After I Gave Up, He Regretted It
Chapter 1
I was Jason’s fiancée, but he treated me with disdain and coldness.
Everyone said I was just a trophy wife, a plaything he’d discard when he got bored.
I didn’t believe them. I thought he loved me, just wasn’t good at showing it.
But when those deepfake videos surfaced, showing me in compromising situations, Jason wouldn’t listen to my explanations.
When I was kidnapped, he refused to pay the ransom.
All because the nanny, Sarah, whispered, “Ashley’s tainted now. She needs to learn a lesson.”
Jason’s words, “I never want to see you again,” fueled the kidnappers’ cruelty.
They tortured me for three months.
I was truly tainted then, even my love for Jason coated in a thick layer of ash.
And then, Jason came crawling back, crying and begging for my forgiveness, begging me to love him again.
1
I was locked in that dark room for three months.
It wasn’t until the leader got a call, a woman’s voice saying, “She’s not dead yet, is she? Let her go.”
That I was finally released.
But not before one last brutal assault.
The torture had become routine, my body and mind numb.
The man rolled off me, zipped his pants, and spat on me.
“Whore. You’re used goods now. Let’s see how Miss High-and-Mighty Ashley shows her face in public again!”
After they left, I lay there for three hours before I could even stand.
I didn’t know where to go, just wanted to escape.
Somehow, I stumbled into downtown.
Waiting for me weren’t the open arms of freedom, but a barrage of flashing cameras.
They shoved their lenses in my face, mercilessly documenting my misery.
One even pulled my coat open further, disgusted with my stunned silence.
Microphones jabbed at me.
“Ms. Miller, where have you been for the past three months?”
“What do you have to say about the explicit videos released three months ago?”
“We hear you’ve been hooking up with the men in those videos. True or false?”
“Are these bruises from your… encounters with these men?”
“After this, are you considering a career in adult films?”
The questions bombarded me, each one a blow to the head.
I sank to the ground, the pain unbearable.
Three months ago, I was a rising star, voted “Most Promising Actress.”
These same reporters had sung my praises.
Now, I was nothing but a public disgrace.
I closed my eyes in despair.
Ashley Miller, the actress who craved the spotlight, was dead. Now, I was just a slut, the shame of the city.
The noise died down.
I opened my eyes, hoping for a reprieve.
Instead, I saw Jason’s cold, impassive face.
I recoiled, my body giving way.
The man I loved stood before me, and all I felt was terror.
He lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and said, “I hope those three months taught you a lesson. At least for Grandpa’s sake, don’t embarrass him any further.”
His voice dripped with disgust, as if I were something foul.
He wouldn’t even look at me, just like three months ago when I knelt before him, begging him to believe me. He’d shoved me away, snarling, “You disgust me!”
2
I curled up, trying to disappear from his sight.
I was filth. He shouldn’t have to look at me.
He frowned. “Can’t you even speak? Still playing the victim, I see.”
I shook my head frantically. “No, no, Mr. Stone, I… I’ll be good…”
Three months ago, I’d sworn I was innocent. Now, just to avoid more pain, I confessed to everything.
He scoffed, tossing his cigarette. “You better be.”
“Get in the car. Sarah’s waiting.”
He turned and walked away.
Sarah, the architect of my misery. How could I forget?
Back at the Stone house, I tried to enter the main hall, to pay my respects to Jason’s recently deceased grandfather.
Jason’s bodyguard stopped me.
“Ashley, you’re not fit to be near Grandpa’s memory. You’d defile it.”
I wasn’t even allowed to mourn.
Jason decreed I could no longer enter the main hall, or use the front door. I was a disgrace, only fit for the side entrance.
The Stones were old money, with strict traditions. I’d lived with them for over a decade; I knew the rules.
So, Jason strode through the front door, while I was herded through the servants’ entrance.
Sarah had already set the table in the dining room.
When Jason entered, she shed her apron and flitted to him like a butterfly.
“Jason, honey, what took you so long?”
“Your favorite clam chowder is almost overcooked!”
She clung to him, the picture of domestic bliss.
She, the runaway I’d taken in from a shelter a year ago.
After their little love fest, she finally acknowledged me.
