The world came back in pieces.
Blurred shapes. Muffled echoes. The taste of smoke still clung to his throat.
Ashley's eyelids fluttered, heavy like wet silk, his lashes sticking together as light flickered above him. His head throbbed, a deep, pounding ache that pulsed behind his eyes. Every nerve felt sore, his limbs sluggish, unresponsive at first—until a sharp tug told him his wrists were bound tightly behind him. The surface beneath him trembled with motion. A vehicle. He was moving.
His vision was off—unsteady, like the world refused to sit still. And his hearing... off, too. Voices drifted around him like they were speaking underwater, warped and distant.
Then, through the haze, a silhouette moved.
A man.
Ashley blinked hard, trying to focus. The man was speaking to someone beside him, someone he couldn't fully see.
"...Miss Kelly... looks like he's coming around," the man's voice said, low and distorted.
Miss Kelly.
Ash's body tensed, but the ropes didn't allow much. His muscles screamed, his chest ached with every breath.
"Hmmm.. looks like the effects of the sedative are tapering off"
That voice
That voice
Ashley's mind reeled, chasing the sound through the haze. Then it hit him
That woman...the one at the bar
A sudden wave of nausea rolled through him. Fuck....did I throw up? His stomach turned at the memory.
And then—
A flash
Her lips on his. The sultry glint in her eye. Her breath at his ear.
The sharp sting at his neck
His breath caught,his body tensed
She drugged me.
Ellie....Han...Are they okay. Did they make it out? The fire...the fighting
But his strength was ebbing fast, pulled under by whatever had been pumped into him. His eyes slipped shut again, even as his mind tried to resist. The last thing he felt before darkness claimed him again was the subtle shift of the vehicle turning… and a woman's perfume.
***************
Ash blinked slowly, vision sharpening under dim lights. The blurring in his ears dulled to a low hum, and the room began to settle into shape. He was sitting upright in a chair–hands tied behind the backrest, ankles bound, shoulders sore.
A table stood before him, metal and bare.
The air smelled sterile. Not familiar.
His head throbbed when he titled it slightly, and his muscles twitched from the effort. Pain shot through his arms and legs–deep and raw. A strangled hiss escaped his lips. His body wasn't ready to move. Whatever had been injected into him...it wasn't just a sedative. It lingered. Punished movement.
Across from him, someone shifted. The silhouette was familiar. Unmistakable.
Ash's gaze dragged upward and for a second, his breath caught.
"...you've got to be fucking kidding me," he murmured.
The man leaned forward slightly, offering a smile " Hey son"
" You look... older", the man said " Taller. Strong"
Ash stared, lips curling into a cold disbelieving smile.
" You're the last person I expected to see", he said quietly, voice low and razor –sharp.
" Actually scratch that. I never expected to see you again. You were pretty good at disappearing"
His father chuckled lightly " Well circumstances change "
Ash tilted his head slowly " So...what is this?" He asked dryly " You suddenly care? Wanted to bond over trauma while I'm tied to a chair?"
" No", his father said simply " I came to see what I gave away."
Ash's smirk faded
".... Gave away?" The words came out slow, venomous.
" So this is it?" He said, voice low and calm
" You sold me off"
Ash's eyes narrowed. A bitter laugh slipped past his lips.
His father didn't even blink
" No drama,son. This was an exchange. My life for yours. Fair trade, don't you think?"
"Bastard" Ash growled through clenched teeth.
Ash leaned forward slightly – and regretted it immediately. His muscles tensed violently, burning from the inside. He clenched his jaws, gritting against the pain, refusing to give his father the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.
His eyes burned– not with tears, but with a deeper sharper ache.
" You had years to show up", he said quietly
" Years to be something"
Silence
" Mom died"
His father's face didn't change but Ash's voice grew darker.
" She kept believing –hoping –you'd change. Even when she was sick. I called you. I begged you. But you ignored everything."
His eyes locked onto his father's –unblinking, unwavering–a silent change passing between them.
" If you had come...may be she'd still be alive"
Nothing. Not even a flicker of regret.
Ash laughed, but it was hollow. Bitter.
" You finally show up" he said voice low " to fucking tell me I've been exchanged?"
Ash's jaw clenched tight,his body trembling from the strain. The drug burned through him raw and relentless.
Still his voice stayed steady.
