'How much of it did she hear? Does she believe Elsie's words?'

His brain questioned but no answer came from within.

The house of walls which had started to feel like something warm and welcoming now felt cold again. In this marriage of almost a month, he had already started to look forward to the evenings when he would come home to Lilly and Sam. Her smiles, her radiance and that smart mouth which always pulled him to her.

She had become his safe heaven and she had become that without even realising it. He had allowed her too deep under his skin without even knowing it. And now he just stood there staring into space as a strange feeling arose from his deepest being.

He had never cared what people thought of him but now why was he afraid as to what she was thinking at the moment. Had her opinion started to matter. He stood there surrounded by all those doubts and unanswered questions as the one question echoed the most.

'Had he lost his little piece of heaven on earth?' His heart thumped at the thought as his brain started searching for what he could do to bring his heaven back. Bring it back as to how it was the previous night before Lilly talked about Elsie. He stood there as he wondered if he had once again lost his everything to Elsie.

Meanwhile, Lilly gently laid the sleeping toddler in his crib as she threaded her fingers through his soft curls.

"Was Elsie right?'' she asked to whom exactly she wasn't sure but this was a question she desperately wanted the answer of.

"But how can Ashton be the cause of anyone's death? Wasn't he too small at that time? But then why didn't he refute her comments?" Lilly talked to herself as she tried to assume the possibilities.

"He respects Grace so much and that too when she was just his nanny." She had seen the way respect, care and concern shone in his eyes every time he looked at Grace or talked about her as if she was his real mother.

The way he loves and cares for Sam as if he is his son. He always respected the boundaries she had set for him. He respected her and gave her the freedom to make her decisions and ask questions.

Lilly closed her eyes and thought of all the moments she had spent with him and all she could see was his smiles, his laughter, his funny remarks, his love for Sam, his respect for her and Grace. She smiled as she thought of how he always teased her and how he always made any situation fun to talk about.

Finally, when she opened her eyes she had made her decision.

" Ashton isn't in the wrong.'' she breathed in confidently as her eyes shone. She didn't know what had happened in his past. She had no idea why Elsie was blaming him for his mom's death. She didn't know why he didn't stand for himself. And why his dad just stood there like a mute spectator speaking not even a single word in his son's favour. She didn't know anything about those things.

But the only thing that she knew now was that she trusted Ashton. She knew he couldn't do anything wrong to anyone. The days she had spent with him, the days she knowingly or unknowingly observed him were the reason her trust in him strengthened and now she placed her complete trust in him.

With that final thought, she placed a soft kiss on the baby's head as she smiled.

"Goodnight Sam. Now I have finally made up my mind. I trust Ashton."

With the newfound trust, Lilly headed to Ashton's room.

'Our room.' she remembered Ashton's words and smiled.

When she reached their room she found it empty. Thinking that he might be in the washroom she knocked on the door and called for him.

"Ashton?"

As no answer came she pushed the door open and found the washroom empty. "Ashton isn't here. Where is he then?" her heart started picking the pace and a fear of unknown started germinating inside her.

"Did he leave somewhere?" she remembered how after the wedding he had disappeared for one whole week. It didn't matter to her as much at that time as it mattered to her now.

The thought of him leaving again was scaring her. She rushed to the kitchen but he wasn't there. For a moment she thought of going to Grace's room wondering if he were there but then she remembered that Grace must be in bed and Ashton wouldn't disturb her at this time.

"Where is he then? Did he... leave?" the fear raised goosebumps in her skin and she started to feel sick.

As she entered the living room she picked up her phone and dialled his number but no one answered. He wasn't picking up the call and she didn't hear his cell ring anywhere in the house.

"He is gone. He won't return." shaking her head in disbelief and pain she whispered to herself. A sob filled with pain left her and she quickly covered her mouth.

"Where is he?" she started to feel weak in her knees as if her legs were melting slowly. She shouldn't have left just like that. She should have talked to him or at least smiled at him or looked at him. But she did nothing and now he had left. To where she had no idea and now she didn't even know if he would come back. Her heart sank.

A cold breeze brushed against her skin and she shivered. Turning, she saw the door to the balcony was open. She remembered closing it before she had left for the dinner, she frowned as a small hope took birth and with slow steps she headed to the balcony.

