Stellar Tech. My first big investment, now a
publicly traded, industry–leading tech.
company.
I raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“You know what I’m capable of,” he said, his
voice surprisingly steady, given his
circumstances. “In my other life, I was a top
developer. Stellar Tech tried to recruit me,
offered me a seven–figure salary. I turned
them down.”
<
“Now, I’m willing to work for them. Put in a
good word for me. I won’t disappoint you.”
The audacity. He was actually asking me for a
favor, after everything?
I laughed. “Ashton, it’s not that I don’t want
to help.”
“But Stellar Tech has… standards. Even the
interns have Master’s degrees. And for a core
developer position… well, you’d need a
doctorate.”
“I’m just a shareholder, Ashton. I don’t make
hiring decisions. Sorry.”
His face hardened. “Olivia, you loved me. I
know you did. Mom said you never dated
anyone else. You were waiting for me,
<
“Get me this job, and I’ll leave Brittany. I’ll be
with you.”
I stared at him, speechless. “Are you
serious?”
I stood up, my voice ice cold. “I’m not single
because of you, Ashton. I’m single because
I’m focused on my career. Men are not a
priority.”
“And love? Why would I love a washed–up,
second–hand man like you?”
“You wanted your perfect life with Brittany. I
gave it to you.”
“What? Regretting it now?”
<
He looked down, silent. But his slumped
shoulders, the way he avoided my eyes, spoke
volumes.
He wasn’t the golden boy anymore. No.
adoring crowds, no bright future.
This time, I was on top.
I saw Mrs. Summers again, at a shopping
mall. My mom had dragged me along to be
her personal ATM.
Mrs. Summers was… different. Last time,
she’d been vibrant, youthful, like my mom.
Always perfectly coiffed, dressed in designer
clothes, radiating the satisfaction of a life
well–lived.
Her son had been her crowning achievement.
<
Now, she looked… tired. Older than her years.
The dye job couldn’t hide the gray at her
temples. Worry lines etched her face.
Seeing me, she smiled sadly. “You’re so lucky,
Margaret. Such a wonderful daughter.”
“Look at my Ashton. We gave him everything,
and he…”
At lunch, she turned to me, a hopeful glint in
her eye. “Olivia, you’re not seeing anyone, are
you? You and Ashton, you had such a
connection. If only…”
My mother stiffened, her eyebrows drawing
together.
I cut in, my voice firm. “There are no ‘if
onlys,‘ Mrs. Summers.”
<
She subsided, a tight smile on her face.
But a moment later, her phone rang. Ashton’s
voice boomed through the speaker. “Mom!
Where’s my birth certificate?! I’m getting a
divorce!”
A cacophony of shouts and crashes erupted
from the phone.
Mrs. Summers shot to her feet. “I’m so sorry,
Margaret. Something’s come up… I have to
go.” She hurried away, her back hunched,
looking ten years older.
The next time I saw Ashton, it was at
Brittany’s funeral.
Brittany’s deadbeat father had reappeared,
demanding the Summers family pay his
<
Ashton finally snapped, demanding a divorce.
They fought. Knives were involved.
This time, Ashton didn’t back down. He was
going through with it.
Brittany climbed onto the ledge of their
eighteenth–floor apartment. “Ashton! I’ve
relived this so many times! Just to be with
you!”
“You were supposed to be successful! What
was the point of all this if you don’t win?!”
“I was supposed to be rich!”
And then, she jumped. A broken butterfly,
falling from the sky.
<
Since they weren’t legally divorced, Ashton
inherited her debts, and her father’s.
The loan sharks closed in. The Summers
family lost everything. Their house, their car,
even the internet cafe.
Wiped out.
I heard he was delivering food now, working
day and night, struggling to survive. Worse off
than before.
He saw me at the funeral, but kept his
distance.
As I turned to leave, he called out.
He was smoking, his face lined and haggard.
His voice was raw with pain. “Olivia… why
<
I scoffed. “Letting you live was mercy
enough.”
He hunched over, drawing deeply on the
cigarette, as if trying to inhale his regrets.
“I was such a fool. You were trying to help
- me. But I was so caught up in my own
fantasy…
“I’m sorry, Liv. So sorry… Can you ever
forgive me?” He reached out, as if to touch
- me.
I stepped back.
“Ashton, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“What good is forgiveness? This is your life.
<
You made your choices. Live with them.”
“In a way, I should thank you. You pushed me
to be better, to focus on myself.”
“And I’m thriving. This life? I love it.”
“And honestly? Seeing you like this… it’s
more satisfying than watching you burn.”
I walked away, the sun warm on my face. He
was behind me, a ghost from a past I’d finally
escaped.
We were on different paths now.
And I was finally on the right one.
