Chapter Four
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I told Tony to take Charlie to the car. It was November, and chilly.
924
Tony didn’t say a word, just nodded, trusting
- me.
Tom looked at me, his eyes churning with
emotion.
“How did you end up with Tony Stark?”
I wasn’t going to hide anything.
Tony’s mom was admitted to the hospital with
heart issues, and I was her doctor.
We got to talking, and…well, one thing led to
another.
He admired my dedication and passion for my
job.
ho did what any hillionaira would do. ha
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9:11
So, he did what any billionaire would do: he
swept me off my feet.
The day he asked me out, I laid it all on the table.
“Do you want kids?”
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“Yes. I could say what you want to hear, tell you
I respect your choices. But I want to be honest:
I want kids. My dream is to have a family.”
I asked, “Will you stop me from doing my research?”
He shook his head. “No. Everyone needs something more than just family. You need to do what you want to do and what makes you happy.”
“One last thing: Will you regret it?”
He laughed. “I never regret anvthing.”
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9:11
924
From that day on, I decided to give him – and
myself
–
a chance.
And we fell in love.
We got married, quietly.
We said our vows and had a small wedding.
Listening to my story, Tom’s eyes started to water.
“Was that kid…really your son?”
“But you said you only wanted to have my kids!
How can you have a kid with someone else?”
I just gave him a look.
“You really need to stop dwelling in the past,” I said. “We decided to split, and that’s all that
matters. The only way we can go our separate
paths is by not having to ever interact with each
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9:11
other ever again.
924
“You regretted being with me the first time. I could never accept that.”
Tom shook his head, his voice thick with anger.
“I regretted it because you never supported me! You sent those emails to the record labels, telling them not to sign me!”
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“I never sent any emails! I was working three jobs to support your stupid dream! I didn’t have time for that! And I wanted you to succeed more than anything! Didn’t you see that?”
His face went slack, like he’d been slapped.
He clutched his mouth, struggling to process it.
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9:11
924
“Then why wouldn’t you let me buy that guitar?”
It all clicked.
I finally understood what he almost said at the reunion.
“Did you think we were made of money? Your dad was sick, and we spent everything on hospital bills! What money can we save with that!?”
Tom looked lost.
He mumbled, “No, It was Sarah who told me
that you emailed the record label and stopped
me from succeeding. Because you did not want
me to succeed or to have any money…”
11
If I was sad before, I was now disgusted.
“We were together for years, and you let one
person’s lies erase everything? What do you
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9:11
have to say for yourself?”
924
I sighed. “My husband and son are waiting for me. I have to go.”
Tom grabbed my arm. “Ashley, do you still love me?”
I shook my head.
“That love died a long time ago. Now I love my husband and my son.”
I didn’t know why he was asking.
He always said we should move on.
And I did.
