[BL] Dear Hushand, I want divorce-Chapter 53: The shadows VS Elijah

Ash’s pov ;

Oliver’s lips curved into a small smile. "The photos are fake," he declared.

I exhaled the breath I was holding, my entire body easing with relief. The weight of anxiety that was crushing me lifted instantaneously.

"Thank goodness," I whispered, tears of solace threatening to spill from my eyes. Elijah...he never betrayed me. The trust I lost in him momentarily...he never broke it. Ryder was right.

I was an idiot for believing someone else but doubting my love and belief. Now...I don’t have to give up on him at all.

I quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall and turned to face Oliver. "How did you know? I mean how did you find out?"

He handed back my phone with a confident look. "It was glaringly obvious, Ash. The shadows were too sharp, the lighting too perfect. And the textures...they just didn’t match up. Not to mention, the angles and framing were completely off. These aren’t real."

A burst of laughter escaped my lips, bordering on hysteria. "Thank you, Oliver. You have no idea what this means to me."

His smile widened as he nodded. "Don’t mention it. I’m just glad I could help." He paused for a moment before asking softly, "Is everything okay?"

I nodded profusely. "Yeah, everything’s fine now. Everything will be ok from now on!"

I was soaring on the highest clouds, floating in a sea of relief and joy as Oliver’s words sank into my mind again and again. The photos are fake. Samantha lied to me. Like a floodgate opening, the weight that had been crushing my heart lifted, making me feel light and carefree.

My face couldn’t contain the smile that spread across it.

Thoughts of Elijah raced through my mind like wild horses galloping across an open field. The way he looks at me with those intense, smouldering eyes, the fierce possessiveness with which he holds me, the moments of vulnerability he only shares with me. They were all real and genuine.

God! I’m so happy I could die!

He may not love me yet but he was loyal to me. And now I knew for certain that his obsession with me was real and unwavering.

All of my doubts have been washed away. His every bouts of jealousy and possessiveness—they all made perfect sense now. The thought of being cherished so intensely by someone like Elijah set my heart fluttering with warmth.

Anticipation swelled in my chest as I counted down the minutes until I could see him again, to share this overwhelming sense of happiness with the man who meant everything to me. He had proved himself to be the man I had always hoped he would be, and I couldn’t wait to thank Elijah for being like that.

The guilt of accusing him gnawed at me, and tears threatened to spill over as I got into my car. How could I have doubted the man I loved? It was the worst mistake I ever made.

I will apologise for ever doubting and accusing him, and will persuade him until he forgives him.

As I left Oliver’s place, I was ready to fight for our relationship. Elijah is mine, and I’m determined to cherish him without any more doubts clouding my mind ever again.

Blinking away my tears, I promised myself that I would make things right between us.

Just then, my phone rang—it was Noah. I smiled excitedly. Noah needs to know about this as well.

"Hey Noah," I answered, taking a deep breath to steady my overly excited voice. "Listen I-"

"Ash?! Where are you?!" His voice echoed through the phone, urgent and full of panic.

I frowned. "What happened? Why are you breathing so heavily-"

"Elijah’s been in an accident. They’ve taken him to the hospital." My heart skipped a beat as I struggled to comprehend the words.

No.

No...

No, this couldn’t be happening. I think I’m hearing it wrong.

"Ash? Hello? Where are you? You have to come fast! Elijah-"

The phone slipped from my trembling fingers, my mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened. Fear twisted together inside me, a knot tightening in my stomach.

Shaking my head I quickly picked up the phone again. It’s not the time to be weak. "Noah..." I whispered, feeling overwhelmed and helpless.

Noah quickly relayed the details as I tried to calm my breathing and focus on his words. "Which hospital?" I managed to speak out.

He gave me the name and address, and before he could finish, I already hung up and was racing toward the hospital in a blur of worry and anxiety.

With trembling hands, I gripped the steering wheel and navigated through the streets towards the hospital. Every beat of my heart felt like a hammer striking against my chest, reverberating through every fiber of my being.

