She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 82 A Clever

Maneuver

Ashley felt her heart plummet into the depths of despair.

She had toyed with the idea of being honest, but circumstances had backed her into a corner.

If she failed to marry Kristian, she would tumble back into her own living

nightmare.

"I didn't lie to you,” she murmured, her voice quivering as she sought to stir a flicker of understanding. "I know I messed up before with what I said about Freya and your brother, but believe me, this time I'm not lying. 1 you doubt my words, go ahead, look into it. I swear, I don't know that man."

Ashley knew that no matter how deep Kristian dug, he would uncover nothing. That man was far more adep at shrouding their tracks than she was at revealing truths.

Kristian let the conversation drop without further pursuit, his silence heavy and telling.

The evidence was irrefutable-the photos weren't tampered with, and Ashley's truth was a woven web of lies. Tears breached her defenses, spilling over in genuine terror.

His expression unreadable, Kristian simply said, "I believe you.”

"You... you believe me?" Ashley's voice cracked, shocked by his sudden softening.

"How could I not?" Kristian touched the file folder-a brief, tender gesture before he leveled a grave demand. "But there's still one thing you need to clear up."

Ashley, her nerves frayed and jangling like alarm bells, took a sip of water to steady herself. “What is it?” she asked, her gaze flickering with unease

"I handed your overseas medical records to your attending physician," Kristian blurted out, his voice calm and measured.

He opened the file folder with a slow, meticulous motion that seemed to draw out the silence between them. "After reviewing them, he claimed he'd never treated a patient like you. How do you explain that?"

The sound of the water glass shattering against the hard floor punctuated the room as it slipped from Ashley's

grasp

If she had been anxious and scared before, now she teetered precariously on the brink of utter despair. The blood drained from her face, leaving her lips pale and her eyes wide, reflecting an unmistakable terror. Kristian had not just looked into her history, he had delved into it.

"Maybe he's seen too many patients and just... forgotten," she stammered, clutching at straws, her voice a fragile thread

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She Took The House, The Car, And My Heart

Chapter 82 A Clever

Maneuver

Ashley felt her heart plummet into the depths of despair.

She had toyed with the idea of being honest, but circumstances had backed her into a corner.

If she failed to marry Kristian, she would tumble back into her own living nightmare.

“I didn't lie to you,” she murmured, her voice quivering as she sought to stir a flicker of understanding. "I know I messed up before with what I said about Freya and your brother, but believe me, this time I'm not lying. If you doubt my words, go ahead, look into it. I swear, I don't know that man."

Ashley knew that no matter how deep Kristian dug, he would uncover nothing. That man was far more adept at shrouding their tracks than she was at revealing truths.

Kristian let the conversation drop without further pursuit, his silence heavy and telling.

The evidence was irrefutable-the photos weren't tampered with, and Ashley's truth was a woven web of lies.

over in genuine terror.

Tears breached her defenses, spillin

simply

His expression unreadable, Kristi Y "You... you believe me?" Ashley's voi said, "I believe you."

1. d. shocked by his sudden softening.

"How could I not?" Kristian touched the file folder-a brief, tender gesture before he leveled a grave demand. "But there's still one thing you need to clear up."

Ashley, her nerves frayed and jangling like alarm bells, took a sip of water to steady herself. “What is it?” she asked, her gaze flickering with unease

"I handed your overseas medical records to your attending physician," Kristian blurted out, his voice calm and measured.

He opened the file folder with a slow, meticulous motion that seemed to draw out the silence between them. "After reviewing them, he claimed he'd never treated a patient like you. How do you explain that?"

The sound of the water glass shattering against the hard floor punctuated the room as it slipped from Ashley's

grasp

If she had been anxious and scared before, now she teetered precariously on the brink of utter despair. The blood drained from her face, leaving her lips pale and her eyes wide, reflecting an unmistakable terror. Kristian had not just looked into her history, he had delved into it.

"Maybe he's seen too many patients and just... forgotten," she stammered, clutching at straws, her voice a fragile thread.

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Chapter 82 A Clever Maneuver

"I had them verify with the computer records," Kristian pressed on, relentless, his eyes boring into her as if trying to unearth her secrets. "They reviewed every patient treated in the past two years. Your name wasn't

there."

This time, Ashley's voice deserted her, cornered by the truth she couldn't deny.

Kristian absorbed her demeanor instantly, detecting the absence of the anticipated fury. Instead, his voice was icy, his words slicing through the tense air. "Why did you lie to me?"

Ashley's gaze fell, her tears cascading silently.

Kristian remained motionless in his seat, offering her no solace.

They were engulfed in a heavy silence for a lingering ten minutes, her sobs muffled by her hands. Throughout this time, her mind raced to forge a plausible excuse. Finally, gathering her resolve, she dried her tears, her eyes swollen and reddened, and mustered a pained smile. "Since the truth has come to light, there's no sense in concealing it any longer. Yes, I lied to you. I was never a patient at that hospital."noveldrama

Kristian's expression tightened, a subtle crease forming between his brows.

"There's more I haven't told you," Ashley went on, her voice trembling despite her efforts to smile through the tears. "My stomach cancer... it was never cured."

A shadow seemed to pass over Kristian's features as he weighed her confession.

Ashley's voice broke slightly. "I underwent surgery at a different facility, and the doctors said I have only a year left. If you doubt my words, I'm willing to prove it to you by showing the scars."

With a resolve born of desperation, she began to peel off her jacket and reached for the buttons of her blouse, betting on Kristian's probable intervention.

And true to her expectations, just as she loosened the first button, his voice cut through the air, firm yet restrained. "Stop, that won't be necessary."

Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she spoke. "If you think I'm lying, you can check the hospital records."

She paused, her gaze locked on his. "It's the private hospital next door-the one I mentioned before. You'll find the inpatient record."

Kristian's brow furrowed as he listened. For the first time, he found himself trapped in a haze of doubt, unable to discern the truth in her words. After a moment of tense silence, he replied, his voice low and uncertain, "I'll look into it." "Okay." Ashley nodded, her demeanor surprisingly composed.

That particular hospital was a puppet, owned by the very company that could manipulate its records at will. Kristian's investigation would likely yield only the truths they permitted him to discover.

Observing her unruffled calm, Kristian's confusion deepened. "If that's the case, why lie about being cured?"

"Because I love you," Ashley admitted, her voice breaking with the intensity of her emotions. "I want to be with

you."

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Alone now, she grappled with the sheer terror of having faced Kristian, the one person who could see right through her façade. The fear that her web of lies might unravel at any moment gnawed at her.

After a few moments of strained silence, she summoned the Strength to reach for her phone. Her firs trembled as she dialed the number she had saved earlier.

It was a desperate move, but necessary. If she didn't reach out to that person now, the repercussions could be catastrophic.

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