Chapter 133
As Koi climbed the stairs, his heart started to pound faster and faster. What kind of expression would Ashley have when he saw him? He didn’t even dare to imagine. But his feet didn’t slow down—in fact, they only moved faster. His longing to see Ashley overwhelmed everything else.
By the time he stood in front of the second-floor room where Ashley was, his heart was racing so fast and his breathing so ragged that he felt a brief wave of dizziness. Koi took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. With a trembling hand, he finally opened the door.
A cool breeze was the first to greet him. Then, beyond the wide-open door, the ordinary interior of the room came into view. A king-sized bed on one side, a fireplace on the other. And there, with his back turned toward Koi, stood a man. His tall frame and broad shoulders—there was no mistaking it. It was him.
Koi forced down the pounding in his chest and stepped inside. As he closed the door behind him, the sound from downstairs faded into the background, filtering faintly through the balcony. He took a few hesitant steps forward before the figure finally seemed to notice someone had entered.
Ah.
Koi stopped dead in his tracks. Ashley did the same. Frozen where he stood, Ashley simply stared at Koi in silence. The platinum-blonde hair tousled slightly in the wind, the tall frame, the amethyst eyes fixed on him—it was all exactly the same.
Ash.
Koi’s vision blurred immediately, and he sniffled, trying to hold it back. Ashley looked the same, yet different. Wearing a crisp white shirt, tie, and neatly tailored suit—something about him felt foreign. The sense of distance held Koi back, made him hesitate.
Ashley moved first. But all he did was slowly raise one hand.
Oh.
Koi faltered again. That’s when he finally realized what felt so strange.
Ashley was smoking.