Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 178: Chapter 178

DEMI

Ten minutes after Ashton drives us to the middle of nowhere, I remain frozen in the passenger seat, watching him pacing a few feet ahead of the car. What the hell is he thinking? Why did he bring me here and why won’t he talk to me? Occasionally, he’d turn to glance at me, like he wants to make sure I’m still in the car.

I have no idea what is going through his mind but if his eyes are any indication, it’s a turmoil in there. With a deep sigh, I unlock the door and march over blades of grass to stand next to him.

"What’s going on, Ashton? Why’d you bring me here?" I ask with my hands crossed over my chest defensively. He turns and the impact of his blue eyes hits me afresh, hard and daunting. Still, I refuse to tear my eyes away. If we’re going to talk, it has to be now.

A small chuckle escapes his lips. "I’ve been wracking my brain for the last ten minutes, trying and failing to understand just what kind of a person you are, Demi Branson. The more I try to figure you out, the more confused I get." Now, the humor drains from his face. In its place, a sudden cloud of sadness hovers. "I’ll admit this once. I have no fucking clue what to believe about you, because I really don’t know you, Demi. At some point, I thought I did, and I was ready to go to bat for you even against my own family. Right now, it’s no longer the same."

The pain in his eyes shatter the wall I spent the last few days building between us. Nervous, I unknowingly take two steps back even when he hasn’t moved towards me.

He doesn’t react to my action but continues with the same intense look in his eyes.

"A lot has happened between our families, between us. I’ve said and done a lot of things that I am not proud of, things that will haunt me forever. You haven’t been a saint yourself but it’s nowhere compared to my own sins and that of my family. Demi, everything that has happened has only made one thing clear; whatever we thought we could become was a lie. Every time I take one step closer to you, you suffer all over again and my world burns."

My heart tightens with a familiar ache.

"I never thought the day would come when I’d be too scared to trust you or to trust myself not to hurt you. This isn’t the man you formed months ago. I’m...broken. I’m a mess and if you don’t keep your distance from my family and I, we’ll only keep tainting you. You know that as well as I do."

"Yes, I do."

He arches his eyebrows at my quick acceptance only to cloak his surprise seconds later.

"Thank you, for saving my brother. I’m sorry it took me so long to believe it."

"I thought we already said our goodbyes. You didn’t have to lie to me, take me on a fucking twenty minutes’ drive only to bring me to this arid land just to rehash that. A damn text would have been enough." Feeling Angry, hurt and defeated, I pivot on my heels and start heading for the car. Too dramatic? Certainly, but tears are already blurring my vision and this move is the only way to hide them from him.

"Demi, please wait."

spinning. It feels like my entire world just crumbled. I thought I was over him. Why is it so damn painful still? My heart races when I hear him trailing behind me. How can he not realize that I want to be left alone? He can’t see me like this, not as a weak, crybaby. Sighting a slab of stone, I intentionally knock

"Demi!"

when I buckle down, groaning in pain. Ashton’s face is a study of pain and horror when he

me

flat shoe off and I stifle a gasp of shock at my reddened foot. When I

me off the ground in one fell swoop. Ignoring my awkward protests, he deposits me carefully inside the car, shrugs off

the sleeves of his shirt. "You’re going to be fine. There’s a small clinic a few meters from here. I’m sure they can patch it up before

my eyes as Ashton circles the car to the driver’s seat. He steps on the gas and in less than five minutes, he’s carrying me into the

is being cleaned, treated and dressed, he stands next

all set, Mr. Rollins."

"Thank you so much."

Mrs. Rollins. You’ll

brief awkward glance over the incorrect way

I can

still hurts. Let me carry you to

really ok. I feel much

continues to grin at

when we approach the door, the entrance is surrounded by B-list reporters who didn’t make the cut to the birthday party. Like ravenous wolves, they stand poised with their

"How did they know...."

my eyes stay back to the

a human too and craves some privacy like the rest of us? If you wanted an autograph or a picture, you could have asked. Why did you have to call them here knowing what his family has been going through recently because of reporters like that who are desperate for gossip and would write

"Demi, it’s okay."

name and now this? What will they say in their blogs when we’re

my shoulder to calm

bob my head before I can think better of it. He steps out through the door and as we expected, the cameras flash continually. What follows is a muffled conversation between him and them.

mutters. "I thought he was your ex-husband. I didn’t mean to call anyone here but I told someone and