moment to break the news .
That would be better .
Jasons mom patted my hand and sighed again .
Ashley , youre a good girl .
What happened before … it was Jasons fault .
He hasnt said anything to me , but I know he feels terrible .
He regrets it .
He loved you so much .
Losing the baby … how could he not be heartbroken ? My stomach dropped .
The baby ..
Thats what had finally shattered their marriage for good .
Yes , Ashley had been pregnant .
Shed gotten pregnant after Jason had too much to drink at a business function , a situation shed orchestrated .
It wasnt exactly … planned .
But for Ashley , it was the ultimate weapon to keep Jason by her side .
When she found out she was pregnant , Jason was torn .
He felt guilty towards Melissa , but he couldnt abandon his own child .
In the end , he chose the baby .
His own .
childhood had been tough enough ; he didnt want his child to grow up in a broken home .
That was the closest he and Ashley had ever < been .
He bought her vitamins , read parenting books he was genuinely trying to be a good dad .
Which was why hed been so furious when Ashley deliberately miscarried .
The whole thing .
was messed up .
After finding out she was pregnant , Ashley , sensing Jasons change in attitude , started pushing her luck , wanting him around 24/7 .
Every time he tried to leave for work , shed fake an illness , forcing him to stay .
Jason wasnt stupid .
He saw through her act .
One time , Ashley called him , claiming she had stomach pains and begging him to come home .
But Melissa had a high fever , and Jason was at the hospital with her .
He hadnt gone home .
Ashley , hed said calmly over the phone , havent you played the boy who cried wolf game enough ? Thats what pushed Ashley over the edge .
In a fit of rage , she went to the hospital and terminated the pregnancy .
She wanted to show Jason that the wolf could come .
Unsurprisingly , their relationship imploded .
If Jason had disliked Ashley before , now he hated her .
He never set foot in their < of nouse again , cutting oтт all contact .
Until Asniey confronted Melissa , pushing her down the stairs .
That was the final straw .
Seriously , the original Ashley was a master of self sabotage .
I sighed .
Its all in the past .
The original Ashley was gone .
It was over .
Leaving the nursing home , I felt a strange mix for Jasons mom , of sadness and frustration and for the woman whose life I was now living .
The frustration peaked when I realized Id locked my keys in the car .
The book had said .
Ashley was manipulative and crazy , but it hadnt mentioned she was also a scatterbrain ! I called Chad .
Pick me up .
Now .
Chad groaned .
Am I your chauffeur now ? On call 24/7 ? Ill pay you .
Chad : … The nursing home was in the middle of nowhere ; even getting a cab would be a hassle .
He grumbled , but he came .
By the time we got back to the mansion , it was dark and pouring rain .
Seeing the downpour , I took .
pity on Chad and let him crash in the guest room .
The next morning , the doorbell rang .
Seriously ? Who the hell was ringing the doorbell 12:38 < 32 Seriously ? Wo the hell was nyiny the doorverl at this ungodly hour ? I stumbled to the door , half asleep .
Who is it … Jason ? What are you doing here ? He opened his mouth to speak , but just then , Chad appeared at the top of the stairs , his voice thick with sleep .
Who is it ? Jasons face hardened .
It seems Ive come at a bad time .
Ill be going .
Was I rolled my eyes .
You think ? And seriously , what with the attitude ? This was my house ! He was the ex husband .
What right did he have to be acting like a jealous boyfriend ? Hed been emotionally cheating on Ashley for years , and I was the one being magnanimous by not throwing it in his face .
I turned to Chad .
Its nothing .
Go back to sleep .
Chad , however , seemed to have woken up completely .
He smirked .
We have a guest ? How rude of me to stay upstairs .
Ashley , why dont you invite Mr.
Stone in ? I groaned inwardly .
See ? I knew hed be a pain when he didnt get enough sleep .
I ignored him and looked back at Jason , not bothering to invite him in .
Id just finished < clearing out all his stuff .
I didnt want him bringing his baggage back into the house and making the housekeeper clean up after him again .
What brings you here so early , Mr.
Stone ? Jasons face turned a shade of green .
Chads little comment had clearly hit a nerve .
But he couldnt say anything .
Before , he couldve just ordered Chad to leave .
Now … he had less right to be here than Chad did .
He couldnt even come inside .
But men like Jason .
were good at hiding their feelings .
He took a deep breath , pointedly ignoring Chad , and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket .
You left these at Moms yesterday .
She asked me to .
bring them to you .
Implying he was only here because of his mother .
Oh , thanks , I said , taking the keys .
You really didnt have to .
I have a spare .
Jason was speechless .
I waited a few seconds , then , losing my patience , I said politely , Anything else , Mr.
Stone ? Jason wasnt stupid .
He got the hint .

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He pressed his lips together .
No … Slam .
I shut the door in his face .
Chad watched from the stairs .
Dont you think you were a little harsh on your ex ? I raised an eyebrow .
Why ? What did you expect me to do ? Chad leaned against the railing , arms .
crossed .
Nothing .
Just … you seem awfully .
cold towards him .
Really ? And your point is ? Chad tapped his fingers on the banister .
You dont feel anything at all ? Feel what ? Regret ? Like I should take him back ? The thought was laughable .
Actually , I do .
Chad straightened .
up , his eyes flickering with interest .
I shrugged .
I feel like I shouldve divorced him sooner ..
Shouldve seen him for who he really was and saved myself the trouble .
What a waste of time .
Chad stared at me for a moment , then burst out laughing .
Good for you , Ashley .
Finally growing a spine .
Encouraged , I grinned .
Oh , stop it .
Im still learning from the master .
He , after all , was the king of playing the field .
Chad rolled his eyes .
For the last time , those women meant nothing to me .
I nodded quickly .
Sure .
sure .
< Mr.
Playboy .
Just a little harmless fun until your meet the one , right ? Wasnt that how all these stories went ? The reformed rake always found true love and settled down .
Chad gave me a long suffering look .
I knew I couldnt reason with you .
He muttered something about me being clueless and went back to bed .
I slept until the afternoon , waking up starving .
My phone was blowing up with missed calls and texts from my parents .
It didnt take long to figure out why theyd found out about the divorce .
You divorced Jason ?! What were you thinking ?! We told you , his company is booming ! We were about to close a major deal with him ! What are we supposed to do now ? Youre a grown woman ! How can you be so reckless ? Divorcing him without a second thought ! Dont you care about anyone but yourself ? Youre so selfish ! I dont have a daughter anymore ! The same old song and dance .
I skimmed through the messages and then went downstairs in search of food .
Something smells good ! I stared at the feast laid out on the dinina room tabla and at Chad <