A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 60: CHAPTER SIXTY

ASHLEY

I wanted to scream.

Or maybe throw myself out of the moving car. Either option sounded better than dealing with the absolute shitstorm that was about to hit.

I pressed my fingers to my temples, breathing through my nose. 

This is fine. This is fine.

Except it wasn’t fine.

Not even close.

The internet was probably already exploding. By now, there were photos, videos, live commentary. And by the time we got wherever the hell Kyle was driving, people would be dissecting every single second of what just happened.

Every glance. Every movement. Every goddamn breath.

I knew how these things worked.

They’d turn it into a story. A scandal.

Kyle Blackwood and Ashley Carrington, back together? A rekindled romance or just unfinished business?

God. I could already hear the speculation, the whispers turning into headlines. 

Our divorce had been quiet. Low-key. No mess, no public spectacle. Just two people walking away from each other like it was simple, like it wasn’t the most painful thing I’d ever done. But people still talked.

Rumors had spread—wild, ridiculous things. Some claimed I left because Kyle was controlling. Others speculated that I wanted to pursue my career without the weight of his name holding me down. The best one? That I’d cheated first, that I was the villain in our story.

But the real truth? No one knew.

No one knew I left because Kyle cheated. Because I couldn’t wake up next to a man who had broken me and pretend we were okay. Because I couldn’t be with someone who had chosen his business, his empire, over me.

And now? Now, in less than an hour, all of that distance I had built, all of the separation I had fought for—it was gone. Dismantled in one impulsive afternoon.

I had spent two years carving out my own identity. Two years being Ashley Carrington, not Kyle Blackwood’s ex-wife. And in one moment, in one reckless decision, I had let myself be dragged back into his world.

I inhaled slowly, turning my glare onto him.

Kyle sat behind the wheel, one hand gripping it tight, the other resting against his chin. Jaw tense. Brows furrowed.This was his fault.

Or…

A sharp voice in the back of my mind cut through the anger.

Or maybe it’s your fault too.

I clenched my fists.

Because hadn’t I been the one to step into his car? Hadn’t I been the one to follow him to that private lunch, knowing full well what being seen with Kyle Blackwood could mean?

Hadn’t I willingly sat across from him, let him pour me wine, listened to his smooth, infuriating voice like we weren’t standing on the ruins of everything he destroyed?

And worst of all?

Hadn’t I liked it?

The realization sliced deeper than I wanted to admit.

Because for a moment—for a brief, fleeting moment—I’d let my guard down. I’d let myself enjoy it. The sun, the private setting, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

And now?

Now that it had all blown up in my face, it was easier to pin the blame on him.

I exhaled through my teeth. Fine. If he wasn’t going to break the silence, I would.

“So?” My voice was sharper than I intended.

His jaw ticked, but he still didn’t look at me. “It’ll be fine.”

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Fine? Kyle, there’s probably already a hundred pictures..

”

Kyle interrupted “There are no pictures or videos, Ashley.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He glanced at me briefly, then back at the road. 

“Jack handled it.”

I stared. “Jack—”

“Got rid of everything. Already handled it.”

A wave of relief crashed over me so fast it almost made me lightheaded.

Jack had always been a tech genius, even back in high school. He was the kind of guy who could hack into anything, wipe out digital footprints like they never existed. He’d done it before—once, when a rumor spread that Ryan and Violet were secretly dating even though they were step-siblings, Jack had erased every single trace of it online.

If Jack said there were no pictures, there were no pictures.

“It’s fine,” Kyle repeated, his tone softer now, like he could already see the tension leaving my body.

I slumped back against the seat, exhaling. 

My pulse was still unsteady, my emotions still raw, but at least the immediate threat had been neutralized. No viral photos. No headlines. No endless speculation.

No scandal.

But that didn’t erase what had just happened.

By the time he pulled up in front of my apartment, the tension in the car was thick enough to choke on. Neither of us had spoken since our last words.

Kyle put the car in park, but instead of unlocking the doors, he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel like he was stalling.

I reached for the handle. “Thanks for the ride. And the damage control.”

"Ashley, wait."

I exhaled sharply, my patience wearing thin. “Kyle, I am tired.”

"I know. Just—" He hesitated, then sighed. "I need to use your bathroom."

I blinked. "What?"

He gestured vaguely. "Your bathroom. I need to use it."

