Chapter 2 The Ultimatum

Asher

My father let out a judgmental grunt. "See? That's what happens when you work for an outsider. No respect for family time. Go on, then. Don't let him say a Vance can't handle the pressure."

"I'll see you at home, Chloe," I said, not looking her in the eye as I turned and walked quickly down the grand hallway toward the front door.

The cool California night air hit my face the moment I stepped out onto the expansive driveway, and I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for hours. I unlocked my car with the key fob, eager to slide into the driver's seat and just drive into the dark.

"Asher! Stop!"

The heavy oak front door slammed shut behind me. I turned around to see Chloe jogging down the stone steps, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement. The wind caught her blonde hair, blowing it across her face, but she didn’t look beautiful right now, she looked furious. And exhausted.

"Chloe, I really have to go," I said, opening my car door. "You heard the text. Sterling is a tyrant."

"I don't care about Harrison Sterling!" she shouted, her voice cracking in the quiet neighborhood. She marched right up to me, slamming my car door shut before I could get in. "I care about us. Or whatever the hell is left of us."

"We can talk about this tomorrow," I pleaded, looking back at the house, terrified my parents would hear her. "Please. My parents are right inside."

"No! We are talking about this right now," she said, stepping into my space. Tears were welling in her eyes, reflecting the amber glow of the driveway lights. "I just sat through another two hours of your mother picking out our future home and your father demanding a male heir for his shipping company, and you sat there like a ghost. You wouldn't even look at me, Asher."

"I'm tired, Chloe. The pressure from work…"

"Stop using work as an excuse!" she snapped, poking a finger into my chest. "It’s not work. It’s you. You’re physically here, but emotionally, you’re thousands of miles away. When was the last time you kissed me? Really kissed me? Without me having to initiate it? When was the last time we were intimate where it didn't feel like you were just going through the motions?"

The guilt returned, sharper this time, stabbing directly into my chest. She was right. Every touch felt like an obligation. Every 'I love you' felt like a lie I was forcing out to keep the peace.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking down at the pavement. "I've just been in a weird place lately."

"A weird place doesn't last for six months, Asher," Chloe said, her voice dropping to a harsh, trembling whisper. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I love you. I have built my entire life around the idea of a future with you. I defend you to your parents, I smile, I play the perfect girlfriend. But I can't live in a house with a man who treats me like a roommate he’s forced to tolerate."

"I don't tolerate you, Chloe. You're amazing," I said, and I meant it. She was incredible. She deserved a man who worshipped the ground she walked on. A man who looked at her the way I couldn't.

"Then show me!" she cried out, her hands shaking. "Because right now, I feel completely invisible to you."

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, her expression hardening into something dangerous.

"I'm giving you an ultimatum, Asher. And I mean every word of it."

My stomach dropped. "Chloe, don't do this."

"I’m doing it because I have to save myself," she said, staring directly into my eyes. "Either you commit to a real future with me, a real wedding, a real marriage, a real partnership where you actually show up for me, or I am walking away. Tomorrow."

"Chloe, please, my family…"

"If you can't give me that, I’m leaving," she interrupted, her voice dead serious. "And I won't lie for you anymore. When your mother calls me to ask why the wedding is off, I’m going to tell her exactly why. I’ll tell her that you are emotionally dead, that you haven't touched me in months, and that you ruined this relationship."

Panic, cold and sharp, flooded my veins. If she did that, my parents’ suspicion would peak over the wall. They would realize I wasn't going to settle down, that the family business wouldn't have a next generation. My father would cut me out completely, strip me of my inheritance, and cast me out of the family entirely. Everything I had built to protect my secret would crumble into dust.

"Don't do that," I begged, reaching out to touch her arm, but she flinched away from my hand.

"Then make a choice, Asher," Chloe said, backing away toward the house. "You have until the end of the week to decide if you actually want me, or if you’re just using me as a prop. Because I’m done playing a part in your golden cage."