She stopped at its door as she saw Ashton's back. He was sitting on a small bench in the middle with his back towards the door. Relief rushed through her bones at the sight of him and she had to hold onto the door jamb to prevent herself from falling on the floor.

When she was sure that her legs had gained enough strength to bear her weight she took slow steps towards Ashton. She could see an empty bottle of alcohol at his side and a new one that he had just opened. She sat beside him on the bench as he stared up in the dark sky whose only source of illumination was the moon.

"What are you doing alone here?" she asked softly.

He sighed. '' I don't know," he answered without looking at her.

Something was off, she noticed as he raised the bottle to his lips to take another sip.

Lilly stopped him as she said, "You have already emptied one bottle. How much more are you planning to drink?"

" I don't know," he answered again taking one more sip.

Why all his answers seem to be so lost, Lilly worried.

"Too much of alcohol is not good for your health," she said trying to take the bottle from him.

"Just a little bit more," he said still holding onto the bottle. "Come, join me." he offered her.

She took a sip and grimaced.

"It doesn't taste sweet."

He gave her a small smile as he said, "But it can make you forget your problems."

"But it doesn't solve them or make them disappear. Right?"

He looked at her for a moment and then back at the dark sky.

"You always talk so logically." he took a deep breath as he continued, "But forgetting about the problems for a while isn't bad either," saying he took one more sip.

"It might not be." She agreed but still took the bottle from his hand and placed it aside. She held his chin between her finger and thumb and made him look at her. It was then that she noticed the bruise on his cheek.

The blood on the bruise had dried. She touched the bruise with gentle fingers and hissed in pain as if that bruised cheek was a part of her own body. As if she could feel the pain and stinging sensation. Her blood boiled just at the thought of Elsie raising her hand at Ashton. If she could hit a grown-up man then Lilly could only imagine how many times she might have raised her hand at him when he was a child.

"It hurts." it was more of a statement than a question.

"It's alright," Ashton said turning his face away as if trying to hide that bruise.

Lilly took a deep breath as she tried to smile. "Come on, my dear husband. Let me treat this bruise or else I am afraid people will say that Ashton King's wife has grown claws and is way too wild." Those words did the trick and she heard him chuckle.

"I've your claw marks on my back." He smiled at her and she went pink remembering the first time she had seen his back after their passionate lovemaking session.

"I - I didn't do that knowingly."

Oh! He loved the way she always goes a shy maiden from a confident tigress. This woman had some amazingly magical powers, Ashton acknowledged. She could make him smile and laugh even in the worst of situations.

Slowly, she was becoming someone whose smiles could take his breath away, he realised. He had allowed her way too deep under his skin and now he had no idea how to get her out of it. And now he even doubted if he wanted her to ever leave his mind.

She stood as she took his hand in hers and tugged at him.

"Come on, my husband. I am freezing here." He just looked at her but didn't move an inch from his seat so she continued, "I am afraid your wife will turn to an ice cream if you made her sit here any longer than this."

"My wife is way too hot to freeze just like that." He smiled and she looked at him.

"Flattering me, Mr King?." She smirked and his smile widened at those words.

He got up from his seat. Pulling him along with her she closed the door to the balcony and marched to their room.

He might even walk to hell if she smiled at him like that and held onto his hand, he realised. He was giving her way too much power than he had given to anyone else in this life and this was dangerous. This was risky. But at this moment he was ready to risk anything even if it was his life. He wouldn't mind as long as she smiles.

She closed the door of their room and Ashton sat on the couch. He was still wearing his jacket, Lilly noticed and Sam's handprints which he had printed on Ashton's coat when he held him at Elsie's house had now dried. Ashton was now looking tired as if he had aged suddenly.

Lilly decided to give him the first aid. She brought the first aid kit and helped him out of his jacket. Then she sat beside him as she started cleaning the dried blood on the bruise.

He looked at her and asked, "Aren't you going to ask me anything?"

Her movements stopped as she looked into his eyes.

'Does he know?'

What do you guys think, would she ask him about his past? Why he was called a murderer of his mother?

their feelings for each other will deepen and the development of slow romance will take place❣️