“Ashley, you’re back.”
Her innocent smile hid the cunning, the greedy glint in her eyes.
Three months ago, I’d begged Jason in his study, pleading with him to get the videos analyzed.
Sarah had entered with tea, feigning concern for me.
I’d grabbed her pants leg, begging her to help me.
When Jason looked away, she’d ground her heel into my arm.
Then, she’d looked up at Jason, all sweet innocence. “Jason, honey, a girl like Ashley needs guidance. Left unchecked, she could cause real trouble.”
She’d knelt beside me, stroking my tear-streaked face. “Ashley, just admit it. It’s okay if your body is dirty, as long as your heart is pure.”
A chill ran down my spine.
The look in her eyes told me my nightmare was about to begin.
Soon after, I was kidnapped.
When they called Jason for ransom, Sarah had said, “Ashley’s tainted. She needs to be taught a lesson.”
And Jason had coldly replied, “I never want to see her again.”
Those words had sealed my fate.
Now, looking at Sarah’s face, I trembled uncontrollably.
3
Jason frowned at my reaction.
“Didn’t you hear Sarah? What are you playing at?”
“If it weren’t for Sarah, I would have kicked you out already.”
My heart ached.
Jason, if I could go back, I would have preferred being kicked out.
But I couldn’t say it. Sarah’s stare dared me to speak out of turn.
I was terrified she’d send me back to that hell.
She was the only one Jason trusted now.
“S-sorry. I won’t do it again…”
I bit my lip, apologizing for my very existence.
This would keep me safe, wouldn’t it?
Sarah smiled, satisfied.
She pulled me to the table. “Ashley, I made you something special. You have to try it.”
She placed a piece of meat on my plate, her eyes urging me to eat.
“Sarah worked hard on this. Don’t be ungrateful,” Jason added coldly.
I took a bite. The strange texture made me gag.
I forced it down.
Sarah smirked, ladling a bowl of broth.
“Ashley, you need to eat more. It’s getting cold; dog meat is perfect for warming up.”
I looked up sharply.
“What did you say?”
I prayed I’d misheard.
“Dog meat. From your dog, Buddy. Remember him?”
The world tilted.
Buddy’s meat… I’d just eaten Buddy…
My stomach churned, and I vomited.
Buddy was the only puppy from my childhood dog’s last litter, before she passed away. My parents had given Buddy to me on their deathbed. “He’ll protect you, Ashley. He’ll be your family.”
Buddy had been with me for twenty years, his muzzle now gray.
No wonder the house felt different. Buddy always greeted me at the door.
And now, I’d eaten him.
Tears streamed down my face as I retched on the floor.
Jason yanked me up. “Ashley! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“It’s just a dog!”
“Sarah made this for you, and you’re throwing it up! You’re unbelievable!”
Just a dog?
Buddy was family. He was all I had left.
He was always so gentle, never a bother. Even at the Stone mansion, he knew Jason didn’t like him, so he slept outside my door every night.
He was a trusting soul, always happy to receive affection. Jason and Sarah knew that.
Sarah had used Buddy’s trust to murder him.
She wanted to break me, to show me how little Jason cared.
From the moment I brought her into the Stone house, she’d been plotting.
4
“He was all I had left of my parents,” I sobbed.
Jason’s anger faltered. He looked at me, a flicker of something in his eyes.
Sarah sniffled. “Ashley, Buddy was dying anyway. He was so old… I just wanted him to have a purpose, to help you. If you’re upset, I’ll leave. I’ll give my life for Buddy!”
She grabbed a kitchen knife and turned it on herself.
Jason snatched it away.
“Sarah! It’s not your fault!”
“Let me die, Jason! It’s the only way Ashley will forgive me!”
Jason held her close as she sobbed.
Then, he turned on me. “Ashley! Have you no heart?! Sarah’s distraught, and you’re crying over a dog! Do you want her dead?!”
I couldn’t, wouldn’t argue.
I just stood there, tears falling, watching their sickening performance.
Sarah, you won. I’m broken. Are you happy now?
“Three months, and you haven’t changed. Do you need another lesson?”
Jason’s words sent a jolt of fear through me.
