Chapter 3 No Place to Belong

Ashley's Point of View

The hotel room smells like nothing.

No perfume. No polish. No memory.

Just sterile air and expensive fabric, designed so no one ever truly stays long enough to matter.

I stand just inside the door, my suitcase at my feet, staring at the king-sized bed like it belongs to someone else. The suite is large-too large for one person-but it feels smaller than my childhood bedroom ever did.

At least there, I knew I wasn't wanted.

Here, I'm simply forgotten.

The door clicks shut behind me.

That sound-the final, definitive click-is when it finally sinks in.

I have been sent away.

Not for my safety.

Not for my healing.

Because I was inconvenient.

I take a step forward, then another, my body moving on autopilot. I sit on the edge of the bed and rest my hands on my knees. They're steady. Too steady.

I should be crying.

Instead, I feel hollowed out, like something vital has been carved out of me and discarded without ceremony.

My phone vibrates.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

I don't look at it.

I already know.

Still, after a long moment, I pick it up.

The screen lights up with notifications stacked on top of each other like accusations.

TRENDING: #RejectedHeiress

LIVE PANEL: The Marsh Family Scandal

BREAKING: Sources Say Ashley Marsh Is "Unstable"

Unstable.

The word crawls under my skin.

I open one video without thinking.

A group of polished faces fills the screen-media analysts, socialites, people who've never met me but speak about my life like it's a chessboard.

"This was inevitable," one woman says smoothly. "Ashley Marsh has always been the weaker link."

Another nods. "You could see it in her demeanor. Timid. Unsuitable for a high-pressure corporate marriage."

A man chuckles. "Frankly, Evans Holdings dodged a bullet."

My chest tightens.

I turn the phone off and drop it on the bed.

For a long time, I just sit there, staring at the wall.

I think of my mother.

Of the way she used to kneel in front of me to tie my shoes, humming softly. Of how she smelled like sunshine and vanilla. Of how safe the world felt when she was alive.

What would you say to me now? I wonder.

The silence answers.

I lie down fully clothed and curl onto my side.

Sleep doesn't come.

A knock at the door jolts me upright.

My heart slams against my ribs.

Another knock. Firmer this time.

"Ms. Marsh?" a male voice calls. "Hotel security."

I swallow and approach the door cautiously, peering through the peephole.

Two men stand outside. Dark suits. Earpieces.

"Press?" I ask through the door.

"No, ma'am," one says. "But they're downstairs. We recommend you don't leave the room."

Of course they are.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

When I step back, my hands are shaking.

I press my palms together, grounding myself.

I won't give them the satisfaction.

Minutes pass. Then hours.

The city hums beyond the windows, alive with gossip and judgment. Somewhere out there, Mira is being praised. Cole is being defended. My father is being pitied.

And I am being erased.

My phone lights up again.

This time, it's a call.

Dad

I stare at the screen until it stops ringing.

A message follows almost immediately.

Ashley, please answer. We need to talk.

Talk.

We had eighteen years to talk.

I don't reply.

Another message arrives.

This one from Sophia.

For everyone's sake, it's best if you stay quiet for a while.

I laugh.

The sound surprises me. It's low and sharp and empty.

"Stay quiet," I repeat aloud.

I've been quiet my whole life.

It never saved me.

That night, I dream of the wedding.

But it's different.

This time, when Cole says no, no one gasps. No one reacts at all. The cathedral is empty except for me.

I look down and realize I'm barefoot.

The floor is ice cold.

I wake with a sharp inhale, heart racing.

Morning light filters through the curtains.

For a moment, I don't remember where I am.

Then everything rushes back.

The humiliation.

The lie.

The exile.

I sit up slowly.

My head still aches faintly, but it's nothing compared to the weight pressing down on my chest.

I shower, letting the hot water scald my skin until it's red. I dress simply-black pants, a sweater, flat shoes. I pull my hair into a low knot.

When I look at my reflection, I barely recognize myself.

My eyes look older.

Colder.

Good.

There's another knock at the door.

Room service this time.

I thank the attendant and close the door, pushing the tray aside untouched.

I'm not hungry.

I don't think I ever will be again.

My phone buzzes.

A message preview flashes across the screen.

Cole: Please. Just let me explain.

Something inside me tightens.

I open the message.

Then another.

I never wanted it to happen that way.

They forced my hand.

You have to believe me.

My fingers hover over the screen.

For a moment-just one-I consider replying.

Then I imagine his face at the altar. Calm. Controlled. Decisive.

I delete the messages.

And block his number.

The silence afterward is profound.

By afternoon, the hotel manager calls.

His voice is polite, apologetic.

"There's been an increase in... attention," he says delicately. "We believe it may be safer if you relocate."

Relocate.

Again.

"Where?" I ask.

"There's another property uptown. More discreet."

I almost say yes.

Then something inside me rebels.

"No," I say. "I'll leave on my own."

There's a pause. "Very well, Ms. Marsh."

I pack my suitcase again.

When I step outside, the lobby erupts.

Cameras flash. Voices shout.

"Ashley! Is it true you threatened your sister?"

"Were you mentally unstable before the wedding?"

"Do you blame yourself for being rejected?"

Security pushes through, but the words hit anyway, sharp and relentless.

I keep my head down.

The revolving doors feel like a battlefield.

Outside, the city air is cold and unforgiving.

A car waits at the curb.

Not a family car.

Not a driver I recognize.

Just a hired vehicle.

I get in.

As we pull away, I glance back at the hotel.

For the first time, I realize something terrifying.

There is nowhere left for me to go.

The car moves through the city aimlessly.

I don't give the driver a destination.

I just say, "Drive."

He does.

Buildings blur past. Streets I used to know feel foreign now.

I think of the penthouse. Of my childhood room. Of the way my father wouldn't meet my eyes.

I think of Mira's red mark.

The lie.

It plays over and over in my head.

I close my eyes.

"I didn't do that," I whisper.

No one answers.

The car slows at a red light.

I open my eyes and see a familiar street.

My chest tightens.

"Stop here," I say suddenly.

The driver hesitates. "Miss-"

"Please."

He pulls over.

I step out onto the sidewalk.

The door closes behind me.

The car drives away.

I stand there, alone, staring at the building across the street.

It's old. Brick. Modest.

My mother's favorite café used to be on the corner. She'd hold my hand and buy me hot chocolate, even in summer.

It's gone now.

Everything is gone.

I walk.

I don't know where I'm going.

The city stretches endlessly, indifferent and cold. My phone is dead. My suitcase feels heavier with every step.

At some point, tears blur my vision.

I don't wipe them away.

Let the world see, I think bitterly. It's already taken everything else.

A horn blares suddenly.

Bright headlights flood my vision.

Time slows.

I take one step forward-

And the world explodes into sound and light.