Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 157032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
God, how did it come to this? I had no idea she was into drugs.
Why was she alone when she collapsed and who the hell was she with?
There is this whole other side to her that I don’t know and I hate it. A text comes through. It’s Jenna.
Any news?
I blow out a breath and text back.
None yet.
I will message you the moment s
he wakes up.
A text bounces back.
Thank you
for staying with her.
It means a lot
xx
I blow out a breath and take Ash’s hand back in mine. Please be alright, baby. Please, please, please. What if she dies? What if she hit her head so hard that there’s permanent damage?
I close my eyes in pain. How did it come to this? How does the love of my life go from an angel to a drug-addicted stripper in two weeks?
How could I have been so wrong about her?
An insidious, sick feeling sinks in as I think of poor little Owen. He loves his mother dearly. What if something happens to her? How could I ever tell him that his mom didn’t love him enough and she took an overdose?
I hold her hand in mine and sit in the darkness as another nightmare hour passes.
She frowns and I sit up, hopeful. “Ash?” I wipe the hair back from her forehead. “Are you okay, baby? I love you, come back to me, please,” I whisper.
This is torture. How long is she going to be under?
She screws up her eyes, her face scrunching tight. “C-Cam?” she whispers in the silent room.
I close my eyes and bend to kiss her cheek and hold her close to me.
“Oh my God, Bloss, I thought you were going to die on me.” I hold her tight for a long time and eventually kiss her softly on the lips.
Why do I love this woman so much when she is so obviously running such a different race to me?
“What happened?” She frowns.
“What did you take?” I whisper as I brush the hair from her forehead.
“What?” She frowns.
“You took a drug overdose.”
She screws up her face as though trying to remember.
“Who were you with?” I ask.
“Some of my friends from the club,” she whispers.
I sit up, disgusted. “What?” She has friends that work there? She mixes with these women by choice?
“We had drinks with some men.” She frowns as she tries to remember.
“What drugs did you take, Ashley?” I repeat as my anger starts to bubble.
“Some of the girls had something.” She shakes her head. “But I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.”
“Who were the men?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she whispers as she drifts back to sleep. “I… don’t know.”
Adrian.
I walk into Joshua’s office to find him seated at his desk. Cameron is staring out the window, deep in thought.
“What’s up?” I ask. “How come you’re not at work?” I ask Cameron. With both of them in their suits and looking solemn, they are the epitome of power.
Joshua just buzzed for me to come up from level two to see them.
Cameron turns to me. “Ashley took a drug overdose last night.”
My face falls in horror. “Oh my God. Is she… is she alright?” I splutter.
He nods and Joshua swings on his chair from side to side with his eyes fixed firmly on Cameron.
“What happened?” I ask.
Cameron’s jaw clenches in anger. “She was out with the girls from the Escape Club and took some drugs, although she’s denying it.”
Joshua runs his tongue over his front teeth in contempt.
I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes flicker between them. “Is she okay?”
“They discharged her this morning,” he replies coldly.
“Who has Owen?” I frown.
“Jenna, her friend.”
“Don’t you think you should go and help out?” I ask.
Cameron’s eyes meet Joshua’s. “Yes. That’s exactly what I think I should do.”
I frown as I get an uncomfortable feeling sweeping over me. “What’s going on?” I ask.
“He has to protect his son. That’s what’s going on,” Joshua snaps.
Cameron walks back over to the window and stares out over the city, deep in thought.
“What choice do you have, Cameron? She’s out of fucking control. Working in a strip club, forgetting to pick him up… Overdosing.”
I frown as my brain catches up with what these two are thinking.
Oh my God, no…“Cameron, wait. You can’t do that. She will never forgive you,” I say in a panic.
He turns and lifts his chin defiantly. “This isn’t about Ashley anymore, Murph. It’s about Owen. I need to do what’s best for him.”
“But you love her,” I whisper, horrified.
“I’m a father first,” he pushes out, clearly pained.
My eyes flash to Joshua. “You can’t let him do this.” I have to ring Natasha.
Joshua drops his head as he contemplates the repercussions. “Just say the word, Cam,” Joshua says flatly.
Cameron puts his hands into his suit pockets as he stares into space.
How long have they been here together, contemplating this?