A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 7: CHAPTER SEVEN

KYLE

Hospitals always had a way of dulling everything—the colors, the sounds, the air itself. The place reeked of antiseptic and muted pain, a perfect mirror to how I’d felt since the day Ashley walked out of my life. I had just concluded my therapy session for the day, the routine of it starting to feel less like a chore and more like... progress. Dr. Harper had pushed me hard today, her questions peeling back layers I wasn’t sure I wanted exposed.

But what I wasn't pushed hard for was seeing Ashley again. 

She was sitting in the waiting area with  Violet. Of course. It had to be Violet.

I ducked into a side corridor before they could notice me, my heart hammering in my chest. What were the odds? I leaned against the wall, peeking around the corner.

Ashley was angled toward Violet, her red hair a vivid contrast against the pale walls of the hospital. She was listening intently, nodding as Violet spoke. She laughed at something Violet said, the sound pulling at something buried deep in my chest.

I clenched my fists, torn between the urge to walk away and the need to stay. The logical part of me knew I had no business lingering, but my feet refused to move.

After a while, Ashley stood, placing a comforting hand on Violet’s shoulder before excusing herself. She started walking down the hallway—toward the restrooms, I realized.

This was my chance.

I waited until she disappeared around the corner, then quickly slipped into a less conspicuous hallway that would let me approach without catching Violet’s attention. The hospital was a maze of connecting corridors, and thankfully, I knew them well enough from my visits.

My pulse quickened as I reached the hallway outside the restrooms. I leaned against the wall, my mind racing.

Why was Ashley here with Violet? Was she staying in New York longer than I thought?

Finally, the door to the ladies’ room opened, and Ashley stepped out. Her head was tilted down, her fingers fumbling through her bag, but when she looked up and our eyes met, she froze mid-step.

Her hazel eyes widened, the kind of wide-eyed shock that seemed to stretch the moment into an eternity.

“Kyle?” she finally said,her voice laced with disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you, Ashley,” I said, taking a step closer. Her posture stiffened, and her eyes darted around the hallway. She wasn’t just surprised—she was uncomfortable.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m here with someone,” she replied curtly.

And that stung. The words cut through me with a precision I wasn’t prepared for. I rubbed my temple, forcing myself to stay composed.

“Yeah, Violet,” I said, attempting to sound casual. “I saw her. How’s she doing now?”

It was a pathetic attempt to steer the conversation to safer ground, but the look on Ashley’s face told me I’d missed the mark.

“She’s fine now,” she snapped, her voice clipped. “But I’m sure you didn’t corner me here to discuss Violet’s health.”

Damn. She’d changed. This wasn’t the Ashley I remembered, the sweet, patient woman I’d loved so deeply. The Ashley who used to bring me lunch at work, who waited up for me no matter how late I got home. This Ashley was guarded, sharper, and I couldn’t decide if it hurt more or made me want to figure out what had happened to her.

My gaze lingered on her face, on those hazel eyes that still shone brighter than I remembered. My eyes traveled down instinctively, over her figure, the way her dress hugged her hips with effortless grace.

Chill the fuck out, I chided myself silently.

A thousand questions flooded my mind, but one rose above the noise.

I ducked my head towards her taking her in fully for the first time in what felt like forever. Her skin was impossibly smooth, glowing under the dim light. Her lashes framed those sharp, sparkling eyes, and her lips—reddish pink —made it damn near impossible not to pull her into me.

“Where the fuck have you been for two years?” I said quietly, my voice strained with barely contained frustration.

Her expression shifted, her eyes flashing with something I couldn’t quite place—sadness, maybe, or anger.

“Why does it matter?” she said, her tone icy. “Why search for me when all I ever was to you was a second option? When you preferred someone else over me?”

Her words hit like a sucker punch to the chest. I raked a hand through my hair, trying to steady my breathing, trying to find the right words.

“Fuck, Ashley…” I muttered. “That’s not what happened.”

She raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as she stared me down, daring me to explain.

“I never wanted to hurt you. I swear, I never did,” I began, my voice low but heavy with emotion. “I meant it when I said I loved you. And I didn’t want her—I never wanted her. Things just…”

I trailed off, the words catching in my throat.

“Things just?” she repeated, her voice rising with anger. “Kyle, I need an explanation as to why I walked  into your office  and found you with another woman. On our fucking anniversary!!” Her eyes blazed with fury, and it was a side of her I’d never seen before.

“Do you remember what happened after high school?” I asked suddenly,my gaze locking onto hers, unflinching. “My father’s business went under, I saw how quickly things could fall apart. We lost everything overnight—our home, our security. I watched the strongest man I knew crumbled right in front of me. I couldn’t let that happen to me. I couldn’t let such happen to us. I can't fail you like that.”

Her gaze burned into me, unrelenting. “And you think you didn’t fail me?” she said softly, her tone laced with both sadness and fury. “Kyle, I didn’t marry you for your success. I married you for you. But you let that fear—your fear of failure—drive a wedge between us. You stopped being available for me. You stopped loving me.”

I flinched at her words, but she pressed on, shaking her head. 

“You pushed me aside for a version of life that you thought would make us happy, but all it did was tear us apart.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes before spilling down her cheeks, and my heart twisted painfully. I had done that. I had hurt her in ways I couldn’t take back.

“Ashley,” I whispered.“I never stopped loving you. Not for a second. I thought I was doing what was best for us—”

“For you” she let out a dry scoff. “ How exactly is sleeping with another woman the best for us Kyle. Don’t pretend it was about us”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. A lump lodged itself in my throat, silencing me. Every excuse I could think of felt hollow, pathetic.

She was right.

I closed the distance between us, and as her familiar scent of wildflowers filled the space between us, something inside me cracked. I reached up to gently wipe a tear from her cheek, my thumb brushing her soft skin. I expected her to pull away, to jerk out of my grasp, but she didn’t. She stayed frozen, her body tense, her breath shallow.

And in a moment of raw, unfiltered vulnerability, I leaned in, closing the space between us, and pressed my lips to hers

Her body went rigid before she parted her lips with a deep exhale.

The taste of mint and strawberries overwhelmed my senses, and I deepened the kiss, pouring every ounce of longing, regret, and love into it. She tasted so damn good, so damn familiar like a distant memory brought back to life.

For a moment, it felt like time had stopped. Like everything that had gone wrong between us didn’t matter. But then, just as quickly as it started, it ended.

Ashley pulled away, stepping back, her hand covering her lips as if to erase what had just happened. Her eyes filled with regret, and my heart sank.

“Fuck,” she muttered, her voice trembling. “I’m sorry, Kyle. I got… overwhelmed. But it’s all over now.”

She paused, her shoulders sagging as she avoided my gaze. “That kiss… it was a mistake.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

That was the sound of my heart breaking all over again.

“I'll be taking my leave now”

I wanted to stop her. I wanted to tell her that the kiss wasn’t a mistake—that it was everything I had dreamed of for the past two years. I wanted her to know that I would never intentionally hurt her, that my love for her was still as real as the day I said, “I do.”

But I couldn’t. I just stood there, watching as she walked away… again.

But this time, I wouldn’t let it be the end. I was determined to win her back, I vowed to do whatever it took to prove to her that my love was real and that I was willing to fight for us.