A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 66: CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

KYLE

I pushed the door open, stepping inside. The sight of her hit me like a gut punch.

Ashley sat on the edge of the bed, a towel draped around her shoulders, her damp hair falling in tangled waves over the fabric.

But it was her eyes that wrecked me.

Red-rimmed. Tired. Hollow in a way that made my chest tighten painfully.

She didn’t say anything

She didn’t look up.

Didn’t acknowledge me.

The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast shadows across her face, making her look smaller than I’d ever seen her. And that—more than anything—fucking hurt.

I took a step closer. “Ashley—”

“Leave.”

Her voice was quiet but sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

I exhaled, steadying myself. “I’m not leaving.”

She laughed—bitter, humorless. “Of course, you’re not.” She finally looked up, her eyes burning with something sharp and tired. “Did you come here to check if I was still breathing?”

I clenched my jaw. “I came because I—”

“You’re sorry?” she finished for me, voice dripping with sarcasm. “For what, Kyle? You didn’t shove me into the pool.”

“No,” I admitted, my voice low. “But I caused it.”

Ashley scoffed. “Oh, really? I had no idea.”

I ignored the sting in her words. “She came for you because of me.” My throat tightened. “I should’ve never let her anywhere near you.”

She let out a slow breath, shaking her head. “It’s done. Just leave, Kyle.”

I stepped closer, my fists clenching at my sides. “I won’t let her get away with this.”

Ashley gave a humorless chuckle. “And how exactly will you stop her?” Her head tilted, voice turning sharp. “The last time I checked, you slept with her to save your drowning business. So tell me, Kyle, how exactly will she pay?”

Guilt twisted in my stomach.

“I’m done with her.” My voice was firm. “Completely.”

Something flickered in Ashley’s eyes, too quick for me to catch. But then her lips pressed together, and she looked away. “Good for you.”

I didn’t move.

Neither did she.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

She was still angry. Still hurt. And I didn’t blame her.

“I’ll make sure she never touches you again,” I said quietly.

She exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly. “Whatever, Kyle.”

But the fire in her voice had dulled, just a little.

That was enough for now.

I took another step forward, my fingers itching to reach for her. “Ashley—”

She didn’t push me away when I sat beside her. Didn’t flinch when my hand brushed against hers.

Progress.

Slowly, carefully, I reached out, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear. She didn’t move.

Ashley let out a harsh breath, shaking her head. “You have horrible taste in women, you know that?” Her voice was dry, edged with exhaustion but laced with something sharp. “Of all the people you could’ve thrown your life away for, you picked her?” She scoffed, her lips curling. “She looks like she bathes in desperation and expired Chanel. As if. So what if she’s tall and blonde and looks like a Victoria’s Secret model? She’s a horrible person.” Her eyes flashed, dark with lingering anger. “Next time I see her, I’m going Krav Maga on her ass.”

Despite the heaviness of the moment, the corner of my mouth twitched. “That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”

“It’s hard to ignore,” she shot back, folding her arms. “I mean, you cheated with that?” Her eyes raked over me, full of disbelief. “Kyle, you really need therapy. I mean, seriously. There’s screwing up, and then there’s you.”

The slight amusement I felt vanished instantly. My jaw tightened. “I know I messed up, Ashley. You don’t have to remind me.”

“Oh, I definitely do,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes at me. “Because clearly, you have terrible judgment, and someone needs to knock some sense into you. And don’t even start with that ‘I wasn’t thinking’ excuse. That’s obvious. But honestly, Kyle, you could’ve at least picked someone who doesn’t look like she’d sell her own soul for a Prada bag.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Ashley—”

She leaned forward, her eyes locked on mine. “No, seriously. What was it? What did you even see in her? Was it just about business? Power? Because if that’s all it was, then you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”

I clenched my jaw, my throat tightening. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” she snapped. “Because it cost me everything.” Her voice trembled slightly, but she swallowed hard, as if forcing herself to push past it. “So, tell me. Was it worth it?”

The weight of her stare burned into me, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

“No,” I said finally, my voice rough. “It wasn’t.”

Something flickered in her expression, something almost vulnerable, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

“Good,” she said. “Because I would hate to think I lost my marriage to a woman who can’t even contour properly.”

I let out a breath, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”

A bitter silence settled between us for a moment, thick with words neither of us had the courage to say.

After a while, I said quietly, “She won’t be bothering you again. And the video—it’s gone. Wiped clean from social media.”

Ashley didn’t respond right away. Then, after a beat, she whispered, “I thought I was going to die.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

I flinched, my stomach twisting with something sharp and ugly. 

She took a shaky breath. “For those few seconds, when I was sinking, I was sure that was it. That I was going to drown because I can’t swim.” Her voice wavered, frustration and something deeper laced into it. “Do you know how pathetic that sounds? A grown woman who can’t swim?” She let out a bitter laugh. “I should’ve learned. I should’ve done something about it years ago, but I kept making excuses, kept pushing it aside like it didn’t matter. And then, tonight, it did.”

“Ashley—”

“I hate feeling helpless,” she cut in, her voice hard, but her eyes were glistening. “I hate being at the mercy of things I can’t control. It wasn’t just the water, Kyle. It was everything. All of it. This past year has been nothing but people making choices for me, deciding things on my behalf. First, my marriage falls apart, then I have to rebuild my life from scratch, and just when I think I’m finally standing on my own again, I get thrown into a pool like I’m nothing.” Her voice cracked. “Like I don’t matter.”

I felt something in my chest tighten painfully.

“You matter,” I said, my voice low but firm.

She swallowed hard. “It didn’t feel like it. Not when I was under, not when the water was closing in on me and I couldn’t breathe.” Her hands clenched into fists. “And the worst part? It wasn’t just the fear of drowning. It was realizing that if I died right then, I’d die without ever really living. There are so many things I want to do, Kyle. So many things I’ve put off because I was too busy, too scared, or too stuck in my own head. I want to see the world. I want to stand in front of the Eiffel Tower, touch the pyramids of Egypt, walk the Great Wall of China. I want to try things I’ve never tried before, meet people, take risks.” Her voice wavered. “But what have I been doing instead? Surviving. Just… surviving.”

My heart clenched.

I reached out, hesitating for just a second before brushing a stray tear from her cheek. “Then do it.”

Her eyes flicked to mine. “What?”

I held her gaze. “Do it, Ashley. Whatever it is you want. Go see the world, take the risks, live the life you want. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

She exhaled, looking away. “Easier said than done.”

I tilted my head slightly. “Not if you have someone to catch you when you fall.”

She stilled. Her lashes fluttered as she blinked rapidly, but she didn’t say anything.

I shifted closer, my voice softer now. “You’re not helpless, Ashley. You never were. But if you ever feel like you are… you don’t have to do it alone.”

She let out a shaky breath, then closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they were still guarded, but some of the sharp edges had dulled.

Then, so softly I almost didn’t hear it, she whispered, “Then teach me.”

I frowned slightly. “Teach you?”

Her fingers curled tighter around the blanket, her voice barely above a breath. “Teach me how to fly higher. Teach me how to swim.”