When the Past Returns

When the Past Returns
Ashton's POV 

The exhibition hall shimmered under the glow of crystal chandeliers, as though trying to rival the brilliance of the jewels displayed behind glass. Soft music floated through the air, mingling with murmurs from elegantly dressed men and women. I walked beside Lily, who looked effortlessly graceful in her simple navy-blue dress. Modest as it was, she still drew every gaze.

“This place is grander than I imagined,” I whispered.

Lily’s lips curved into a small smile, her eyes glowing. “I’ve been waiting for this night. They say a collection of rare diamonds has just arrived from Europe.”

I nodded, trying to match her enthusiasm. But the truth was, since the tragedy, places glittering like this had lost their charm for me. Everything felt hollow. I was here only because I wanted to stand by her side.

As we paused before one of the displays, I felt a stare settle on me. Familiar, piercing, tugging at a part of my memory I had buried long ago.

“Ashton?”

Her voice made me turn at once. And there she stood—a woman in a flowing red dress, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her face lit by the same smile I remembered from years ago. Sandra.

Sandra, the girl I once loved with every piece of me back in high school. The girl who had been my whole world, until she chose to walk away, leaving me with a wound that never fully healed.

My chest tightened, not from lingering love, but from the flood of memories rushing back without warning.

“It’s been a long time,” she said, her smile tinged with hesitation.

I gave a stiff nod. “Yes… it has.”

Lily turned, eyes questioning me. I knew I had to bridge the silence. “Lily, this is Sandra. An old friend.”

Sandra’s lips curved in polite warmth toward Lily, then returned to me. “An old friend? I thought we were more than that, Ashton.” Her words sliced like a knife drawn slowly across skin.

My throat tightened. Lily said nothing, but her fingers tightened around mine, a silent reminder.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Sandra continued. “I just got back from Paris. And… I heard about your family. I’m so sorry, Ashton.”

Her voice carried sincerity, and somehow that sincerity unsettled me more. Of course she knew. The scandal, the tragedy—it had all been too loud to ignore.

“Thank you,” I said shortly.

Sandra stepped closer, her eyes searching me. “You’ve changed. More… mature. But I can still see it—the weight in your eyes. You’re still carrying everything alone, aren’t you?”

Her words cracked open a door I had fought to keep shut. Before I could answer, Lily spoke, her voice gentle yet firm. “Ashton is not alone. Whatever wounds he carries, I am here for him.”

I turned toward her. She looked at Sandra calmly, but I could feel the steel beneath her tone. It wasn’t jealousy—it was a declaration. A reminder that she stood by me now.

Sandra gave a faint smile, one that seemed to hold back more than it revealed. “You’re lucky, Ashton. Truly lucky.”

For a moment, the air between us grew tense. And deep inside, I knew this encounter was not mere coincidence. Sandra was not the kind of woman who appeared only for pleasantries.

Lily’s grip on my hand tightened again. She still smiled, but I knew her well enough to read the unease beneath it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sandra,” Lily said softly, but her tone carried quiet strength. “I don’t know much about Ashton’s past, but I know who he is now. And I love the man he has become.”

I looked at her. Her gaze was steady, piercing through the shadows that threatened to resurface.

Sandra’s smile flickered, a mixture of acknowledgment and pain. “You’re fortunate, Lily. Not everyone can keep Ashton by their side. He used to… leave too easily when his heart was broken.”

My jaw tightened. Lily’s eyes flicked toward me, searching, and I had no answer—only the weight of memories I refused to unleash.

“He doesn’t leave me,” Lily finally replied. Her voice remained soft, but unyielding. “He chooses to stay, no matter how heavy the storms. And that’s all I need to believe in him.”

Her words struck me deep. They weren’t only a response—they were a vow, reminding me where I stood, who I belonged to.

Sandra drew a slow breath, her gaze shifting back to me. “I understand. And I don’t intend to interfere with what you have.” She paused, her smile turning more formal. “But I didn’t come here only for the exhibition. I’ve returned for business. The company I work for is looking to collaborate with your family’s firm.”

I froze. Business. So this wasn’t coincidence after all.

“I’ll reach out tomorrow,” Sandra added. “We can discuss more… professionally.” The way she lingered on the word made it hard to tell if she meant it strictly that way.

Lily’s hand pressed into mine once more, her silent warning louder than words.



The drive home was wrapped in silence. The city lights passing through the window failed to fill the gap between us. Lily sat with her hands folded on her lap, eyes turned outward.

I knew her thoughts were still trapped back at the exhibition. With Sandra. With the fragments of a past she had never lived but could feel.

“Lily…” I began, my voice careful.

She turned to me with a faint smile—one that hid more than it revealed. “Hm?”

“I know you must have been uncomfortable back there,” I said quietly.

She lowered her gaze before answering. “I just wasn’t expecting it. Seeing the two of you together… it felt like there’s a whole history I know nothing about.”

I exhaled. “That was a long time ago. Sandra is nothing more than my past. No more than that.”

Her eyes trembled as she met mine. “But the past is still the past, Ashton. It shapes the man you are now. I’ll never reject the pieces of you that came before me. It’s just…” her voice softened, “I’m afraid.”

I reached for her hand at once. “Afraid of what?”

“That someday, I won’t be enough for you.”

Her words shattered me more than anything Sandra could have said. I saw the raw vulnerability in her face—the woman who had always been my anchor, now revealing the storm within her own heart.

I brushed my thumb gently across her hand. “Lily, listen to me. I don’t need anyone else. The past is finished. You are my home now. The only place I want to return to.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she smiled through them, a smile of fragile relief. “I want to believe that. And I will keep believing. But when I saw Sandra, it felt like she still held something for you.”

I fell silent. Because deep down, I knew she was right. Sandra hadn’t come back only for business.

But I refused to add to Lily’s burden. I only nodded. “If she holds anything still, it has nothing to do with me anymore. I’ve already chosen. And my choice is you.”

Her tears slipped free as she leaned her head onto my shoulder. “Thank you, Ashton, for choosing me.”

I pressed a kiss to her hair. “No one could ever take your place, Lily. Not now, not ever.”

That night, I made a promise to myself. Whatever storm Sandra’s return might bring, I would not let a single crack form between me and Lily.