fall apart. But maybe I was just gaslighting myself into thinking I deserved to be happy.”
  She gave me a small, painful smile.
  No.
  I can’t let her believe that. I won’t.
  “Bella, nothing’s going to happen to us, okay?” I said, my voice low and desperate. “Our relationship is strong. No one—no one—can tear us apart.”
  But she didn’t look convinced. Not even close. Her gaze was distant, empty. She wasn’t listening—not really.
  “Bella, please. Trust me,” I begged, trying to catch her eyes. But she wouldn’t look at me. Instead, she slowly turned her back.
  “I’m not in a good place right now, Asher,” she said quietly. “I think it’s best if we take a break.”
  Those words. A break.
  It felt like someone had shoved their hand into my chest and ripped my heart clean out. I moved in front of her, blocking her from walking away.
  “Bella, no. Please don’t say that. You know how much I love you. You know I can’t live without you. Don’t do this to me,” I pleaded, my voice cracking with each word. “I know this is all my fault—I brought her here, I let this happen—but please… please let me fix it.”
  She scoffed and finally looked at me, pain flashing in her eyes. “You want to fix this? And I walk in to see a woman on top of you, Asher? I’ve been through this kind of heartbreak before. I can’t go through it again.”
  Her voice broke, but she didn’t cry. She was too tired for tears.
  “Let’s take a break. I need to be alone.”
  I reached for her hand, gripping it tightly as she tried to pull away. I pulled her into a hug, holding her like it was the last time I ever would.
  “Bella, please,” I whispered into her hair. “Don’t leave me—not even for a second. We can’t take a break. We have to fix this together.”
  She stopped struggling. She let me hold her—but she didn’t hold me back.
  I slowly pulled away, desperate for something—anything—that would tell me I still had her. I leaned in for a kiss, needing to feel that connection.
  But she turned her face.
  And just like that, I felt my heart split.
  “Asher,” she said gently, her tone calm but firm, “please don’t. Let me go.”
  My arms fell to my sides.
  “We’re not breaking up,” she continued. “I just need space. I’ll be with my mom and sister. I don’t want to stay here.”
  I bit my lower lip so hard it almost bled. I couldn’t cry. Not in front of her.
  “Okay,” I whispered. “If you want a break… I can’t stop you.”
  She nodded, her expression unreadable. “I’ll leave now. You can ask Sean to send my stuff over.”
  “You can’t even stay for an hour before walking out?” I asked, the pain in my voice barely hidden.
  “I want to go now,” she replied. Then she turned away. “Bye, Asher.”
  She shut the door behind her.
  I stood frozen. Then everything collapsed.
  I dropped to my knees, pressing my palm to my chest as if that would hold it together. It felt like something was tearing through me—clawing at my insides. She can’t leave me. She can’t.
  Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
  I scrambled to my feet, hope flaring in my chest. I ran to the door.
  “Bella!” I gasped, yanking it open.
  But it wasn’t her.
  My eyes widened. My relief turned to fury.
  Zachary stood there, smug and calm like always. “Hello, brother,” he said, a smirk dancing on his lips.