" I guess you've proven what kind of man you're. That she ever loved you...it disgusts me"
His father stood, slowly " survival –that's what matters "
Ash laughed, dry "No wonder you ran from her. From me. You were never a man. Just a coward"
His father walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the handle.
" Say what you want, Ashley Cooper. You're here. Because I made a choice."
Then he stepped out, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.
***************
As the door creaked shut behind him, Ash's father adjusted his cufflinks slowly, wincing ever so slightly. His fingers hovered near his ribs, a faint hitch in his breath betraying the pain he was trying to hide.
The bruises might've faded, but the ache lingered.
Every step reminded him—he hadn't walked away untouched the last time he met the Twin Bishops.
Not by a long shot.
Still, he wore the same arrogant air. Chin high.
He didn't get far before she appeared.
Leaning against the cold wall, arms folded, that same unreadable expression resting on her face.
The woman.
She stepped into his path without blinking. Her voice was low, clipped.
"The Boss said you shouldn't be seen around here again."
Her gaze dropped briefly to the subtle wince he gave when shifting his weight. She didn't comment.
"You've played your part. Now disappear."
The man's smirk twitched, but he didn't argue. He gave her one last glance- no guilt, no shame – then continued walking vanishing into the corridor's shadows.
Inside the room, silence hung thick in the air. Ash still tied to the chair , had been trembling. His fingers clenched. His breathing shallow. His body wasn't responding the way it should –the pain creeping deeper everytime he moved.
His jaw tightened. He tried to steady himself but the ache in the muscles twisted cruelly, warning him not to resist.
He exhaled shakily, chest heaving once. Then his body slumped forward.
His vision darkened. His last conscious thought was a single world repeated in his mind, like a curse:
" Fuck"
And everything went black.
***************
Silence.
Ash's eyes blinked open slowly. The dim, unfamiliar ceiling stared back.
His limbs felt heavy, like they didn't belong to him. A low ache burned across his body—muscles sore, skin prickling.
He was no longer in the chair. Someone had moved him. He was now lying on a firm bed.
On the table beside him was a tray. Water. Food. Untouched.
🎶 "I'll use you as a warning sign…"🎶
The faint hum of music played somewhere distant. Maybe it was from outside the room. Maybe it was in his head.
🎶 "That if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind…"🎶
His vision was clearer now. The drug's fog was thinning—but its echoes lingered in his muscles, in the pounding behind his eyes.
Ash pushed himself up slowly, ignoring the resistance of his body.
His mouth was dry. His head leaned back against the wall as he stared ahead, lost in thought.
He wasn't angry.
He was tired.
And maybe a little broken.
🎶"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be..."
Right in front of me, talking some sense to me…"🎶
His eyes narrowed. His father's words still echoed in his mind, venom dressed in a casual tone.
"Survival.... that's what matters."
Survival…
🎶"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be…"🎶
He scoffed. Love?
That word didn't belong here. Not in this room. Not in this life.
🎶"Right in front of me…"🎶
The father that abandoned him had walked in and out like it was nothing.
No apology. No regret.
And still—Ash had wanted nothing from him. But that didn't stop the ache.
It never had.
🎶"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be..."🎶
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. Quiet. Hollow. Love? Where was it when his mother needed help? When she died cold and alone? When he tried to reach out and was ignored?
🎶"Right Infront of me..."🎶
His thoughts began to blur again. His eyes shut slowly, lashes brushing his cheeks. But even as sleep tugged at him, his mind wouldn't rest.
"Han… Ellie…" he whispered faintly.
Were they okay?
Ash's jaw clenched again. His knuckles whitened on the sheet.
He hated feeling helpless.
But right now, that's all he was.
🎶"Talking some sense to me..."🎶
Fade to black.
( Background song: " I found
*************
💌 Author's Note
Hi, Everyone 👋 💕
We honestly poured our hearts into this chapter. It was a tough one to write😮💨… full of pain, confrontation, and quiet heartbreak.
We actually listened to "IFound" by AmberRun while writing, and the lyrics captured exactly how the scene felt. If you're reading this with that song in the background, then you're truly feeling what we felt. 🥹💔
Please don't forget to vote 🌟 and drop a comment 📝. Your support means everything to us. We read everything, we smile at everything, and we love sharing this story with you🫂.
xoxo
Quillqueens 💞🌷🖋️