CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 185

DEMI

For five minutes, I let my body be battered under Ashton’s shower. The steam from the hot spray rises in the air like a mist, fogging the bathroom glass. My mind whirls with disconcerting thoughts.

I’ve tried to stop myself from constantly reliving the embarrassment and the pain I felt when Skylar claimed to be distrustful of me. It wasn’t the words she said or the way she had said. No. For me, the most painful aspect of that hellish two minutes was the timing.

Under the circumstance of her accidental fall and hospitalization, coupled with the presence of her anxious brothers, her words had been no less than a dagger to my heart. One stabbed from the back for that matter. Very unexpected. Very painful. Very damaging.

I went through hell because the Rollins family didn’t trust me. They married me off to the wrong brother, killed my baby, threatened my life on several occasions. The list goes on. After everything, I managed to redeem myself and win over some hearts, especially after saving Ashal’s life. Now, with Skylar’s outburst, I feel like I just got knocked back a hundred steps behind. I distinctly recall the doubt on Asher’s face, the shock on Ashal’s and the accusation in Ashley’s while I hopelessly tried to defend myself.

Tears mingle with the water sluicing down my body. I smoothen my hair down the back of my head and continue to let myself be battered by the spray. Crying won’t do. Anna had asked me if I was sure of the consequences that will follow me if I chose to reinsert myself into the Rollins family drama. More than before, I am starting to understand it now. There will always be an endless cycle of pain for me. I will always battle to earn their trust and I will continue to suffer for as long as I don’t have it.

Another hurtful memory of the hospital flashes in my head.

While we kissed, I had shoved Ashton back, breaking the kiss when I sensed someone watching us.

"What’s wrong?" He asked me with an arched brow.

"I think there’s someone there." I whisper to him. He glances at the direction leading away from the restroom, then takes brisk steps to check the hallway.

"There you are. I need to talk to you." Asher calls him from the far end of the hallway. Hesitantly, Ashton turns to me and from my hidden spot, I urge him to go on. With a heave of breath, he rejoins his brother.

When I peep from the corner, Asher is too far to have been the one I felt watching Ashton and I kiss intensely. Was my hunch wrong? Was I just being paranoid after Skylar’s accusations? I shrugged off the eerie feeling and decided to head home.

But I didn’t just want to leave rudely. I thought it’d be better to inform at least one brother of my departure. I walk over to Skylar’s room where I am certain I’d find one of them but my pace grinds to a halt when I spot Asher talking to Ashton in muted tones (not so muted due to his deep voice) at the waiting area. I thought they had gone somewhere else to talk.

"I just wanted to make sure you also heard what Skylar said. Yes, she might be a little disoriented from her fall and I don’t necessarily think Demi meant to push her but Ashton, what I am most interested in is that Skylar’s experience lends more credence to my theory that Demi might not be a good omen for our family. Something terrible always happens when she’s in the picture. Don’t tell me you don’t see it too."

"Again with this B.S?" Ashton queries him. I flatten my back behind the wall. They’ve had this conversation before? The quads thought I brought them ill luck? I shook my head at the irony but my heart tightened with pain as I continued to listen.

"It was just an accident, Asher. I thought you were all about logic? This theory of yours lacks it. You’re just going by a hunch."

"A hunch that Ashley and Skylar are starting to get as well must definitely have more to it. You certainly would have been one of the first ones to nurse the same suspicion if you weren’t blindly in love with Demi." He added, poking Ashton’s chest with his index finger. "What the heck are you doing refusing to question her or the disturbing angles of her story? Are you forgetting that this involves the safety of your family?"

"I haven’t forgotten anything, okay? I am not blind or stupid because I happen to be in love with your suspect. If I thought the facts didn’t add up, I’d have done my findings or asked her. That’s not the case here. I just think everyone’s on edge and it’s easy to blame the girl who was always branded the enemy of our family." He lurches forward and poked Asher’s chest in return. "Do you know how many times she’s given us the benefit of the doubt even when we didn’t deserve it? Do you think trusting us blindly comes easily for her? Yet, she does. And in return, we throw her under the bus at every chance we get. How’s that fair?"

"This isn’t about fairness; it’s about facts."

"Facts? Then let’s do facts. What facts do you have to believe Skylar, the sister whom we just met over Demi? Both women have legitimate claims to their hatred towards our family so I hate to put it out there but we know less about our baby sister than we do about Demi. Demi saved Ashal’s life despite everything and your security footage shows that both women simply got into a heated argument and Demi slapped Skylar. The fall was accidental, not premeditated. Demi DESERVES the benefit of doubt here as well, don’t you think?"

Asher grunted in response after Ashton stalked off angrily. My heart palpitated in my chest. Now, the brothers were fighting over my presence in their lives?

