My high school time travel

CHAPTER 3

ASHLEY P.O.V

My driver sped towards Gonzalez Company, the city lights blurring past the windows. It was dark, and I instructed the only bodyguard I took to carry the painting. All the workers had gone home, and the front door was locked, but I knew of the entrance from behind. The building, usually bustling with activity, was now eerily silent.

I ordered my bodyguard to drop the painting at the secretary’s office and wait there for me. My footsteps echoed in the empty halls as I walked to Alex’s office, each step amplifying the dread in my heart.

I slowly opened the door and saw Alex in the other room, passionately engaged in a heated romance with Sophie, both half-naked. The sight was like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and paralyzed. I stood at a distance for some minutes, too stunned to move. They were so engrossed in each other that they didn’t notice my presence.

I slowly left, a hot tear dropping from my eyes. The betrayal was a knife to my heart, twisting deeper with each passing second. I walked out, my bodyguard following behind me, and headed home. The drive was a blur, my mind numb with pain and disbelief. The lights of the city passed by in a haze, each one a reminder of the life that was crumbling around me.

ALEX P.O.V

I had to dress up quickly and head home; it was almost a new day. I put on my trousers while Sophie lounged on the sofa, her bare legs draped lazily over the edge.

“Do you really have to go, babe?” she said, her voice tinged with a hint of seduction.

“Well, I have to,” I replied, pulling on my shirt and motioning for her to do the same.

I headed to my main office, searching for my phone amidst the cluttered desk. I picked it up and glanced at the time, feeling the weight of the hour. After we both dressed, we made our way to the garage. Sophie pulled me in for a kiss, her lips lingering on mine before she slipped into her own car. I got into mine, the leather seat cool against my back.

As I sat in the car, I couldn't help but reminisce about the heated lovemaking between Sophie and me. She was everything I wanted in a woman—passionate, adventurous, intoxicating. I wanted her for myself so badly, but then what do I do with Ashley? The question gnawed at me as I drove home, the city lights blurring past in a haze of confusion and desire.

ASHLEY P.O.V

I had bawled my eyes out and then had to get a hold of myself. I sat inside the bathtub, my whole body submerged under the water, then came up gasping for air. I needed to shift my mind off the pain. How could Alex do this to me? I've been nothing but good to him.

I walked out of the bathtub, changed into my nightwear, and laid on the bed. I could hear the beeping sound from the door—Alex was back. He headed upstairs, gave me a peck on the cheek, and went straight to the shower. Unlike him, he didn’t go to his office but instead fell on the bed.

“Work must have been tiring,” I said in a low voice.

“Yeah, it was,” he said, falling on the bed like a sack of beans.

I've never felt so cold like I did today; my heart wrenched in pain.

A WEEK LATER

ASHLEY P.O.V

I had thought and thought about the truth of having a cheating husband. But what did I do to warrant him cheating on me? Wasn’t I good enough, or did I not fit into his world? Did I do anything wrong?

I had just come back from the hospital and sat on the sofa with the hospital report in my hands. There was no way I was believing what the doctor diagnosed was true. I sat down crying, my hands over my face. Why was the universe against me all of a sudden? The pain and trauma seemed to be well-organized against me.

I went inside and took a hot shower, sure that work would give my mind the distraction it needed. Before heading downstairs, I hid the medical report under the bedside stand. It was surely safe there. Whenever I had time and the mind to carry it, I was going to run another test.

As I headed downstairs, I gasped in shock, holding my chest.

“H... ow did you—” I stammered.

“Do I need a special invitation to come to my son's house?” Mrs. Gonzalez said, sitting comfortably on the sofa. Her posture was regal, her eyes scanning the room with a critical gaze. She wore a designer dress that screamed wealth and power, her jewelry sparkling under the living room lights.

I must have been lost in thought to not hear the door beep. How could she just barge in? Alex claimed to have sorted the key lock; how was she able to get in? I suppressed the surge of irritation and anger she always stirred.

“I’ll call Alex,” I said, excusing myself and trying to maintain a polite tone despite the storm brewing inside me.

