Shut Up and Surprise Me

20. Hell Breaks Loose

Shit. Shit. Shit.

It can't wait until we get home anymore. I need to talk to him before he talks to Danielle. Even though there's a slight chance his mom will keep her end of the deal, since I wasn't the one who leaked the information, I still think coming clean is the best bet at the moment. No matter how ugly it'll sound. I'm ready to pay the price of my stupidity.

"Ashton, I need to talk to you," I say after he's done ordering our driver to make a brief detour, my voice trembling from dread.

"Sure. Sorry, I was distracted. I'm all ears now. What is it you want to talk about?"

I glance at Chloe, who has her earphones off now, probably noticing the tension inside the car. Ashton is not a smiley man, but when he's tensed, it's impossible to miss. "I need to talk with you alone."

My reply earns an eye roll from our daughter. As though knowing she's not supposed to hear our conversation, she puts her earphones back on. Still, it doesn't feel right to talk about something this important in front of our child.

"Does it have to be now?"

"At least before you see Dani."

A frown forms on his forehead. "Why? It has something to do with her?"

"Yes. It has everything to do with her and the whole situation right now."

"I don't understand."

"It's rather complicated. Long story short, I know what's going on." Worse, I caused all of this. "I think you should hear what I'm going to say first before you talk to Dani. But just not here."

His frown grows deeper, as if he tries to make sense of every single word I said. He's clearly confused, but he pushes the intercom button on his armrest. In the next second, the driver's voice fills the air inside the car.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"Take our daughter home after dropping me and Char off at my mother's house," he replies.

"Yes, sir. Shall I pick you up later, sir?"

"No. Stay there until we get back."

"Yes, sir."

After Ashton hangs up, the silence wraps the air inside the car. I don't know what to say because I'm nervous like hell, and Ashton seems to be absorbed in his own thought, anyway. The tension between us grows thicker every second, as though he's caught the idea of what I'm about to tell him. There is no going back for me, and after I tell him everything, I will free myself from this twisted predicament.

Ashton will not be happy, but at this point, I'm ready to face the consequences.

Once the car left Danielle's driveway, Ashton makes his way to the gazebo in the middle of his mom's garden, and I follow him quietly. It's not yet spring, and there are no flowers in sight, but the garden is neat and very well taken care of. A low hedge maze sprawls at the back part, next to a small pond with a wooden swing seat on the side. It used to be a playground, but since everyone had grown older, Dani changed it to a spot where she could sit and enjoyed the sun.

Ashton lived here in his childhood years, and I always wonder what he did every day to kill time after school. Though I could see the little green-eyed boy sitting on the oak tree at the front corner, watching the street while thinking about how to make money out of those people who passed by.

"Get inside," Ashton says, holding the glass door of the gazebo. At least, it's not an open roof terrace; it's handy for bitter days. "What is it do you want to tell me?"

A pinch of terror causes my stomach to churn, but it's too late to change my mind. I need to do what's right and stop Dani's control over me. "I was the one who brought up the idea to Emily." I struggle to swallow when he cocks his eyebrow in confusion. "About Frederick Sauer."