Somehow I reached the hospital but all of my strength had given up by that. My legs moved as if weighed down by lead, forcing me to trudge forward with each step.

The memories of that night flooded back, threatening to drown me in their depths. No...please don’t remember it.

Accident? How? How could Elijah be in an accident? My head buzzed with disbelief and fright, my thoughts racing incoherently. Just this morning, we laughed and joked together like any other day.

So, how is it possible?

My senses were devastated by a storm of emotions– fear, pain, confusion- crashing against each other like waves on a shore. My breathing grew shallow and unstable suddenly.

I grasped a nearby wall and clutched my chest so I wouldn’t fall on my weak knees as my head began to throb with those voices I never wanted to hear.

’I’m sorry Mr. Darren the couple didn’t make it.’

’Ash, you need to take your meds.’

’It wasn’t your fault, Ash.’

’Your father will take care of it. You don’t need to worry about it.’

’Sorry, sir. But you need to stay in the hospital until your father orders.’

’Sir, you’ll hurt yourself please put the knife down!’

The voices screamed in my head, a cacophony of agony and anguish. They rumbled through my skull, clawing in my mind. Every word was digging into my consciousness and pulling me deeper into the abyss of my memories. My vision blurred, past and present blending into a horrifying mix like a canvas smeared with dark paint. The dark corners of my mind came alive, twisted versions of reality taunting me with their distorted images.

I frantically tried to grasp at something, anything, to ground myself in the present. But the memories were relentless as I couldn’t breathe anymore. I closed my eyes in hopes of shutting out the horrors that haunted me.

"Ash!" Suddenly, I felt a strong hand shaking me, trying to snap me out of it. Through the haze, I could barely make out Noah’s concerned face. "Ash, look at me!"

But I was still trapped, caught in the grip of my own mind. The shadows of that couple from that night endangered over me, their accusing whispers growing louder by the second. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t real.

That there was no blood, no broken car, no lifeless bodies on the road. But the memories were too vivid, too powerful to ignore. They dragged me down into a spiral of guilt and terror, suffocating any sense of reality or reason.

The shadows were obscured by deep red blood that dripped from their clothes. Their faces contorted with agony and fury, they towered over me like vengeful spirits. Their lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth. The haunting echoes of their voices made me shiver. Their cold, sharp hands tried to grip my skin, tearing at me with an almost physical force.

’WHY DID YOU KILL US?’

No!

Go away! Get away from me! Stop pinching me! Stop eating me!!!!

"LET ME GO!! UGH!!!!!" Fueled by panic and terror, I thrashed and screamed in an attempt to escape their grasp. My fists lashed out instinctively, connecting with Noah’s chest and pushing him back as if he were one of those accusing shadows.

"Ash, it’s me! It’s Noah!" he yelled desperately, trying to calm me down.

But I couldn’t see him. All I saw were those haunting figures from my past. Their twisted features bore into me with a hatred that felt all too real.

’WHY DID YOU KILL US?’ they repeated in a deafening chorus, their voices blending into a terrifying roar as my skin burned from their scorching touch.

"I-I didn’t mean to! I swear I didn’t mean to!" I cried out, my voice breaking and tears streamed down my face as I relived that fateful night again and again in my mind.

"Ash, calm down! Ash? Open your eyes and listen to me!" Suddenly, Elijah’s voice penetrated my ears, piercing through my blind consciousness.

The shadows halted, even flinched. As if they were scared of Elijah. But I couldn’t see Elijah through the thick blackness that surrounded me. The shadows tried to press in closer but stopped when I yelled out for Elijah.

"Elijah!" I called out, crying and thrashing widely.

"Yes, I’m here. Open your eyes, sweetheart. I’m right here in front of you!"

But I couldn’t find him, couldn’t reach him. My vision tunnelled as the shadows slowly began to disappear when I felt protective and safe arms closing around me. I whimpered in pain.

"It’s okay shhh....I’m here," Elijah’s voice insisted. I sobbed, the desperation choking me.

And then suddenly everything began to become dark. My vision narrowed until finally everything went black and I lost consciousness.