Finally, I flick off the shower and inhale sharply, cloaked in the steam. That all familiar hollow feeling caresses me, twining around my neck like a noose. Why must my happiness always be short-lived? I’ve literally managed to unite with the man that I love after so many hurdles stood in our way. It’s not even been up to a week and problems have begun to rear their heads. Could Asher be right? Am I jinxed or is it my relationship with the Rollins family that is doomed?

Through the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a shadow hovering outside the bathroom. Though the steam is yet to dissipate, I can tell it’s a person standing outside.

"Ash, is that you?" Is he back so soon from visiting his sister? He left barely fifteen minutes ago. When I don’t get a response, a cold shiver runs down my spine. "Ashton? Say something if that’s you."

The silhouette retreats from the foggy glass in a flash. Hastily, I shrug into a robe and dash out of the bathroom. There are no footprints on the floor except the wet poodle left by me. Tying the sash of my robe tighter, I take cautious steps all around, checking for any signs of entry. The chef is stir-frying food in the kitchen. She’s an older lady and couldn’t have retreated to the far kitchen so fast.

I could have sworn someone was standing right outside the shower.

When I get to the living room, the door is unlocked. The I feel cold hands rest firmly on my shoulder. Startled, I yelp in fright.

"Hey, hey, it’s me." Ashton throws his hands in the air. Forgot some keys Gris needs at work so I came back to grab it."

I take a second to catch my breath. "Why do you brothers have individual houses on every corner of Danvarr when you live in the mansion anyway? What’s the damn point?"

"Because it’s better for privacy than hotels, and since we rent it out to a handful of rich folks when we’re not using it, it’s still a sweet deal." He winks at me. "But the most obvious reason is because we can." When I don’t mirror his humor, he stares deeply at me.

"Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

"Why didn’t you say anything when I kept calling out for you? If you want to watch me shower, do it inside the bathroom not outside like a freak." I pat down my wet hair as my heart continues to pound furiously.

"What are you talking about?" He tugs me close by the sash of my robe, teasing me. "You know I don’t do creepy. Why would I watch you when I can just join you?" I turn away when he leans down to kiss me.

"You weren’t watching me?" Goosebumps break out on my arms as my eyes dart around the room. "Ashton, someone was definitely standing right outside the bathroom. I saw a silhouette and I instantly thought it was you."

"It’s okay." He pulls me into his arms and begins to rock me seeing how frightened I am. "Maybe it was the chef or one of the guards. You’ve got nothing to be scared of."

But knowing he specifically bans his staff from going into his bathroom when it’s in use doesn’t stop my trembling. I press my eyes shut and stifle the panic welling up inside me. Maybe I didn’t see right. I’ve been on edge lately. Maybe he’s right. It was probably one of the cleaners.

"Can you still check the cameras though?"

"I will." Easing back, he presses a kiss to my forehead. "Will you be here when I return?"

"I already promised Anna I’d spend the night with her."

He’s eyes soften as he cups my face. "You promised me first that you’d spend two weeks with me, uninterrupted."

"That was when I thought I needed to help you guys out with Skylar." I don’t mean to but my expression falters as I recall my last exchange with Skylar. "It’s best I steer clear of her for now."

"Don’t feel bad. I’m sure she’ll come around. Everyone will." He kisses me softly, then deeper to cement his trust. "I’ll call you." With a bright smile, he leaves for the hospital.

I hate that I lied to him but I plan to come clean after I’m back from my visit. I hurriedly dress up and head over to Liam’s place. He is lounged in his living room, donning a face cap, plaid shirt and some dark pants. His posture reminds me of the time when he would dress in a similar fashion to meet with me at the honey pot or the book store while our interests were still aligned.

A smug grin stretches his lips as I approach him.

His anonymous message had been cryptic but I instantly knew it came from him. It wasn’t the part where he thanked me for sending flowers to his mom that made me come to see him at his behest; it’s the part where he mentioned he had news that I would regret not learning on time about Billion-Err.

"You better hope whatever you have to say to me couldn’t have been as effective via text." I blurt out, plunking my purse on the couch furthest from him.

"Sit down, Demi. You’re going to need to when you hear this."

I sit because I want this to be over soon enough. I hate that his house reminds me of Ashal’s suffering. "You have my attention. What is it?"

"I’ll make this brief." He sits up and stares intently at me. "Someone offered big bucks to buy off Billion-Err from me, and I sold it."

"What? You were supposed to discontinue that blog. Why would you sell it?"

"Because thanks to you, one of my major sources of income took a hit. Of course, I could have survived without it but the offer was too tempting. A whopping two billion!"

I grit my teeth to calm myself. "You just sold a weapon, you realize that? Lives have been affected because of the way you abused that blog." Shaking my head, I lower my voice. "Who did you sell it to, Liam? Tell me."

He smirks at me. "I’ll tell you this much; my buyer’s name ends with Rollins!"