He had been staring down at me for I don't know how long, and when I opened my eyes, he leaned down to kiss me.
"Ugh, no toothbrush," I said, gasping for air, lightly slapping his shoulder.
Camryn wrapped my soft hand in his, lying down with me as he said, "How do you feel? I got a bit carried away yesterday."
He didn't mention it before, but when he did, I realized my whole body ached as if a car had run over me.
He had been mad yesterday, torturing me until I cried, repeatedly swearing I'd never leave him again, never anger him again, until dawn.
Even my arms had deep red marks from his grip. In retaliation, I bit his shoulder: "It's awful, it hurts so much!"
I hit and kicked Camryn, but he just laughed and let me act out, his eyes full of affection.
"Camryn."
"What did you call me?"
I blinked: "Honey."
"Hmm," he pulled me close, fitting us together perfectly, "Why are you calling me husband?"
"I want to see Blaise."
Without a second thought, Camryn said, "No."
"Why!" I asked, "Is what Carleigh said true?"
He lazily lifted his eyelids, "What did she say?"
"She said Blaise and I fell in love at first sight, truly in love, and you interfered, splitting us up... Mmm..."
He pinched my face: "Don't talk nonsense."
Camryn still refused to let me see Blaise, and was clearly upset with Carleigh as well.
Although he never said it out loud, he was still deeply troubled by the idea of Blaise and me.
By the heavens, I hadn't touched a hair on Blaise.
Blaise knew it too. Even though I publicly claimed he was the only one for me, and let Jazlyn flaunt his name in front of me, even when we shared a room, Blaise and I never had anything but a handshake.
But how could I explain this to Camryn?
I thought hard, and the only solution I could come up with was to pretend my memory had returned and confess to Camryn.
Otherwise, with the way he was constantly watching me gloomily, one day, when things hit a boiling point, I'd really be swallowed whole by him, leaving nothing behind.
So, I picked a sunny day, booked a reservation at a private restaurant carefully recommended by Carleigh, just in case Camryn lost his temper. The spa hotel was just upstairs, and if things went south, I could always use the "marital reconciliation method"—there's nothing we can't get over, right?
However, despite being fully prepared, I hadn't expected today to be the disaster it turned out to be.
At the restaurant entrance, I ran into Blaise and Jazlyn.
I silently repeated in my head: "I can't see them, I can't see them, I can't see them."
But I heard Jazlyn's sharp voice the moment I turned: "Ashley!"
Because of Blaise, Jazlyn had always been exceedingly rude to me in front of him. I'd always been overly compliant with Blaise, but cold and harsh toward her, letting her think I was obsessed with her brother and could let her do anything to me.
"Hah, I knew it. The sticky plaster suddenly turned nice?" She crossed her arms and looked me and Camryn up and down, then turned to Blaise and said, "Honey, she's not answering your calls because she can't keep up with you, but now she's going back to her old tricks."
I frowned. "You didn't brush your teeth this morning? Your mouth smells like you've eaten shit."
Jazlyn looked shocked, as if she hadn't expected me to speak to her like that.
She immediately got angry. "I told you from the start, you're no good, indecisive. My brother still wouldn't listen. What's the Pollard family's situation? Ashley is still..."
Suddenly, she stopped, her words choking in her throat.
Camryn took a step forward, his expression cold, exuding the pressure of someone accustomed to being in control. "What is it?"
It wasn't like she was offering anything.
Jazlyn wanted to say something, but was frozen under his piercing gaze. To my surprise, Blaise spoke first.
But none of it was anything I wanted to hear.
With a deep, affectionate tone, he said, "Ashley, I know you've lost your memory, but it's okay."
He sounded almost forgiving: "I'll give you time. Now, come over here. I'll take you away."
Camryn was almost amused by his domineering tone. He asked, "Go with you? Who do you think you are?"
I shook my head, moving behind Camryn instinctively.
This seemed to please him, as the frightening hostility in his demeanor lessened somewhat.
But Blaise suddenly said, "Ashley, didn't you say you'd love only me for the rest of your life? Have you forgotten that?"
I gasped in shock, my eyes wide, trying to remember when I ever said something like that.
But my right hand was suddenly gripped tightly, causing a surge of pain that almost made me scream.
Camryn's face could no longer be described as simply "unpleasant." Blaise kept pushing his buttons: "You went to W Mountain with me for hot springs, to watch the sunrise. You told me you didn't like Camryn, and that you were only engaged to him for the company, that you couldn't stand it and ran away. Have you really forgotten all of that?"
I looked at Blaise in disbelief as he spouted nonsense, a twisted expression of delight on his face.
"We're already inseparable. We can't live without each other."
With a deep, passionate look, he continued, "If you still don't believe me, Ashley...
"Your shoulder blade has a butterfly-shaped birthmark.
"Isn't that right?"
My heart dropped. How did he know about that?!
Suddenly, the pressure on my right hand disappeared as Camryn released me, his gaze unreadable.
Blaise smiled victoriously: "I didn't lie to you. I'm your boyfriend."
"Come with me, Ashley."
I felt as if my heart had frozen in ice.