“There’s no need. I already have. He’ll be here in minutes,” she said, gazing at her perfectly manicured nails while her workers stood behind her like statues, their presence imposing and silent.

I wasn’t ready for her troubles; I already had enough on my mind. In minutes, her golden son came in. I sat at the dining table and watched the woman who hadn’t said a word to me and treated me like a ghost immediately cheer up with a wide smile at the presence of her son. Her transformation was almost theatrical, her cold demeanor melting into warmth and affection.

“Alex, darling! It’s so good to see you,” she cooed, wrapping him in a hug as if she hadn’t seen him in years.

“Hi, Mom. What brings you here?” Alex asked, glancing at me with a hint of confusion.

After the long pleasantries and conversation, I had had enough and was about to head upstairs when she called out.

“Ashley, I want to have a meeting with you both,” the look of disdain evident on her face as she gestured for me to stay.

I walked back and went to sit down, my heart sinking with each step. There was an eerie silence before she spoke.

“It’s time you guys made a baby,” she said, her tone authoritative and final. Alex almost choked on the water he was drinking and took a minute to calm himself while I sat quietly and unshaken.

“A baby?” Alex stuttered.

“Of course, a baby. It’s high time you guys had one,” she said, standing up after a long talk with an air of finality, her escorts trailing behind her like shadows.

As soon as she was out, I stood up to head to the room when Alex called out from behind.

“Uhm, babe, what do you think?” he said, stuttering and making me stop in my tracks.

“Anything you want is fine,” I said, the words hollow as I headed upstairs, the weight of the world pressing down on my shoulders. The encounter left me drained, the echo of her demands ringing in my ears.I went to my bedside drawer and took out the scanned picture of my baby, staring at it as tears dropped on the photo.

HOURS LATER

I worked overtime at work; I needed distraction. The office was quiet, the hum of the fluorescent lights and the occasional tapping of keyboards creating a soothing rhythm. I looked at the time, and it was past 10 already. I needed some breather from the harsh realities I had to deal with, and my work was just perfect for that.

I closed my MacBook and stared at the white building across the street for some time, hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I held my chest tightly. What was this pain I'm feeling? It wasn’t physical, but it hurt badly. The kind of ache that gnaws at your soul and leaves you feeling hollow.

After some minutes, I grabbed a tissue, cleaned my face, and left the office. The night air was crisp, and the city lights seemed dimmer than usual, mirroring my mood. The drive home was a blur, my thoughts tangled and heavy.

I got home, dropped my bag on the sofa, and removed my shoes. The door lock had its app on my phone, so I was well aware that Alex was home already. I slouched on the couch, the silence of the house pressing down on me. After some minutes, I headed upstairs. He wasn’t in the bedroom, probably in his office. After changing, I went into the shower. I wasn’t hungry, so I just went to bed. After some minutes, Alex came in and laid on the bed.

I started feeling his hands touch my thighs. I closed my eyes shut in disgust.

“I’m tired, Alex,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion, a hollow echo of the love that once was.

He didn’t stop. His touch felt foreign, invasive, like a stranger’s. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, my body rigid and unresponsive. The same hands he caressed over another woman's body were the same hands he used to touch me.

After he was done, he came off of me, and I continued to lay facing the ceiling, feeling an emptiness that words couldn’t describe. I got up and went to the bathroom, filling the bathtub with water, lost in thought. The steam rose, creating a fog that matched the haze in my mind.

After some minutes, I noticed my skin had turned red because I had scrubbed too hard, trying to wash his touch and smell off me. The water was hot, almost scalding, but it wasn’t enough to cleanse the betrayal. I poured water on my face, trying to steady my breath, my reflection in the bathroom mirror a haunting reminder of the life that had become unrecognizable.

I sat in the bathtub, my knees drawn to my chest, the water lapping around me like a cold embrace. The bathroom was silent, save for the occasional drip of the faucet. Each drop seemed to echo the slow, steady breaking of my heart. I stayed there, letting the water cool around me, wishing it could wash away the pain, the memories, the betrayal.