Chapter: 126
Yet here was Ashley, alive, cradled in his arms.
The intensity of the moment left him breathless.
After a few tense seconds, Ashley's eyes fluttered open, misty with emotion, mirroring the very first time they had met.
“Ashley? Is it really you, or am I dreaming?" Alan spoke in a whisper, as though he might shatter the delicate silence of a dream.
Tears welled up in Ashley's eyes almost instantly. With a trembling hand, she reached out to caress Alan's cheek.
“Alan, is that really you? Am I dreaming? I... I missed you so much."
Her words fluttered over Alan's heart like a feather and sending a playful shiver through him.
"Is it truly you? You're not gone?" Alan's expression darkened, his voice gaining an edge.
Ashley hesitated, her voice catching in her throat, then tears began streaming down her face.
“Seeing you again, Alan, it's unbelievable. I missed you terribly. I never thought we'd meet again, not in this lifetime."
Amid her sobs, Kaitlin, approached.
She had been searching for Alan because it had been quite a while since he stepped away to buy something.
Kaitlin felt a shock jolt through her as if struck by lightning upon hearing Ashley's words.
Was this the woman Alan truly loved? Was she not supposed to be dead?
Noticing Kaitlin's arrival, Ashley attempted to rise from Alan's arms, feigning weakness in her legs from the ordeal at sea, only to fall back into his embrace repeatedly.
Kaitlin's brow furrowed as she observed Ashley's behavior.
Though Ashley bore some resemblance to Lilliana, their demeanors and temperaments were poles apart.
Where Lilliana was cunning, Ashley was a master of allure, her seductive prowess unmatched.
Ashley never had to request; men volunteered their offerings willingly.
Such was the disparity in their artistry.
Kaitlin watched impassively for a moment longer before Alan finally assisted Ashley to her feet.
When he turned and caught sight of Kaitlin, his face registered sheer panic.
Before Alan had a chance to clarify, Ashley stepped forward. “And who might this be?"
"I'm his ex-wife. Go ahead, don't mind me."