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." His expression didn’t waver. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he actually had some urgent bladder situation happening, but this was Kyle. The man who scheduled every moment of his day with military precision. No way he suddenly felt the urge to piss.

I crossed my arms. "Kyle, there’s a Starbucks down the street."

"Yeah, and there’s a perfectly good bathroom inside your apartment."

I squinted. "You’re making this up."

He stared at me, completely unbothered. "Let me in, or I’ll stand outside and make a scene about how you are refusing me basic human rights."

My mouth fell open. "You wouldn’t."

One corner of his mouth lifted. "Wouldn’t I?"

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

With a groan, I pushed open the door and climbed out. “Fine. Five minutes.”

Kyle stepped out of the car, grinning like he’d just won a bet.

I already regretted this.

The moment we stepped inside, a small, warm body brushed against my legs, followed by a soft mrrp.

Mochii

She weaved between my legs, letting out a soft trill before rising onto her hind legs, pressing her paws against me. I bent down, running a hand over her silky fur. 

“Hey, baby,” I murmured, scratching under her chin.

Kyle stood a few feet away, watching the exchange with mild surprise.

“I knew you had a cat, but I’ve never actually seen her.” His gaze flicked down to Mochii who had now turned her wide, curious eyes on him.

I straightened. “She doesn’t like strangers.”

Kyle hummed, crouching slightly and extending a cautious hand. “I’m not a stranger.”

Mochi sniffed his fingers, ears flicking forward. A moment later, she rubbed her cheek against them, purring.

I scowled. Traitor.

Kyle’s lips twitched as he scratched behind her ears. “She’s beautiful.” His voice was softer now, almost thoughtful. “What’s her name?”

“Mochii”

A low chuckle rumbled from his throat. “Mochi, huh? That fits. She’s got that spoiled princess energy.”

Mochi meowed, as if in agreement, then promptly trotted off toward the couch, tail swaying like she owned the place.

I huffed. “Alright, you’ve admired my cat. Now go do your business and get out.” I gestured toward the door. “You’ve already put me in enough trouble today, and if anyone sees you here, it’ll make things worse.”

Kyle straightened, shoving his hands into his pockets. His gaze lingered on me for a beat before he nodded. “Fair enough.” Then, after a slight pause, “How’s the store coming along?”

I crossed my arms, caught off guard by the shift. 

“It should be done in a week. Maybe a few days.”

He nodded again. “Good.”

Silence settled between us, thick and weighted, stretching longer than it should have. The air shifted—charged, unspoken words pressing in from all sides.

Kyle's eyes stayed locked on mine, unreadable, his jaw tight, his fingers twitching slightly at his side, like he was debating something.

I knew that look

.

I’d seen it before—felt it before.

It was the same way he used to look at me when we were tangled up in sheets, when his touch burned and his kisses stole the air from my lungs.

And it was the same look he had a few days ago.

The memory slammed into me, unbidden.

Skin against skin. The heat of his breath on my neck. The way his name had torn from my lips in a moment of weakness, in a moment where old wounds had been forgotten, where all that had mattered was the way he still felt like home.

But that was then…a mistake

This was now.

And yet, standing here, the space between us shrinking with every second, it felt like nothing had changed. Like we were on the edge of something dangerous, something that could swallow us whole if one of us made the wrong move

.

I swallowed, shifting my weight. “Kyle.”

His jaw ticked. His gaze dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second before he forced it back up. “Ashley.”

My pulse quickened.

I should step back. Break this. End this.

Because I knew what would happen if I didn’t.

Kyle exhaled, sharp and slow, dragging a hand through his hair. The movement flexed the muscles in his forearm, his sleeves pushed up just enough to reveal the veins lining his skin.

I clenched my jaw.

This was ridiculous

.

I exhaled sharply, crossing my arms in a weak attempt to ground myself. “Not taking a piss anymore?”

A beat.

Then, a short, breathy chuckle.

And just like that, the moment cracked, tension leaking out like air from a balloon.

Kyle rolled his shoulders, clearing his throat.

“Right.” He blinked, shaking his head like he was snapping himself out of something. “Where’s the bathroom?”

I pointed down the hall, my voice steadier than I felt. “Second door on the left.”

He nodded once and strode off.

I let out a breath and rubbed my temples.

The sooner he left, the better.