Chapter 546

Chapter 546:

Ashton reached the shore a few moments later. His longer strides closed the gap between us in seconds. He caught my arm, his grip firm, his voice calm and cool. “Calm down p>

I didn’t even look at him. With a twist, I wrenched free and pressed forward, still searching.

Ashton moved quickly, his arm snaking around my waist, pulling me tight against him before I could take another step. I struggled hard, but his hold was unyielding. I glared down at the hands that shackled me. “Let go p>

Instead of loosening, his grip only tightened.

Feeling the pressure against my waist, my frustration flared. “I said let go!” I clawed at his arm with my free hand, but my strength against his was nothing more than a tickle.

I stamped on his foot, hard.

he had every right to command me, but it also made me feel small, like I was back in a world where I had no control.

I reluctantly pulled off the wetsuit, shivering as I did. The cool air hit my skin, but Ashton was quick to wrap a large jacket around my shoulders, his presence a comforting wall against the chill. I couldn’t help but notice the heat radiating from him as he moved closer.

“You’re not the only one who’s cold,” he said, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his voice.

I turned my face away, still not wanting to give in to the feeling of being too close to him, yet too far from anything resembling normalcy.

“Thanks,” I muttered, my voice barely audible.

Ashton didn’t respond immediately. He just sat down on the makeshift bed of branches and leaves, looking at me as I stood there, my body tense, my emotions a tangled mess.

The night felt longer than it had any right to be, and yet, despite everything—being stranded on this island, the looming uncertainty of the future—I felt a strange comfort in his presence. We were both alone, yet somehow, in this silence, we weren’t completely isolated.

Lɒtєѕτ chɑρτєrs ιn

“I’ll stay with you,” Ashton said, breaking the stillness. “Until we get out of this. We’ll figure it out p>

I wanted to argue, to remind him that we weren’t supposed to be here, that I didn’t want to depend on him—but the words didn’t come. Instead, I let the silence linger between us, the weight of everything we hadn’t said hanging in the air.

It was funny how being stranded on an island could make you face things you would’ve rather avoided.

Ashton shifted beside me, his gaze softening as he studied me. For a moment, he seemed like the Ashton I used to know, the one I had trusted and loved. I caught myself wishing it could be that simple again, that we could go back to who we were before everything went wrong.

But there was no going back. Not now. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t pretend that things hadn’t changed. We had both changed.

“Get some rest,” Ashton said quietly, pulling me from my thoughts. “Tomorrow, we’ll figure out a way back. Together p>

His words should have been reassuring, but they only made the knot in my chest tighten. I looked out at the stars above, wondering how many more nights I’d spend like this, wondering how many more times I would have to face what lay between us.

But for now, I let myself rest.